Running head: UNDERSTANDING THE 5 AREAS OF DEVELOPMENT

Pepsi Case Study: Understanding the

Five Areas of An 18 Year Old’s Development

College of Southern Nevada

April 28th, 2018

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Abstract

This paper will discuss the stage of development where a student is in their final year of high

school where graduation is just over the horizon. It will discuss how the five areas of physical,

emotional, philosophical, social, and intellectual development continue to expand impact despite

a student nearing the start of young adulthood as well as explore the impact of each

developmental area come adulthood.

Introduction

The moment we are born is the moment where our development starts and never stops.

No matter what our age, whether we are the wee age of 10 or an adult in their prime 40’s, we

continue to evolve in various ways. Understanding these changes becomes especially important

within the younger years. There, before we become adults, is where most of our physical and

psychological development occurs. It’s important to understand these stages of development as a

teacher because it can provide insight as to how our teaching strategies can further the

development of our students. After all, school is one of the most relevant factors in our

development because, before we earn our High School Diplomas, we attend school for around

six hours a day nearly every day (excluding weekends and holidays, of course). For me, my aim

is to be a teacher who teaches 12th grade English. Enter Aaron Campisi, an 18 year old Senior

attending his final year at Southwest Career and Technical Academy. He is the brother of my

best friend, Illiana Campisi, so I’ve been friends him for a number of years and have been able to

see his development beyond the time I’ve been doing my case study on him. I’ve been able to

see him go through the motions of high school and therefore, I’m able to gain more insight on his
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growth as well. Not only that, but our close relationship also allows me to better observe and

document his five areas of development.

Physical

There is one term that can be easily associated with Aaron Campisi and that is “computer

geek”. This term is one that will be relevant in different areas of development but it is most

certainly prevalent in regards to his physical development. It seemed that every time I first saw

him when entering his home, whether I was visiting to hang out with my best friend or to come

over and do my case study, he was at his computer each time. Even when I was leaving for the

night, he would still be at the computer with disregard for the hour. According to Aaron, he

spends around an average of 8 hours on the computer per day either playing video games or

working with code (personal communication, April 16, 2018). He also admits to not being as

physically active at all either (A. Campisi, personal communication, April 16, 2018). As a result,

he seems to lack physical development for someone his age. According to Emily Hughes’s

(2014), “18.4% of 12 to 19 year olds are obese” because they “spend too much of their free time

on the computer”. While Aaron is certainly not obese, he does steer off towards being

overweight unfortunately. The lack of physical activity in his schedule is instead replaced with

computer time where even just one hour of physical activity would be beneficial (Gavin, 2014.

Sept). Hughes (2014) also states that a “lazy mindset” is developed within adolescents that

discourages physical activity. Over the course of a few years of knowing him and seeing him on

that computer, it’s not hard to imagine that it has had a negative long term effect as well.

Speaking from personal experience, it is far more easier and enjoyable to spend free time on the

computer than it is to find the motivation to exercise. That’s not to say his overall physical
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development is completely lacking, however. Much like his sister when she was younger and

their two youngest brothers now, Aaron had participated in soccer when he was growing up (A.

Campisi, personal communication, April 16, 2018). He had played for a number of years,

participating in a multitude of games that had lasted 2 to 4 hours (A. Campisi, personal

communication, April 16, 2018). I believe that, because of this physical activity from his

younger years, he’s in a better position that most in his situation. Going back to Hughes’s (2014)

article, she had mentioned “18.4% of 12 to 19 year olds are obese” and, because of Aaron’s

previous soccer experience, luckily avoids obesity. This fact could also be attributed to his

parents as they seem to ensure their children are participating in sports as they grow up,

contributing to his, as well as his sibling’s, physical development. Overall, while Aaron seems

to lack in this department of development, it could be worse as there are many others at his age

in a similar circumstance that are not doing as well as he is.

