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Observation #4

Name: McKenna Zimmerman

Class/section: FHS 1500-402

Assignment: Observation 4

Background Information
Age of Person 22 years old
Being Interviewed:
Fictitious name: Jared

Location: Salt Lake Community College

Brief Description: Met at the ground level of AAB on Salt Lake Community College Campus

Biological Development
Although I was not able to adequately observe Jared for a long period of time, nor was it
appropriate to ask such personal questions about himself biologically, it can be inferred that
Jareds body is experiencing organ reserve. The process of organ reserve is in reference to when
extra power from each organ is utilized when needed, such as the the extra power needed in the
heart when the body engages in long runs (Berger, 2016, p. 392). This time of life, emerging
adulthood, risky behavior or engaging in dangerous activities is common, nearly at its peak and
will slowly decline from this time onward, normatively (Berger, 2016, p. 392). Jared disclosed to
me that he had participated in dangerous activities within this last year, one of which being on a
rugby team, one of the toughest and riskiest sports. Through this sort of activity, Jareds organ
reserve is very active, while at the same time his body is being hit and thrown across the field.
Pursuing activities like this for long periods of time can be harmful to the body and are
specifically reserved for the young. Jared remarked that he may be quitting the team in the near
future, due to his familys concern of injury.
I asked Jared whether or not he was getting his recommended amount of sleep, which is
around 8 hours. He relayed to me that he is getting about 6 or 7 hours of sleep nightly, due to
family matters, he said. This lack of sleep can cause serious problems, adding to his allostatic
load, or stress added to basic body systems that affect overall functioning (Berger, 2016, p. 392).
This addition to his load can later affect a decrease in his energy, health and even life expectancy
(Berger, 2016, p. 393). He recognized the need to adjust his schedule, for the good of his overall
health. Because, not only would insufficient sleep affect his health, but also his cognitive
development.
Cognitive Development

Emerging Adulthood is a relatively new term and phase of the life span development. It
acts as a transition period from adolescence to adulthood or middle adulthood. This stage seems
to have become a lengthening of moratorium in identity development (Berger, 2016, p. 413). It is
still normal, during this time, to still be figuring out ones identity. However, when asked if he
was still exploring his identity, Jared responded that he believed that he had achieved his
identity. He remarked, I think I have found myself, I am past that (in reference to exploration of
identity). His sense of identity achievement is relatively unusual in this stage of development,
but Jared felt that he had most everything in his life figured out, with the exception of what the
future can change. He explained that he is a pre-nursing major and has always felt that he would
pursue a career such as this. He is also without debt, thus far, and plans to continue in this way as
much as he can. With this kind of thinking, Jared displays quite a bit of postformal thought said
to emerge during this time period (Berger, 2016, p. 399). Jared exemplifies postformal thought in
which that he had considered that his future can adjust his plans but approaches his career and
degree with quite a bit of forethought, one characteristic of postformal thought.
Self-esteem is normally recovering from the dramatic drop in adolescence yet is still on
the rise in early adulthood (Berger, 2016, p. 415). When asked what self-esteem level he
experienced in his adolescence on a scale from 1 to 10, he replied that his self-esteem was at an 8
on the scale. However, when asked what level his self-esteem was currently, he replied that it
was at a 9, consistent with the idea of the rising self-esteem from adolescence.

Psychosocial Development
When asked what it meant to be an adult, Jared responded, capable of fulfilling
responsibilities in a mature manner, responsibilities meaning providing for oneself and/or others,
including emotional support. Further, when asked if he considered himself an adult at age 22,
Jared replied yes. Intimacy vs. Isolation is Erik Eriksons sixth crisis of human development,
when one seeks someone to share their life with, in attempts to prevent loneliness and isolation
(Berger, 2016, p. 416). Jared claimed to feel little to no feelings of isolation and no feelings of
loneliness. Unusual for his age, Jared is actually married. Unlike the growing popularity of
online dating sites, Jared did not meet his wife online, but in high school. He never experienced
choice overload, when too many options are available, a problem that arises using social media
or online dating sites (Berger, 2016, p. 421).
Interestingly, Jareds decisions have varied from the norm quite a bit. Jared also did not
participate in cohabitation with his now wife, an arrangement when a couple lives together in a
romantic relationship but is not married (Berger, 2016, p. 422). Jared disclosed that the reason
for this was religious, a very common reason to not cohabit. Although Jared varies from the
norm in many aspects of emerging adulthood, he still has experienced in his early adulthood the
main aspects such as college, dating and courtships, as well as establishing a vocational identity
for himself.

*Due to privacy reasons, Jareds name has been changed.


Reference List

Berger, K. S. (2016). Invitation to the life span (3rd ed.) [with Salt Lake Community College
supplement]. New York, NY: Worth Publishers.

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