PRISM III 1

Prism III
Courtney Lichtenwalner
College of Southern Nevada
PRISM III 2

Prism III
Introduction
Mekel is a Caucasian, eight-year-old female child who is enrolled in the third grade. She

currently lives in the Southwest part of the Las Vegas Valley. Her family structure does not

necessarily fall into one particular category. She is an only child to both her mother and her

father; however, they were neither married nor engaged when Mekel was conceived. She does

occasionally see her father, but there is no set custody agreement at this time. Mekels mother

had her at the age of nineteen and has struggled with giving up her own freedom to take care of

her daughter since Mekels birth. Therefore, Mekel lives with her extended family; her

grandmother and grandfather, and is being raised by them (Edwards, 2009). Due to Mekels

mothers desire for independence, her income does not meet Mekels needs, and her grandparents

are the ones that provide for her. Her grandmother currently does administrative work for a

community service organization within Las Vegas and her grandfather works in the inventory

department of an automotive dealership. Her grandparents do not have college degrees, however,

her grandmother is an Air force veteran and neither has been affected by the current high

unemployment rates (CareerOneStop, 2015). Considering all of these circumstances, Mekels

familys social-economic status would most likely fall under middle class, or service class

(Badger, 2014).
In 1987, Abraham Maslow presented his Theory of Growth Motivation. This theory is

comprised of five different tiers that Maslow referred to as, five level hierarchy of needs.

(Snowman, 2014, p. 248). The tiers end up building a pyramid of sorts which the lowest level

needing the greatest amount of strength before being able to proceed up to the next level.

Mekels needs are being met at the first three tiers, physiological, safety, and belongingness and

love. Considering how unstable her family situation could be perceived, her grandparents have

done their very best to ensure Mekel feels and embraces these three important building blocks in
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life. The next two tiers, esteem and self-actualization, are currently being built upon with esteem

becoming a primary focus at Mekels current age.

Mekel was chosen to be the subject of this observation, because she is my niece through

marriage. I was there when she was born and I continue to be a part of her life today, though not

as much as I once was. To observe her for this assignment, my husband and son went over to

have dinner on three separate occasions and I would have casual conversations with her about

school and what was going on in her life. Due to her being my niece, I also feel like I know a lot

about her general temperament and behavior on a regular basis.

Physical/General
Mekel is a blonde haired, hazel-eyed girl with long limbs and an overall thin physique.

She is very close to what is considered average height and weight for her age, measuring 49

inches tall and weighing in at 52 pounds. According to Callaway (2013), An 8-year-old girl has

an average height of 50 inches and an average weight of 58 pounds. Mekel is also incredibly

active and loves to swim in the summertime. She currently enjoys playing softball on the

weekends. She plays second base, but prefers being at bat because she likes having the chance to

slide into the bases. Her grandmother states that Mekel is a lucky child that she has yet to break

any bones having gotten increasingly rambunctious over the years. Snowman addresses this

attribute in children in the text stating, They have excellent control of their bodies and develop

considerable confidence in their skills. As a result, they often underestimate the danger involved

in their more daring activities. (2014, p. 53). Even though Mekel is not one to rest, she manages

to stay relatively healthy. She is rarely sick, however, if she does come down with an illness, it is

quick to resolve itself. Ellsworth (1999) explains, Physical health is usually good with fewer

illness and reported aches and pains. Therefore, even though this child is always on the move,

children her age are typically able to do so without having many physical difficulties as someone

much older or younger may endure. Mekel also tends to eat fairly healthy and therefore, there is
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reason to believe that she will continue to grow into what would be considered an average sized

adult.
(R) Emotional
The emotional aspects of an eight-year-old seem to come in waves. Mekel seems to

recognize and understand how easy it can be for her to get her way. She has a tendency to act out

and can become a little unruly. PBS.com (2015) reports children in her age group, May act rude

or unreasonable if things do not go as desired, but will recognize behavior and apologize. DSHS

Fosterparentscope (1993) similarly says of children this age, May argue and resist requests and

instructions, but will obey eventually. Both of these quotes were incredibly true when it came to

explaining Mekels attitude. One example was on this particular evening we were going to attend

a restaurant for dinner. Immediately Mekel expressed her displeasure with the place that was

chosen. The restaurant was clearly not her choice and she was visibly angry, but once she

received her food, she was fine and chose to eat it. Eventually she did apologize for her behavior

because she wanted to be included in a fun activity later on in the evening. She also sensed that

her grandmother was unhappy with how she was acting. Snowman (2014) states, Children are

becoming sensitive to the feelings of others. (2014, p. 54). This aspect as Snowman mentioned

became more apparent throughout the evening. As Mekel ages, this behavior will most likely

become less prevalent. Most people, even when dissatisfied will not throw fits and Mekel is

nearing an age where these outbursts will fade into adolescence.