Emotional

For all the time that I’ve known Aaron, he has been extremely relaxed and laid back. In

doing this case study, however, I found out more there was more to his carefree nature. Turns

out, there’s a million things running through his mind, common for someone who’s experiencing

the end of puberty and on the verge of exploring adulthood soon. Of everything weighing on his

mind however, the heaviest thought seems to be stress. When I had asked him, on a scale of ten,

how stressed he is, he jokingly responded with “a 15” (A. Campisi, personal communication,

April 16, 2018). I don’t doubt it, however, as I understand that feeling he, as well as others

around his age, are currently undergoing. From what Bethune (2014) says, “31% of teens” report

feeling overwhelmed because of stress. The approaching graduation brings on a lot of stress that
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regards good grades, lasting friendships, future jobs, future careers, and college. More often that

not, this stress ends up being a lot to bear for most teens (Bethune, 2014. April). According to

Ossola (2015), students can start to “burn out by the time they get to college, or to feel the

psychological and physical effects of stress for much of their adult lives” as a result of

soon-to-be graduating factors. Although, that being said, Aaron seems to have himself on the

right track in managing his emotions despite the surprising amount of the stress weighing down

on him (A. Campisi, personal communication, April 16, 2018). He rarely lets his stress get to

him, instead using it as motivation to complete his work, especially if it’s something he has

passion for. During my case study, he had been working on his capstone project, a final project

the magnet program areas of Southwest Career and Technical Academy have to do before they

graduate. Despite the stress caused by it, brought on by the scope of the work and disagreements

with his teacher, (A. Campisi, personal communication, April 16, 2018) he rigorously worked on

it day in and day out. Olssola (2015) even states that “A little stress...can be helpful to high

schoolers...it motivates them to study, to do better.” That seems to be exactly what Aaron does;

taking his stress and molding it into motivation rather than allowing it to be a roadblock. On top

of that, Aaron made no mention of possessing depression or any other possible mental disease.

According to Bethune (2014), “30% of teens” report feeling depressed as a result of stress, which

is a common issue among teenagers. Many teens, myself included at the time, would easily let

the stress consume them and affect their mental health down the line. Aaron however, from what

I’ve seen, seems to have it under control. Overall, despite the amount of stress weighing down on

Aaron, he manages to gain control of it enough as to not let it negatively affect him.
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Philosophical

Aaron and I have had our fair share of interesting conversations. They have ranged from

something as mundane as the the new game coming out to discussions about what he plans to do

for himself in the future. I had asked him what are some burning questions on his mind were for

the case study and he said the biggest was “If a house can be called a home why can’t a mouse

be called a mome?” (A. Campisi, personal communication, April 17, 2018). Truly, some

insightful philosophy. Joking aside, we had also discussed his plans for when he graduates,

saying that his plan was to “attend UNLV then after, either get an internship at a game company

or try and develop my own” (A. Campisi, personal communication, April 17, 2018). We had also

had an almost heated discussion about our current political landscape (A. Campisi, personal

communication, April 17, 2018). I believe the reason he was able to have such discussions

comfortably is the result of his family. Having participated in many dinners and social gatherings

with them before, the Campisi family is open to all kinds of conversations with each other. It

seemed nothing was off the table for discussion. Stanford Children’s Health (2018) backs this up,

stating that “[including] adolescents in discussions about a variety of topics, issues, and current

events” is one of the factors that boosts cognitive development. Rather than teaching Aaron there

may be topics he shouldn’t speak up on, his family encourages him to express his thoughts

instead. Limiting what he wants to say would only limit on what he thought he was allowed to

believe, which could’ve potentially hindered his cognitive development. Another aspect of his

philosophical development, brought on by his family environment, would be his empathy. He is

someone who constantly thinks of others and is aware of his own actions. According to Teipel

(n.d.), the development of “greater ability to consider different points of view at the same time
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can result in increased empathy and concern for others and….allows youth to better value the

diversity of people.” becomes a part of an 18- to 24-year-old’s abstract thinking skills. With

