Life-Trajectory of Kevin
Development Theory: The Life-Trajectory of Kevin
Kevin was born on a sheep farm in 1942, halfway between Canberra and Melbourne. As a young man he left farming to work in construction in Melbourne, where he met and married his wife. They raised three children together, but the marriage faltered once the children left to start their own lives. They separated amicably, continued to stay engaged with their families, and Kevin successfully transitioned to retirement despite a diagnosis of diabetes in his mid 50s.
Timeline
Birth. WWII (BBC, 2014)
Age 8. Korean Conflict. The market price of wool reaches an all-time high (ABS, 2007).
Age 15. Leaves school to work on sheep farm full-time
1962 — Age 20. Leaves farming for construction work in Melbourne
1965 — Age 23. Vietnam Conflict (BBC, 2014). Registers for National Service and serves 2 years, but never sees combat
1970 — Age 28. Marries
1972 — Age 30. 1st child born
1974 — Age 32. 2nd child born
9. 1975 — Age 33. Australia restricts entry of unskilled immigrants
10. 1977 — Age 35. 3rd child born
11. 1981 — Age 39. 2nd child dies of leukemia
12. 1990 — Age 48. 1st child leaves for college
13. 1995 — Age 53. 2nd child leaves for college
14. 1997 — Age 55. Kevin is diagnosed with type 2 diabetes
15. 2001 — Age 59. 9/11 — troops sent to Afghanistan
16. 2002 — Age 60. Bali night club bombing
17. 2003 — Age 61. Iraq war
18. 2004 — Age 62. Becomes a grandfather for the first time
19. 2006 — Age 64. Severe drought and the economy stalls
20. 2007 — Age 65. Retirement
21. 2008 — Age 66. PM apologizes to the “Stolen Generation.”
Assessment
Kevin was born in 1942 on a struggling sheep farm halfway between Canberra and Melbourne, during World War II. Australian troops were engaged in both the Pacific and Atlantic theaters, so women stepped into jobs formally held by men. The effects of the Great Depression were still being felt and the war effort was causing additional hardships, such as the rationing of food and clothing. Kevin therefore grew up in what would be poverty by today’s standards, but there was never a shortage of food on the farm. Kevin and his four siblings were left to fend for themselves and attended school for a few years until they were old enough to work full-time on the farm. A strong work ethic and streak of independence was thus cultivated. Kevin was the youngest of five siblings, which allowed Kevin to attend school until the relatively late age of 15. Given the geographic distance between the farm and the nearest neighbors, the closest relationships in Kevin’s life were those of his immediate family members, primarily his siblings.
Wool prices steadily climbed, until they reached an all-time high in 1950/51 (ABS, 2007). The growing prosperity allowed Kevin to follow his dream of doing something besides farming. He moved to Melbourne in 1962, at the age of 20, and quickly found work in home construction during the prosperous post-war period. The decision was made easy for Kevin with four older siblings vying for a place on the farm and beginning their own families, especially since farming and economic stability seemed incompatible (Howard, 2000). Social cognition provides the best theoretical framework for Kevin’s identity at the age of 20, because he saw a future apart from farming without knowing what that future would be. The rising wool prices, a major event, therefore enabled Kevin to choose a different future.
The number of troops committed to the conflict in Vietnam expanded dramatically and Kevin was forced to register for National Service. His birthday was picked and he served two years without leaving Australia. Upon returning to civilian life, Kevin started his own construction firm and met his future wife. The first of three children were born in 1972, the year Kevin turned 30. Over the next seven years, two more children were born, but Kevin’s family later grieves the loss of their second child to leukemia at the age of 7. In 1990 and 1995 the remaining two children leave to attend college, but at the age of 55 Kevin is diagnosed with type II diabetes. As Kevin begins to struggle with dramatic lifestyle changes, his son and daughter begin white collar careers and families of their own. Meanwhile, the attacks of 9/11 and the Bali nightclub bombing occur. With the kids gone and starting their own families, long-suppressed emotional wounds surrounding the death of the second child erupt, destabilize Kevin’s marriage. He moves into an apartment, but the issue of divorce is never seriously discussed. The choice to remain married is consistent with continuity theory (Atchley, 1989), because both Kevin’s and his wife’s identities remains tied to the roles of husband/wife, parent, and grandparent, despite the emotional wounds. Living together, however, becomes too uncomfortable. Counseling would probably be an effective intervention, but Kevin’s independent and self-reliant nature makes this choice impossible.
