Professor D' Auria Good Will Case Study

Total Length: 870 words ( 3 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 3

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For that reason, the infancy: trust vs. mistrust (birth to eighteen months), will not be applied. There is not enough information provided during that time period to be able to critically analyze Will's development. Industry vs. Inferiority (ages 6-11), Identity vs. Role Confusion (ages 12-18), and Intimacy vs. Isolation (ages 19-40), however, is applicable. The fourth stage, school age: industry vs. inferiority (six to eleven years) is the age in which the child begins school and while their social world expands (Salkind, N.J., 2005). During this stage, children are able to interact with people outside of their nuclear family and begin to show skills that include playing, cognition, working in groups, and emotional expression (Berzoff, J., 2011). Will appears to be very confident in himself and does not appear to have a problem speaking in front of groups, regarding philosophy, but is still unable to reach full potential. This supports the idea that he has been unable to successfully resolve the stage he was in, according to Erikson. Given that Will has shown proof that he had developed abnormal in the fourth stage, it can be assumed that he was not able to follow a normal development because every stage, beginning from birth, needed to be resolved successfully before being able to move on to the next stage (Thornburg, K.R., Ispa, J.M., Adams, A.M., and Lee, B.S., 1992). If an individual does not resolve a stage successfully, the individual's development will be compromised (Thornburg, K.R., et. al, 1992). Will shows abnormal signs of development, therefore leading to the thought that he has been unable to successfully resolve the previous stages. He does not appear to have healthy relationships outside of his circle of friends, there are signs of physical disruptions for instance the inability to form relationships.

The person-in-environment approach states that the individual and their environment are systems which influence each other (Weiss-Gal, I., 2008). Going back to the main reason why Will creates a wedge between himself and the society he lives in.

Attachment theory is the second theory that can be applied to Will's behaviors. John Bowlby, the creator of attachment theory, explained that attachment is the relationship between the child and a parent, or caregiver, in which a bond is created (Zastrow, C.H., and Kirst-Ashman., K.K., (2012). Will is unable to create positive relationships, not only with his circle of friends, but with society as a whole. He is not only pushes people away, including his girlfriend, but cause strife among the people that are helping him i.e., Professor Lambeau and.....

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