Life History Narrative and Interpretation Developmental Theory Essay

Narrative and Interpretation

Part 1: Life Course Concepts and Developmental Theory

Describe the life course framework according to Hutchinson

The life course perspective is mainly focused on analyzing people's lives and the changes that happen between different periods. It can be cultural or socials changes, but it is essential to point out the relationships between the two periods. A good example is how one's childhood affects adolescence and how adolescence affects one's adulthood. The life course theory is quickly gaining popularity as a great way to study pathways of different organizations, families, and even social movements (Hutchison, 2018).

2. Define developmental concepts from one developmental theory

Researchers and socials workers who depend on life course theory as their reference point applies the following concepts to explain the growth changes:

· Cohorts,

· Transitions,

· Trajectories,

· Life events, and

· Turning points.

Life-course researchers whose primary focus is the historical context of development prefer using the cohort concept. Life-course scholars define a cohort as a group of people whose birth dates can be traced back to the same historical periods. They should have a shared experience in their lives, and their ages should be the same. The use of population pyramids is the best way to visualize a cohort configuration. Pyramid charts represent a percentage of a population, and it is based on age groups, and therefore it is easier to pick a cohort of interest based on what you get from it. Population pyramids differ from country to country. In countries experiencing rapid growth like Kenya, most of the population is youth, unlike slow-growing countries like the United States, where most people are older. Having a high population of older people attracts young adults to the country to provide workforce (Hutchison, 2018).

Life courses theory views human life as a process that goes through different stages. This is because each person goes through several changes characterized by previous roles and taking up new behaviors. An excellent example of this transition is how a person starts school, graduates in a specific course, begin a career, and finally retires. Other changes, including socials, cultural, or even structural, happen in parallel with this common change. Some of these changes may be difficult to notice since they are gradual, but changes such as citizenship and health status can be easily noticed. Transitions can either have a positive or negative effect.

Changes such as marriages and births are full of joy, but divorces and deaths are full of anger and stress. Up to this point, you may be wondering exactly where course perspective can be applied. Health professionals have benefited a lot from this study, especially when trying to understand role changes in families regarding caring for older adults. Transition concepts have gained popularity when analyzing the process of either migration or immigration. This movement means the families either experience an exit of a family member or a new member join them. This change automatically calls for role changes, which is a transition.

Another example of role change is what happens to college students after graduation. Students take up new roles immediately after graduating, researching, teaching, or being assistants to various departments (Hutchison, 2018). The changes that happen in an individual are discrete, and when they occur, an older chapter of human life closes, and a new one is opened. Not all changes happen in a short period, some transitions happen over time, and a single change may involve a series of transitions. An example is a process that one undergoes before graduating as a social worker. The transitions embedded in this trajectory involves taking a licensing exam, promotions, and even job changes. Trajectories are not straight lines, but looking back on your career path can identify the patterns. This pattern can be used to anticipate a direction or even some continuity (Hutchison, 2018).

Life events such as marriage, death, or a child's birth may cause serious and long-lasting effects in a person's life. To clearly understand this point, it is crucial noting that the main focus here is not the transitions but the happening itself. For example, a spouse's death is a common life event that causes serious effects on the partner left behind. In such unfortunate occurrences, roles change almost immediately to fill the vacuum caused by the loss. To analyze the impact of a lifetime effect, a rating scale is commonly used. A good example is Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe's Schedule of Recent Events, also known as the Social Readjustment Rating Scale. Inventories can be used to remind scholars of past life events that caused a change to human behaviors (Hutchison, 2018).

A special life event that causes a lasting shift in a person's life is referred to as a turning point. I many cases, turning points occurs in an individual's life, but it can also happen in organizations, governments, cultures, and even families. For individuals, the turning points transform how one responds to opportunities and risks. Additionally, the relationship between an individual and the environment is also affected. These changes are permanent, and that is why they are termed as being very important. Turning points may destabilize human life, but with time, everything becomes obvious. (Hutchison, 2018).

Part 2: Narrative

This narrative reflects on the life of Ali Mahdi, who has fully transformed after moving to the United States as a refugee. He works for Catholic Social Services in Phoenix as an immigration officer. What makes this interesting is that he offers the service he needed most when he came to the united states in 1992 as a refugee. Mahdi lives with his family in Anglo American neighborhood, making his daughter make friends with Hispanics and Anglo Americans. Mahdi comes from a Muslim family, but he avoids being too much in religion. What is even more strange is they do not go to the mosque. Mahdi's mother wears a veil, but his…

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…(Hutchison, 2010).

The concept of interdependence, which is also a topic in course perspective, is also clear in Mahdi's life. How human beings relate to one another and how to exit or enter a family setting can make a difference. Ali narrates how his father died of a heart attack, which is suspected to be a result of his son's safety, who was in the war. This is a rich example of how parents can get stressed due to the well-being of their children.

Mutual support between children and older adults is also fundamental in any family setting. Historical disruptions such as economic downturns or political instability may change all this and what follows is a life-course transition. (Hutchison, 2010).

Mahdi's story also brings in the decision-making process and how it can become difficult at times. Making a refusal decision to the draft was the starting point to all that followed. Maybe he thought this decision would affect only his immediate family, but even the extended family members were affected.

Choices can completely change a person's life, and it is fundamental when one is trying to achieve some goals. In life course perspectives, a choice to serve humanity is viewed as the most positive. There is a limit to how far you can go because of cultural and historical arrangements that cannot be controlled. In Mahdi's life, making a choice was faced with all forms of limits.

In some cases, making a choice could cost his life. We can see him risking a shot right in from of his house for refusing the draft. At some point in life, the freedom to decide what you want in life is pretty, but sometimes this can be a privilege. Some individuals may also have an opportunity to freely decide while others live under strange laws (Hutchison, 2010).

Life trajectories can vary from one location to another. The global economy can also affect these life paths ways. Different trajectories may also intersect, causing a different effect. A good example is the family and educational lifeline. In Alifs life, we can see him trying to learn English to assist his children in homework. Here the need to learn some new skills is due to what he needs to achieve for the family. Ali was trying to balance his job, education, and family (Hutchison, 2010).

Immigration comes with a tone of challenges. It can be social, political, or even religious. The biggest of all is securing an economic gain. In Mahdi's story, the first job was store clerk with a college education. Remember, back in his country, he was a teacher, but that opportunity was no longer available in the new environment.

Building a new social network was a big challenge, especially due to social status, which had drastically changed. To help each family member to catch up with the new environment, roles had to change. Children were in charge of teaching the older family member the new…