Aaron however, I believe he started to develop such abstract thinking far earlier. Not only do the

family discussions help, but it’s also the Campisi’s overall concern for others. Seeing with how

his sister can read people like books and works on helping them resolve their issues, it’s no

surprise as to whom he and his sister may have received their empathy from. Plus, it’s more than

just feeling sympathetic for others; he attempts to understand why someone may be feeling the

way are, exploring different avenues as to what the reasons are. It’s in this day and age where it’s

most important to have an aspect like this as far too many people seem to be too focused on their

own perspectives, refusing to see things from another side despite being on the other side of the

same coin. Overall, Aaron’s philosophical development seems to be drastically different than

from those around his age as he is open to complicated discussions as well as willing to offer

sympathy and understanding where others seem to lack it at times.

Social

If you recall the hours Aaron used the computer for in a day (personal communication,

April 16, 2018), you can guess what this segment may talk about but you would be surprised.

Going back to Hughes’s (2014) article, it is mentioned that time on the computer can lead to

“[teens] missing out on their social life”. However, whether he’s an outlier or not, Aaron

contradicts this assessment. Over the course of knowing him and doing the case study, he has

gone out to hang out with close childhood and family friends or has them invited over, with the

family being more than welcoming. This balance of real life and online interactivity, I believe, is

a result of his upbringing again. Rather than restrict his access to a computer, like most parents
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would, Aaron is given the liberty to spend an incredible amount of time in front of it. It does

come with some sort of control of his time spent on the computer, however. That being said, total

restriction would have possibly developed a rebellious attitude while being too lenient would

cause him to never leave the computer. From what I’ve seen, the Campisi parents managed to

strike a chord in balancing his want to use the computer versus the social interaction integral to

his social development. What’s also surprising is one of the sources of his social interactions

comes from online as well. Many of the video games he partakes all end up being multiplayer

where he interacts with a number of people from different parts of the world. According to

Hamzah and Mustafa (2011), the internet can be “A place to meet people who have similar

interests, [to] express [those similar interests], and act. It has been used as a tool and utility for

people to connect with each other...and maintain relationships with others” showing it as another

option for social interactivity. However, that doesn’t mean it should be used as a supplement for

social interaction. Unlike myself, who had used the internet as a supplement for social

interaction, Aaron uses it as another option for social interaction rather than a total replacement.

It becomes a platform to not only form social connections that contribute to social development,

but it also provides different types of people with various different perspectives from different

parts of the globe. However, the 8 hours of time on the computer can cut into it as well as I’ve

seen him sacrifice time with others in order to finish what he was doing on the computer. As a

result, Aaron does sometimes have issues with connecting with new people. With the internet,

Hamzah and Mustafa (2011) suggested, “individuals can meet and chat with others who share

their same interests…[which has] become a very popular application of the Internet” showing

that, with the internet, it becomes incredibly easy to find those with similar interests. This seems
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to have hindered Aaron’s social development as it’s not as easy to find someone with similar

interest as yourself. Unlike online, you can’t flag yourself as “someone who likes video games”

or “someone who likes anime.” In order to find out aspects of another person you have to talk

with them, starting out from nothing, and figure out what similar interests you and the other

person have lined up. Because of this, I’ve seen on some occasions where Aaron finds difficulty

in talking with a new person as he feels he’s not sure what to talk about. He’s even expressed this

trouble to me previously, stating that, with some people, he “doesn’t know where to begin with

them.” (personal communication, April 23, 2018) Overall, Aaron’s social development is

somewhat impressive despite his attachment to the computer, being able to balance real life and

online social interaction, but could stand to improve when it comes to interacting with new

people for the first time.

Intellectual

Aaron is someone who I believe is smart for his age, and I say without bias. His focuses

are mostly placed in school as well as in his passion for video game design and coding.

