A Biopsychosocial Assessment of a 16-Year-Old's Developmental Journey - Essay Sample

Introduction

Biopsychosocial assessment plays an integral part in determining individuals' social conditions, biological characteristics, and behavioral factors. The biopsychosocial model is crucial in health psychology since it aids in the comprehension of contextual and behavioral factors associated with certain mental disorders. Thereby, healthcare practitioners can use critical analysis outcomes to mitigate adverse health effects among their clients. The client in the assessment is my teenage brother, who is 16 years old. I engaged him by having a face-to-face interview with him. In this regard, I interviewed him using preexisting questions I had prepared to elicit certain responses related to the biopsychosocial assessment. I divided the questions into biological, psychological, and social assessment parts to obtain comprehensive feedback on each part. Besides, I observed my brother for four weeks to assess his biological, social, and emotional interactions. I recorded my findings during the two assessment process and used a spreadsheet to analyze their consistency with existing development theories.

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Biological/ Physical Assessment

Using Freud's theory of psychosexual development, the client depicts aspects of sexual experimentation. He is in the erogenous stage characterized by maturing sexual interests. The client has undergone biological changes that cause an upsurge in libido and attraction to persons of the opposite sex (Fouche & Holz, 2015). In this case, my brother revealed that he was dating a girl from school and had strong feelings for her. He also indicated that he had experienced significant sexual organ development like any other adolescent. The rampant biological changes at this stage cause the client to have sexual activeness tendencies. His testosterone levels have spiked at this stage, making him have overwhelming sexual desires. He is likely to be engaging in sexual interaction with his revealed girlfriend. The theory denotes that this stage begins at puberty and continues till the end of life. Since my brother is in the earlier stages of this phase, his biological changes make him more oriented to individual focus. He tends to satisfy his most basic wants and needs.

Besides, Erikson's psychosocial theory articulates that persons experience psychological changes regarding their body images (Darling-Fisher, 2018). The client is opined that he is relatively confident about his body image, alluding to his perception of ideal physical traits. His assessment showed that looking at the chubby peers in his school; he feels confident about his physicality. Even though he is still growing into a 16-year-old adolescent's required changes, he is critical that he may not achieve full stature. On a positive note, the client has achieved significant body changes since his chest has broadened, he has become taller and heftier, and his voice is starting to break.

Psychological Assessment

Piaget's cognitive development theory focuses on how persons acquire knowledge and the nature of their intelligence. The client is in the formal operational phase characterized by persons who are 12 years and above. At this stage, young adults and adolescents start thinking abstractly and formulate reasons for their hypothetical challenges (Genovese, 2003). An abstraction of thoughts is inevitable during this stage. In this case, the client offered his academic worries based on his lack of commitment to assignments. He was aware that he needed to perform well at the end of the semester and knew that his negative behavioral traits hindered his success. Besides, Piaget reiterates that individuals at this stage begin to be more morally, philosophically, ethically, socially, and politically-oriented. The psychological development underlies the need for abstract and theoretical reasoning. Most of my brother's line of thoughts was based on facts he had read or heard somewhere. As a result, he tended to use deductive logic based on specific pieces of information he had acquired. The increment in logic enabled my client to perceive multiple potential solutions to the problems they experienced in their day-to-day lives (Genovese, 2003). Notably, the theory denotes that people at this phase think more scientifically and can plan for their future. The phenomenon became evident in the assessment since my brother responded that he aspired to become a photographer in the future due to his passion for movies and music videos.

The client has also reached the fifth stage of development based on Erikson's psychosocial theory of development. The stage is characterized by identity versus role confusion, and individuals experience mainly during adolescence. The theoretical framework highlights that adolescents tend to search for personal identities and self-inclinations (Darling-Fisher, 2018). Therefore, they explore their personal beliefs, values, and goals. My brother is undergoing a transition from childhood and has articulated fears of becoming an adult. He is concerned about his future based on his relationships, family, and career. His tendency to fit in society shows that his mind is to strike a balance between the morality he learned as a child and the ethics he is developing as an adult. Learning the roles, he will occupy as an adult is crucial, which informs why brother is worried (Darling-Fisher, 2018). However, he is positive that he will develop into a responsible and learned adult who will adequately provide for his family. Notably, the client has established that his sexual identity is heterosexual and wants a career in film. His concerns on whether he will achieve his occupational goals are normal since his perceptions of self are reintegrating.

