Case Study: Maria Josefina
Maria Josefina is a 16-year-old girl of Puerto Rican descent living in the Southeast. She is the oldest daughter of six children; her father is a skilled laborer in construction, and her mother is a home health aide. She has one older brother who attended a community college to learn how to be an electrician and is working for the same construction company as their father. Maria Josefina's family moved from Puerto Rico 8 years ago, when she was 8 and her older brother was 10 and her younger sisters and brothers were 6, 4, 2, and 1. Her family lives in a middle-class neighborhood that is ethnically diverse, and they get along well with their neighbors. They primarily socialize with other Puerto Ricans, though, and often spend time with members of their extended family in the area.
Maria Josefina feels that she lives in two worlds school and home each characterized by different languages, expectations, and relationships. At school, she speaks English and has many friends with whom she enjoys spending time talking about boys and clothes and the future. At home, she speaks Spanish, spends time with her brothers and sisters, and enjoys the support and warmth of having her aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins around her.
Maria Josefina has done well in school and is being encouraged by her high school teachers and guidance counselors to consider college. Her parents, though, do not want her to leave home and are encouraging her to consider attending the same community college that her brother attended. Maria Josefina knows that, as the oldest daughter, she is expected to be home to help her mother, but she would very much like to become a social worker. Her aunt, who is strongly encouraging her to attend one of the universities, has referred her for career counseling.
Questions for Discussion:
1. How would you conceptualize Maria Josefina from a developmental framework?
2. What developmental tasks has she accomplished? What tasks does she yet have to accomplish?
3. How would you characterize her objective and subjective self-concepts?
4. What are the role interactions she is encountering?
5. How would you help her make a decision?
6. How do Maria Josefina's gender and race/ethnicity influence her decisions?