COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES IN SOCIAL SCIENCES

CSU – Main Campus, Ampayon, Butuan City, Philippines

ISABELA'S COPING MECHANISM ON HER SELECTED COURSE

Dobluis, Maclyn
Espina, Marriella
Esma, Jan Venci
Punay, Darren Van
Sumalpong, Mariboy

PSYCH 102- Developmental Psychology

Ms. Christine Joy Pagaran
June 10, 2022
 COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES IN SOCIAL SCIENCES
CSU – Main Campus, Ampayon, Butuan City, Philippines

THE CASE OF ISABELA

I. BACKGROUND OF THE CASE

a. Presenting Problem

Isabela stated that she was pressured on her study taking the course chosen by her
grandmother. She also finds it hard to focus on her course since it’s not what she
wanted in the first place. She is also having emotional breakdowns due to her mental
instability.

b. Demographic Information of Isabela

Isabela, not her real name is already 18 years of age and a Filipino bisexual woman.
She was born on July 27, 2003 in Quezon City. She is currently residing in Barobo,
Surigao del Sur and a first year student in Caraga State University taking up Bachelor
of Science in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering.

c. Facts of the Case

Isabela as a student became independent since she has to stay away from her parents and
live on her own, but its her parents who supports her in terms of her nessesities and
needs. Her problem came from the pressures that she felt as a student who is supported
financially by her parents, she is expected to do well and to top in her class since she has
nothing to do anymore since she is being supported already they want her to spend her
time studying and learning all the time. She finds it hard to be motivated to study since
the course she's currently taking is not her choice but her grandmothers choice she cant
focus really well given that she also find the course hard for her to understand and
adopt but she has nothing left to do since they have already chosen this course for her.
At night when she feels alone its when all the dismays and the disappointments kicks in
she feels like the world is being hard on her for not making her also decide what she
wants she suffers from breakdowns and her mental state becames unstable until she
comes back up again to fight and try to figure out all the things she can do in the
meantime.

d. Assessment Procedures and Results

The gathered data was taken through a series of interview with Isabela and the
interviewers and the other significant people that could contribute to the data
gathering.
COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES IN SOCIAL SCIENCES
CSU – Main Campus, Ampayon, Butuan City, Philippines

i. Interpersonal Style

Isabela described herself as an independent person since she was a senior high student
given that her parents works in Manila to sustain the needs of their family. She also
stated that she was able to overcome some of the struggles that she encountered all
throughout the time that she is away from her parents. She sees the sacrifices of her
parents and wants to compensate them with good grades, and that’s why she was able
to consistently top in their class. She is eager and a goal oriented person and always
wants to make her parents proud.

ii. Cognitive Factors

She is having a lot of barriers on her learning and despite all of this she still tries to
figure out what she must do in order for her to surpass this problems she's facing with.
She is easily distracted by the things that caught her attention and does not have a self
discipline to continue what she is currently doing in the meantime. According to her also
it is easy for her to learn when the topic being discussed is something that always caught
her interest

iii. Emotional Factors

She is jealous to her friend’s connection with their family she said that she began to
talk with her mom the moment she saw her friends being open with her family. She
only opens up her problems to the people she trusts the most and to her partner who is
with her since they were senior high school. She added that despite everything she has
right now she is also having mental instability she sometimes find it hard to
understand herself and when it happens she tends to give herself a space and not
interact with the people around her.

iv. Behavioural Factors

When asked with her behaviour she answered that when she has a free time she uses it
using TikTok and scrolls some funny videos to make herself entertained. She also
suffers from poor eyesight that she needs to use her glasses most of the times to see
clearly. She also usually takes vitamins like Propan to have enough Iron for the daily
basis. When given a tough time she oftentimes hurt herself to cope up with the
problems she is having. This type of behaviour is often called Nonsuicidal self-
injury [NSSI] is a prevalent but perplexing behaviour problem in which people
deliberately harm themselves without lethal intent. (Matthew K. Nock 2010)
 COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES IN SOCIAL SCIENCES
CSU – Main Campus, Ampayon, Butuan City, Philippines

v. Environmental factors

She does not find any factors in her environment that can affect her self being. In their
dorm, even though sometimes she feels that she’s being left behind she’s still friends
with her roommates, maybe because of the difference in their age and on the interests
each of them is similar off. According to her roommate, Isabela is quite shy with them
because of the factor that they were together not that long enough to establish such a
connection.