Also, the attachment theory helps explain the psychological development of the client. He experiences multiple attachments based on his interaction with different family members and other persons in the external environment (Cassidy, Jones, & Shaver, 2013). Majorly, he is dependent on his familial and relationship attachment. The theory denotes that attachment is often hierarchical, and its magnitude depends on the level of response. The client showed that he is more attached to his girlfriend than his family since she is more caring—the phenomenon impacts the family since he sometimes isolates himself, especially when depressed.

Social Assessment

Besides, Erikson's theoretical framework emphasizes the need for learning fidelity as the basis for optimal occupational and self-efficacies. Fidelity refers to individuals' ability to commit themselves to others based on the principle of acceptance (Darling-Fisher, 2018). Therefore, persons tend to be more welcoming to other people's ideas. In this case, the client showed that he was willing to listen to adults, teachers, and peers' advice. However, he insisted that he sometimes yield to other persons; ideologies as a sign of respect. Using Erikson's psychosocial theory, the client is likely to develop their identities regarding how they deal with others in their social environments. In this regard, he explores different possibilities of self to determine the best approaches to deal with other people. The outcomes of their explorations inform their behaviors in social and familial settings. From the assessment, the client is still confused about his identity in society but gave feedback on his aspirations to make the world a better place. Thereby, he plans to be a social advocate and advocate for the rights of marginalized populations. His societal identity's full achievement will reinforce when he interacts with others in educational, work, and political settings (Darling-Fisher, 2018). Noteworthy, the family has been supportive in helping establish his identity to avoid risks of rebellion.

Additionally, Bandura's social learning theory shows how individuals develop cognitive models that help them understand the environment. In this regard, persons undergo meditational processes that result in certain behavioral outputs (Horsburgh & Ippolito, 2018). The client is in the fourth stage of behavior development known as "motivation." He understands that there are rewards and punishments for his behavioral traits. Therefore, he tends to engage in behaviors that will accrue more benefits rather than harm. His feedback showed that he fears using drugs since it is likely to cause harm to his health. The notion has reinforced itself with time, and he has learned to stay away from harmful behavior. However, his motivation development stage makes him sometimes coy in sharing his wrong deeds for fear of punishment, which affects the trust other family members have in him.

Conclusion

The biopsychosocial assessment shows that the client has undergone significant changes regarding his sexuality since he has achieved the erogenous growth milestone. He is also concerned about his body image based on his interaction with the external environment. He has also achieved the formal operational development milestone since he can think abstractly and formulate logical reasons. The assessment also showed that the client has well-defined roles and self-identities. The attachment also manifests in the client through his strong relationship with the family and girlfriend. From a social perspective, the client is accommodative to other people's opinions in his day-to-day-activities. Lastly, he knows to separate between wrong and good due to his knowledge about rewards and punishment.

I recommend that the family administer sex education to the client regarding his sexual interactions based on his strong sexual desire. In doing so, he will control his sexual urges towards his girlfriend and know how safe measures regarding intimacy and drug addiction. Education should also highlight the need for positive relationships with his family and girlfriend. The client should also undergo psychotherapy to make him more confident about his physicality. As a result, it will mitigate the risks of depression and anxiety. The psychotherapy should also extend to his career confusion to help him gain confidence in his future and society's role.

From a cross-cultural perspective, the treatment plan will consider the diversity of the client's interaction. Therefore, it will not discriminate his interactions based on racial, religious, or socio-economic orientations. The treatment plan will include measures that the client should take to interact with diverse societies in his social settings. I assessed the client's issues by analyzing the responses from the interviewed and determined that he was willing to participate in the exercise. He was also honest and outcome-oriented. I learned from the experience that biopsychosocial development depends on multiple factors that should not be disregarded.

References

Cassidy, J., Jones, J. D., & Shaver, P. R. (2013). Contributions of attachment theory and research: A framework for future research, translation, and policy. Development and Psychopathology, 25(4pt2), 1415–1434. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0954579413000692

Darling-Fisher, C. S. (2018). Application of the Modified Erikson Psychosocial Stage Inventory: 25 Years in Review. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 41(3), 431–458. https://doi.org/10.1177/0193945918770457

Fouché, P., & Holz, T. (2015). Roald Dahl: A psychosexual developmental trajectory study illustrated within psychobiography. Journal of Psychology in Africa, 25(5), 403–413. https://doi.org/10.1080/14330237.2015.1101262

Genovese, J. E. C. (2003). Piaget, Pedagogy, and Evolutionary Psychology. Evolutionary Psychology, 1(1), 147470490300100. https://doi.org/10.1177/147470490300100109