Introduction to psychology

Touchstone 3.1: Personality Development

SCENARIO: Monica is a single mom who has a 16-year-old son named Jordan. Monica and Jordan were close at one point. As of late, Monica has been noticing that Jordan spends a lot of time focusing on what his friends think about him. Without his mother’s permission, Jordan recently crawled out of his bedroom window and went to a party when he was supposed to be studying for an exam. Upon his return home, Jordan reeked of alcohol and marijuana and was caught by his mother. Shocked and appalled by her son’s recent behavior, she grounded him for two weeks. 

What advice would you give Monica about her son’s recent behavior? 

ASSIGNMENT: Using what you learned about the adolescent brain and social development, you will answer questions related to this case study assignment below. Your goals are to help Monica understand why her son makes the choices he does and recommend some strategies that may help solve the problem. 

Download and use the touchstone response template to answer the questions. 

Psy1010 Touchstone 3.1 Response Template (https://app.sophia.org/download/attachment/11848-PSY1010_CaseStudy1_Template.docx) 

In order to foster learning and growth, all essays you submit must be newly written specifically for this course. Any plagiarized or recycled work will result in a Plagiarism Detected alert. Review this tutorial for more about plagiarism and the Plagiarism Detected alert: Touchstones: Academic Integrity Guidelines. (https://app.sophia.org/tutorials/touchstones-academic-integrity-guidelines) For guidance on the use of generative AI technology, review Ethical Standards and Appropriate Use of AI (https://app.sophia.org/tutorials/ethical-standards-and-appropriate-use-of-ai).

A. Assignment

DIRECTIONS: To complete the assignment, you will answer the following four questions in 5-7 sentences each:

   1    What happens inside the brain of a teenager that makes it difficult for Jordan to weigh the risks and rewards of his behavior? Describe how the adolescent brain weighs risk and reward.

   2    Why does it appear that Jordan values the opinion of his peers more than the opinion of his mother? Explain the psychological concepts that may account for why Jordan places value on his peers’ opinions.

   3    What advice would you give Jordan’s mother, Monica, that would teach him how to make better choices and decisions? Discuss a specific strategy that Monica may implement to help her son make better decisions.

   4    If you were in Monica’s shoes, how would you feel? Explain why a better understanding of Monica’s perspective could result in more constructive advice.

B. Rubric

Advanced (100%)

Proficient (80%)

Needs Improvement (60%)

Non-Performance (0%)

Question 1 (10 points)

Describe how the adolescent brain weighs risk and reward.

Describes how the adolescent brain weighs risk and reward, using specific details and information from the case study and course lessons.

Describes how the adolescent brain weighs risk and reward, but could draw more significant connections between the case study and course material.

Lists but does not describe how the adolescent brain weighs risk and reward.

Does not list how the adolescent brain weighs risk and reward.

Question 2 (10 points)

Explain the psychological concepts or principles that account for the value Jordan places on his peers.

Explains the psychological concepts or principles that account for the value Jordan places on his peers, using specific details and information from the case study and course lessons.

Explains the psychological concepts or principles that account for the value Jordan places on his peers, but could draw more significant connections between the case study and course material.

Lists but does not explain the psychological concepts or principles that account for the value Jordan places on his peers.

Does not list the psychological concepts or principles that account for the value Jordan places on his peers.

Question 3 (10 points)

Discuss a speci?c strategy that Monica can implement to help her son make better decisions.

Discusses a specific strategy that Monica can implement to help her son make better decisions, using specific details and information from the case study and course lessons.

Discusses a strategy that Monica can implement to help her son make better decisions, but could draw more specific connections between the case study and course material.

Lists but does not discuss a speci?c strategy that Monica can implement to help her son make better decisions.

Does not list any strategy that Monica can implement to help her son make better decisions.

Question 4 (10 points)

Explain why an understanding of Monica’s perspective can result in more constructive advice.

Explains why an understanding of Monica’s perspective can result in more constructive advice, providing specific examples to support this explanation.

Explains why an understanding of Monica’s perspective can result in more constructive advice, but could draw more significant connections between the case study and course material.

Lists but does not explain reasons why an understanding of Monica’s perspective can result in more constructive advice.

Does not list reasons why an understanding of Monica’s perspective can result in more constructive advice.