II. CASE CONCEPTUALIZATION

a. Hypothesis

Pressure is the psychological stress associated with expectations to perform well in a

situation. (Pressure. (n.d.). In Alleydog.com's online glossary). In Isabela`s case she is
pressured to do well on her course despite the fact that she finds it hard to motivate
herself on pursuing it. At the same time she has problems sustaining her needs since
she is currently living in the boarding house near the school, her needs and necessities
sometimes does not meet with the allowance that is given to her. At the same time,
she hides her relationship to both her parents and friends.

b. Theoretical Framework

Daily guardian (2020) reports that the pressure to score high has normalized in this
society, especially for children whose parents see academic achievement as the
criterion for success. Some call it the passport of prosperity, and thus pressure their
children to score the highest. Minimal mention is required, as others see it only as a
numerical performance indicator for a particular course.

Putting strict academic pressure on children will instill in them a fear of failure and
mistakes that will deceive their grades. Even if grades are used as a measure of school
performance, the phobia of failing parents will defeat the purpose of true learning and
character formation. This happens because children are placed on a pedestal that
should always be on top of everything. This idea will develop the student's mindset to
only aim for high grades without going through any process. They will take learning
for granted in order to meet the expectations of those around them.

Excessive pressure affects the health and well-being of students. It will undermine
personal growth because of the mental, emotional and social implications of intense
academic pressure to achieve high grades. It will instill a fear of mistakes and
disappointments and will cultivate a perfectionist attitude that poisons a student's true
learning process. In addition, worst-case scenarios can lead to depression, self-harm,
and suicide due to poor mental health in students.
 COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES IN SOCIAL SCIENCES
CSU – Main Campus, Ampayon, Butuan City, Philippines

III. TREATMENT GOALS AND PLANS

After acquiring the result of the assessment, an appropriate intervention for Isabela's situation
is identified. Isabela needs academic counselling since she is having problems coping with
her selected course and she is finding it tough to focus on it because it is not what she wanted
in the first place.

Academic counselling’s objectives are to aid students in realizing and accepting the reality of
probable successes and failures, as well as to develop confidence and maturity. It would also
assist Isabela in identifying and understanding any coping issues he may have. Furthermore,
this will assist the individual in overcoming immediate challenges as well as preparing them
for future problems. It will also help in the monitoring of students' academic development.
Make it easier for students to communicate with faculty and administrators. Through this,
Isabela is expected to improve in understanding on how academic stress can affect other areas
of life such as family life and studies. Learning how to properly manage academic stress will
help her reduce anxiety and balance school, family, and other responsibilities.

Additionally, rather than completing goals, part of her treatment plan is to devote her time
and energy to activities that promote her well-being. Prioritizing mental health over academic
achievement needs a healthy lifestyle commitment. Regularly going to the gym, walking with
a buddy, writing in a journal, or sitting on the grass with a book can help relieve academic
stress and establish healthy habits for life after college.

IV. DISCUSSION

Adolescence is the period of transition between childhood and adulthood. Children who are
entering adolescence are going through many changes. As well as the period of life in which the
sense of 'self' changes profoundly. This phase begins at puberty onset and ends with stable
commitment to an adult role. This stage of development thinking is on a higher level than that
of children. Children are only able to think logically about the concrete, the here and now.
Adolescents move beyond these limits and can think in terms of what might be true, rather than
just what they see is true. Adolescents move beyond these limits and can think in terms of what
might be true, rather than just what they see is true. This affects how they feel, think, make
decisions, and interact with the world around them. As Isabela's case, by considering that being
an adult it has a lot of changes in her situation which makes her depress, the pressure she feel to
her future, and in line with her academic that her family is not that financially stable to support
her daily needs. Pressure to do well at school has been shown to increase stress and anxiety in
students, leading to poorer physical, social and emotional health. Students can feel pressure
from their parents, school, teachers, society or themselves to achieve higher grades and
academic success. Recognizing the signs of stress and anxiety in our students, helping them to
develop practical coping skills, working in partnership with parents, reinforcing the importance
of balance, and establishing realistic expectations are all helpful approaches schools can take to
support students who feel pressure and stress to do well in academic.
 COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES IN SOCIAL SCIENCES
CSU – Main Campus, Ampayon, Butuan City, Philippines

V. REFERENCES

Nock MK, Mendes WB.(2008). [PubMed] [Google

Scholar.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2744421/

Bhandari S. MD., (2020 February 18) Mental Health and self

injury.https://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/guide/self-injuring-hurting

Mernitz, S., Perez, J., Frost, D. M., & Russell, S. T. (2022). Relationship identities among
lesbian, gay, and bisexual adult. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2022-04221-001

Lenses by UPDC: (2020 February 21); Should Parents Pressure Their Kids To Get High
Grades?.https://dailyguardian.com.ph/lenses-by-updc-should-parents-pressure-their-kids-to-
get-high-grades/
 COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES IN SOCIAL SCIENCES
CSU – Main Campus, Ampayon, Butuan City, Philippines

VI. DOCUMENTATION