case study 500 words
Purpose: Students will synthesize their understandings of developmental theory and the current research base in order to propose solutions to problems presented in various case studies.
Name—Identify one problem.
Reflect—Identify all of the stakeholders and their positions relative to the problem.
Act—Choose one solution to your proposed problem and make a case for your choice. Be sure to incorporate theory and research, from the articles, the chapters and the video clips, to support your identified solution to the problem.
Case Study: Thomas Sr. at 60 and Tom Jr. at 25
Thomas Sr. better known as “Tee” and son Tom Jr. or “TJ” both arrive home just before the usual dinner time of 7:00 pm. Each enters the home through the kitchen just off the garage. The home is filled with great smells. Tina, Tee’s wife of 30 years, is engaged in her daily routine, making the family its three square meals. The two each passed by mom with no more than a head nod. The talking coming from the living room is the familiar sound of Lester Holt, the nightly news broadcaster mom watches religiously. The volume on the television set is maxed out. Every word Lester speaks makes you feel like she is standing right next to you shouting in your ear. Unfortunately, the men of the family are used to it. Ever since mom turned 60 she listens to everything at full volume, though no one bothers to make a fuss.
TJ, the couple’s only child lives at home. Tom and Tina, once typical empty nesters looking for ways to fill the hollow spaces left by their son’s time at college and graduate school, find themselves arguing regularly over TJ’s future. However, Tom Jr. is far from concerned.
The family gathers around the kitchen table for dinner. Lester has signed off for the evening, so the TV is off. “So where have you applied TJ?” asks Tina with a mother’s love. TJ doesn’t answer. She asks him again. Simultaneously, Tee let’s out a sigh. The reason is obvious. Tina has been asking TJ the very same question for months. While she tries not to broach the topic of employment every day, it feels like she does.
Unexpectedly, TJ gets up from the table, slams down his fork, and disappears through the very same door he entered earlier. He goes to his 6-year-old car, a high school graduation gift from his parents, stares at it for a moment, kicks the door with everything that he has got, and reaches for his stress relief medication.
What is the central issue here? What normative and non-normative life events shape the central issue? Be sure to consider the following issues and theoretical perspectives that have been explored to date:
Erikson’s Psychosocial Development
Arnett’s Emerging Adulthood
Andragogy-Adult Learning
Levinson’s Theory of Life Structures