According to Stewart (2013), 18 to 19 year olds are “Making future plans...setting long-term

goals…[and] make their own schedule, plans, etc” as their intelligence continues to develop at

this age. As discussed previously, Aaron does have his own plans set already for college and his

career. On top of that, he has learned a crucial and versatile skill like coding and programming

that will most certainly help him down the line. According to Hussung (2014), programing can

qualify one “for a wider variety of jobs” with the Bureau of Labor Statistics projecting a “22%

increase in demands for jobs related to programming.” On top of that, Hussung (2014) also

mentions that “Programming teaches logic, higher-level math and learning concepts that make
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you smarter and more useful”. In essence, since Aaron has been learning programming

languages, his intellectual development skyrockets when compared to students his age who

haven’t even touched a programming language. With all that, he’s also going to be given a

number of job opportunities as well for his skills in programing. However, there is one possible

department of his intellect that is lacking and that revolves around his government class.

According to Aaron, he is on the brink of failing his government class but is exceeding in his

others (A. Campisi, personal communication, April 24, 2018). Would that be a reflection of his

intellectual development? I had asked Aaron this, and he believes that his grades, whether they

are good or not, do not accurately reflect his overall intelligence (A. Campisi, personal

communication, April 24, 2018). His focus is on programming and says that his intelligence

should be weighed there where he has the most knowledge and passion for it (A. Campisi,

personal communication, April 24, 2018). I agree with this sentiment as grades alone cannot

stand as an accurate reflection of one’s intelligence. Ershova (2017), regarding tests which have

the most influence on one’s letter grade, states that “tests do not accurately measure a student’s

intelligence and performance…tests do not test every field of education, making them all the

more inaccurate.” For Aaron’s case, a standardized test is not going to assess him on his

programming skill which is arguably his most important skill. Not to mention it’s the skill that he

himself has the more care and motivation for. Overall, despite his poor performance in one of his

classes, Aaron’s intellectual development is boosted as a result of his programming skills that he

has adopted.
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*This graph includes Aaron at his current age, his sister when she was his age, and myself when
I was his age. I believe a comparison of us three would be good as it shows the similarities both
Campisi’s have, expressing how their family environment affected their development and the
similarities between the two. I also wanted to include myself and his sister as both Illiana and I
were both seniors of 2016 at Southwest Career and Technical Academy, the school Aaron
current attends, in order to show how the school environment has also contributed to his
development by drawing similarities with our development. It is on a 10 points scale, 1 being the
lowest, 5 being average, and 10 being the highest.

Conclusions and Recommendations for Improvement

In conclusion, Aaron’s overall development as he nears the end of his adolescence is progressive

and leads him towards healthy development within his adulthood years. While Aaron lacks in

some areas at this time, he does exceed in others in order to seemingly make up for it. The areas

of development Aaron could use the most improvement on are physical and social development.

Physical development does need improvement as we as humans will eventually start to

physically weaken as a result of age. Working towards improving his physical development now

will save him the trouble of his muscles and bones from giving out at an earlier age. His current
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age is the time to start as well as he will soon enter that down time between graduation and

college where he can find the time to fix exercise into his schedule. Improving his social

development will resolve the issues of talking with new people that will be especially prevalent

as an adult. He is going to have to meet new faces when it comes to finding a job, networking,

and working with unfamiliar co-workers in the future. It will also be vitally important as social

skills will help him in securing a spot in his career where our society's job market is extremely

competitive. One of the best ways he could improve both of these aspects is to better limit his

time using the computer. Shredding about 2 to 3 hours a day on the computer in order to find

time for exercise of social activity is going to do much improvement for his physical and social

development. One of those hours could be donated to exercising, either to lose calories by doing

cardio or by building muscle with strength training. The other potential two hours could either be

used for more exercise or for interacting with his friends beyond a medium like the internet. To

kill two birds with one stone, Aaron could also sign up for soccer again seeing as he already has

experience playing.