Kevin reached retirement age still healthy, due in large part to an early diagnosis and successful treatment of his diabetes. The treatment plan involved a dramatic change in lifestyle, including a low calorie, nutritious diet and regular exercise (McNaughton, Dunstan, Ball, Shaw, & Crawford, 2009). The lifestyle changes and the associated weight loss has allowed him to avoid common complications of diabetes, including circulatory problems that frequently result in blindness and amputations, while remaining active post-retirement through volunteer work a family obligations. His good physical and financial health has also allowed him to spend quality time with his children and grandchildren, in addition to visiting his siblings’ families and parents several times a year. As a result, aging into retirement has given him the time needed to strengthen the already strong ties to his immediate and extended family. His quality of life has thus improved since retirement, a common outcome for contemporary retirees (Heybroek, Haynes, & Baxter, 2015).
Kevin’s life-trajectory reveals a number of important values that have influenced the choices he has made, including independence, self-reliance, resilience, and family. Accordingly, he has maintained strong ties to his immediate and extended family despite geographic and trauma-related barriers. Although the social role of business owner changed when Kevin reached retirement age, this role could not have been critical to his identity because his quality of life improved. This transition may have been made easier by choosing to volunteer his time, expertise, and resources to housing projects for the poor. This choice is consistent with continuity theory (Atchley, 1989) because Kevin remained active in construction post-retirement.
Based on Kevin’s relationship history, his relationships with his wife, children, grandchildren, parents, and siblings reveal that family roles, such as husband, father, brother, and provider, are the ones that best define his identity. The role of provider probably became critical to Kevin’s identity after experiencing the economic poverty of his childhood and associating farming with economic instability. Being a good provider, and thus family man, meant seeking a non-farm occupation. The choice to leave farming, move to the city and start a construction company was simply a means to an end and did not define Kevin’s identity in important ways.
The two scenarios of resilience and type II diabetes changed the originally envisioned life-trajectory, because these two outcomes seemed to be incompatible at first. Incorporating both into Kevin’s life-trajectory, however, resulted in a positive outcome, one where the diabetes is controlled by lifestyle changes to the point it enters remission. Resilience and the ability to adapt seem to be closely related concepts, so the resilience modified the diabetes outcome in a positive way. In other words, it was more important to Kevin to minimize the effects of diabetes on his perceived social roles and relationships, than to maintain an unhealthy lifestyle.
References
ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics). (2007). The wool industry — looking back and forward. Retrieved from http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/Previousproducts/1301.0Feature%20Article172003?opendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=1301.0&issue=2003&num=&view=.
Atchley, R.C. (1989). A continuity theory of normal aging. Gerontologist, 29(2), 183-90.
BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation). (2015). Australia profile — Timeline. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-15675556.
Heybroek, L., Haynes, M., & Baxter, J. (2015). Life satisfaction and retirement in Australia: A longitudinal approach. Work, Aging and Retirement. First published online 1 April 2015. Retrieved from http://workar.oxfordjournals.org/content/1/2/166.
Howard, J.A. (2000). Social psychology of identities. Annual Reviews in Sociology, 26, 367-93.
McNaughton, S.A., Dunstan, D.W., Ball, K., Shaw, J., & Crawford, D. (2009). Dietary quality is associated with diabetes and cardio-metabolic risk factors. Journal of Nutrition, 139, 734-42.
Get Professional Assignment Help Cheaply
Are you busy and do not have time to handle your assignment? Are you scared that your paper will not make the grade? Do you have responsibilities that may hinder you from turning in your assignment on time? Are you tired and can barely handle your assignment? Are your grades inconsistent?
Whichever your reason is, it is valid! You can get professional academic help from our service at affordable rates. We have a team of professional academic writers who can handle all your assignments.
Why Choose Our Academic Writing Service?