Intellectual/ Cognitive
Mekel is an active child, therefore, when she sits down to do her homework, sitting still

can be a little bit of a struggle. According to Boyce (2013), Six- to 8-year-olds can rarely sit for

longer than 15-20 minutes for an activity. Attention span gets longer with age. Her constant

movement would agree with what Boyce is saying since she does need a break from her

homework to stretch and move around before she is able to continue. Snowman backs up this
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information that activity for children Mekels age should be encouraged. The text reads,

children benefit cognitively from the physical activity and peer interactions that occur during

recess breaks. (Snowman, 2014, p.53). While Mekel may not be at school, she does need some

sort of recess to allow her to continue with her studies. With that being said, she is a good

student. She does achieve good grades in school, however she has a tendency to get in trouble for

talking too much during instruction time. She also tends to get overwhelmed when she has to sit

and try and work out a problem that frustrates her. Tonights homework is multiplication and

according to DSHS Fosterparentscope (1993), Often overestimates own ability; generalizes

instances of failure with such statements as, I never get anything right. Mekel had this mindset

on this particular evening and it took some coaxing and another break before she was able to

complete her homework assignment.

One aspect of Piagets Theory is Organization. He states that, Organization refers to the

tendency of all individuals to systematize or combine processes into coherent (logically

interrelated) systems. (Snowman, 2014, p. 23). It is obvious that Mekel does this as she chooses

how to do her homework. She puts her homework into different categories and then begins to

work from there. Similarly, Vygotsky discusses spontaneous concepts, which means children,

denote the facts, concepts, and rules that young children acquire as a natural consequence of

engaging in everyday activities. (Snowman, 2014, p. 34). By knowing what she has to do,

Mekel understands homework to be a daily activity, and therefore knows the rules involved in

making sure it is completed. In addition, Robert Sternbergs triarchic theory of intelligence

includes one part, Practical ability which, involves applying knowledge to everyday situations

using knowledge and tools, and seeking relevance. (Snowman, 2014, p. 74). This also coincides

with Mekel completing her daily duties as an eight-year-old child.

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Howard Gardners theory of multiple intelligences explains intelligences as made up of

eight different parts. According to Snowman (2014), Mekels intelligence characteristic would be

bodily-kinesthetic. This means that person has, abilities to control ones body movements and

handle objects skillfully. (Snowman, 2014, p. 75). This typically applies to dancers and athletes,

which would cover Mekels love of softball and need to constantly be physically active.

Social/ Psychological
According to Boyce (2013), Children act nurturing and commanding with younger

children but follow and depend on older children. Mekel has a younger cousin named Caleb

who is almost two years old. She is very attentive to his needs even when she attempts to carry

him around the house with him being half her size. She loves being around smaller children and

feels the need to take care of them. She also has many friends varying in age, but recently began

to refer to her friend Jessica as her best friend. Ellsworth (1999) addresses childhood best

friends saying, Being less centered in the self, the child is ready for a real relationship with

someone other than family members-usually a "best friend." Jessica and Mekel have been friends

for almost their entire lives since their mothers are friends, but they have gotten closer with age.

The Snowman text states, Children become somewhat more selective in their choice of friends

and are likely to have a more or less permanent best friend. (2014, p. 53). Mekel says that she

and Jessica will be best friends for the rest of their lives. Based on this single friendship alone

and the struggles that they have faced with living miles apart, it is strongly suggested that Mekel

will be able to maintain successful relationships with friends throughout her lifetime.
Another aspect of Mekels social self could be viewed from Erik Ericksons different

states of psychosocial development. According to Snowman (2014), children encouraged to

make and do things well, helped to persevere, allowed to finish tasks, and praised for trying,

industry results. If the childrens efforts are unsuccessful or if children are criticized too often
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and too harshly, feelings of inferiority result. (2014, p. 18). When it comes to Mekel playing

softball, she had a coach two seasons ago that was way too harsh on the children. The coach did

not take into account that these children need support more than criticism while they are so

young. It got to the point that Mekel quit softball because she no longer enjoyed it. This season,

her grandmother convinced her to rejoin, and with a different coach has been so much more

successful. The praise that she receives keeps the game fun for her and even if criticism happens,

it is not as harsh.
James Marcia chose to expand upon Ericksons theory with his notion of identity statuses.

