Middle Childhood, Essay Example

The case of Tracy is an almost textbook case of a middle child trapped by familial pressures that are inhibiting him from advancing in development to the next level. Friendships are of foundational importance to healthy development in middle childhood, and the fact that Tracy, at 10 years old, is withdrawing from friendship and the things that once gave him pleasure is a very worrisome sign indeed (Newman & Newman, 2012, pp. 293-295). He is clearly feeling very alone, and his withdrawal evinces a crisis of inability to cope with the transition. The fact that his family has had some major stressors and his parents are contemplating divorce, taken together with their pressures on him to succeed, explains the source of Tracy’s problems: his parents’ high expectations, and his own perception of an environment where unpleasant things in particular occur due to forces beyond his control (pp. 321-322).

In short, what Tracy is presenting is an almost classic case of learned helplessness, one that explains his lack of industry (Newman & Newman, 2012, pp. 321-323). In essence, he is in a state of inertia: the stressors he has experienced, coupled with the high expectations, have led him to the conviction that nothing he does is ever good enough, and his success or failure is largely beyond his control (pp. 322-327). Accordingly, from my perspective as a marriage and family therapist-in-training, I would sit down with Tracy and work with him on his mastery-related issues, trying to help him break the mentality of learned helplessness by focusing on what he is good at, and on what he enjoys (i.e. friendship, his interests in writing and arithmetic, extracurricular activities, hobbies). I would also talk with his parents about the stressors they are placing on their son, helping them to understand, in essence, how they have discouraged him from doing anything else. Finally, I would talk to Tracy, the parents, and any other siblings about ways that they can work together to make a more supportive family environment, one that nurtures the interests and abilities of Tracy and any other siblings, and allows Tracy to progress.

References

Newman, B. M., & Newman, P. R. (2012). Development through life: A psychosocial approach (11^th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.