One of the four statuses is, Foreclosure, which according to Snowman identifies someone as,

Close-minded, authoritarian, low in anxiety (Snowman, 2014, p. 21). Mekel would most

likely be classified under this status. Being that she is young, she does tend to not be very open-

minded on things and she thinks she is always right. Aside from her sports and the occasional

homework assignment, her anxiety levels do appear to be on the lower end of the spectrum.
Moral

As previously stated, Mekel is currently being raised by her grandparents and therefore,

the rules are firmly set by them. According to Snowman, Rules are viewed as edicts handed

down by those in authority. (2014, p. 53). While at home she follows the rules given to her and

while at school she is expected to and follows the rules set forth by her teacher. Her softball

coach is another authority figure in her life that she is expected to respect and listen to. Piaget

viewed children between the ages of seven to ten as regarding rules as sacred

pronouncements handed down by older children and adults. (Snowman, 2014, p. 40). Lawrence

Kohlberg expanded upon Piagets studies and states children Mekels age to be labeled as having,

Preconventional morality because young children do not understand the conventions or rules of

society. (Snowman, 2014, p. 41). However, aside from the occasional acting or talking out she
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follows most rules well. There are times though when she does need to be corrected she seems to

shut down. According to DSHS Fosterparentscope (1993) children Mekels age may, May

experience guilt and shame. This can happen to her during homework or during a softball game,

but she is quick to recover and continue on when necessary.

Carol Gilligan explains that there is another import part of an adolescent childs moral

self. According to Snowman, They [adolescent females] care less about separation and

independence and more about remaining loyal to others through expressions of caring,

understanding, and sharing of experiences. (Snowman, 2014, p. 43). This is incredibly accurate

of Mekel, as is also viewed as a social aspect of her. She very much cares about those in her life

and even though she has a less-than-perfect relationship with her mother, she still cares about her

fervently. This is evident in the way she will speak highly of her mother, but will leave out

information that she knows others would think negatively about. Nel Noddings agrees stating in

her care theory, there is a human desire for goodness, which she called a moral attitude.

(Snowman, 2014, p. 44). At the end of it all, Mekel wants to be a good person and strives to

someday be a successful, respectful adult. This action also falls under Maslows theory in regards

to belongingness and love. Mekel feels these things from her grandparents, but she still craves

them from her mother. I believe this is a very basic need that most people feel they need from

their parents even if they are offered and available from other family members.

Conclusion

In summary, Mekel is on track with most female 8-year-old children regarding her

growth and development. Physically, she is considered average stature and while her athletic

skills could be considered skillful, she falls where she should on a spectrum of average children

her age. Emotionally, she is a typical adolescent verging on becoming a pre-teen. She has
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outbursts as a child would, but she is quicker to reign herself in and realize that she needs to act

her age. Intellectually, she is still learning to be confident in her abilities. Her mind is constantly

active while she is awake which makes it easy for her to lose track during her studies, but she is a

bright girl and with a little pause, is able to reset and begin again regularly. Socially, again, she is

a typical child. She has long-term friends, but she is a very friendly girl and therefore is able to

make new friends quickly and effortlessly. This does not change the fact that she still has, who

she considers, to be her best friends. Last, morally, Mekel has not had an easy life at hope in her

short eight years of life, but because of the stability that her grandparents have given her, she has

been able to overcome many obstacles. There is no doubt that she is a good and caring person

and will continue to thrive with the proper education and support from her home base.
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References

Badger, E. (2014, September 29). Mapped: How the creative class is dividing U.S. cities.

In The Washington Post. Retrieved December 7, 2015.

Boyce. (2013). Infancy to Adolescence: Physical, Intellectual, and Social Milestones, Infancy to

Adolescence. Retrieved November 3, 2015.

Callaway, C. (2013, August 16). The Average Height and Weight by Age. Retrieved November 3,

2015.
CareerOneStop. (2015). More education means more money. In CareerOneStop. Retrieved

December 7, 2015.
DSHS Fosterparentscope. (1993). Child Development: Using the Child Development Guide.

Retrieved November 3, 2015.

Edwards, J. O. (2009). The many kinds of family structures in our communities. In Sonoma

County Office of Education. Retrieved December 7, 2015.

Ellsworth. (1999). Online Lesson: PEPSI as a Screening Tool. Retrieved November 3, 2015.

PBS.com. (2015). Infancy to 5 years: Physical, Intellectual, Social & Emotional Development.

Retrieved on November 3, 2015.

Snowman, J., & McCown, R. (2014). Ed Psych (Instructor ed.). Belmont, CA:

Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.