- Plagiarism free papers
- Timely delivery
- Any deadline
- Skilled, Experienced Native English Writers
- Subject-relevant academic writer
- Adherence to paper instructions
- Ability to tackle bulk assignments
- Reasonable prices
- 24/7 Customer Support
- Get superb grades consistently
Online Academic Help With Different Subjects
Literature
Students barely have time to read. We got you! Have your literature essay or book review written without having the hassle of reading the book. You can get your literature paper custom-written for you by our literature specialists.
Finance
Do you struggle with finance? No need to torture yourself if finance is not your cup of tea. You can order your finance paper from our academic writing service and get 100% original work from competent finance experts.
Computer science
Computer science is a tough subject. Fortunately, our computer science experts are up to the match. No need to stress and have sleepless nights. Our academic writers will tackle all your computer science assignments and deliver them on time. Let us handle all your python, java, ruby, JavaScript, php , C+ assignments!
Psychology
While psychology may be an interesting subject, you may lack sufficient time to handle your assignments. Don’t despair; by using our academic writing service, you can be assured of perfect grades. Moreover, your grades will be consistent.
Engineering
Engineering is quite a demanding subject. Students face a lot of pressure and barely have enough time to do what they love to do. Our academic writing service got you covered! Our engineering specialists follow the paper instructions and ensure timely delivery of the paper.
Nursing
In the nursing course, you may have difficulties with literature reviews, annotated bibliographies, critical essays, and other assignments. Our nursing assignment writers will offer you professional nursing paper help at low prices.
Sociology
Truth be told, sociology papers can be quite exhausting. Our academic writing service relieves you of fatigue, pressure, and stress. You can relax and have peace of mind as our academic writers handle your sociology assignment.
Business
We take pride in having some of the best business writers in the industry. Our business writers have a lot of experience in the field. They are reliable, and you can be assured of a high-grade paper. They are able to handle business papers of any subject, length, deadline, and difficulty!
Statistics
We boast of having some of the most experienced statistics experts in the industry. Our statistics experts have diverse skills, expertise, and knowledge to handle any kind of assignment. They have access to all kinds of software to get your assignment done.
Law
Writing a law essay may prove to be an insurmountable obstacle, especially when you need to know the peculiarities of the legislative framework. Take advantage of our top-notch law specialists and get superb grades and 100% satisfaction.
What discipline/subjects do you deal in?
We have highlighted some of the most popular subjects we handle above. Those are just a tip of the iceberg. We deal in all academic disciplines since our writers are as diverse. They have been drawn from across all disciplines, and orders are assigned to those writers believed to be the best in the field. In a nutshell, there is no task we cannot handle; all you need to do is place your order with us. As long as your instructions are clear, just trust we shall deliver irrespective of the discipline.
Are your writers competent enough to handle my paper?
Our essay writers are graduates with bachelor's, masters, Ph.D., and doctorate degrees in various subjects. The minimum requirement to be an essay writer with our essay writing service is to have a college degree. All our academic writers have a minimum of two years of academic writing. We have a stringent recruitment process to ensure that we get only the most competent essay writers in the industry. We also ensure that the writers are handsomely compensated for their value. The majority of our writers are native English speakers. As such, the fluency of language and grammar is impeccable.
What if I don’t like the paper?
There is a very low likelihood that you won’t like the paper.
Reasons being:
- When assigning your order, we match the paper’s discipline with the writer’s field/specialization. Since all our writers are graduates, we match the paper’s subject with the field the writer studied. For instance, if it’s a nursing paper, only a nursing graduate and writer will handle it. Furthermore, all our writers have academic writing experience and top-notch research skills.
- We have a quality assurance that reviews the paper before it gets to you. As such, we ensure that you get a paper that meets the required standard and will most definitely make the grade.
In the event that you don’t like your paper:
- The writer will revise the paper up to your pleasing. You have unlimited revisions. You simply need to highlight what specifically you don’t like about the paper, and the writer will make the amendments. The paper will be revised until you are satisfied. Revisions are free of charge
- We will have a different writer write the paper from scratch.
- Last resort, if the above does not work, we will refund your money.
Will the professor find out I didn’t write the paper myself?
Not at all. All papers are written from scratch. There is no way your tutor or instructor will realize that you did not write the paper yourself. In fact, we recommend using our assignment help services for consistent results.
What if the paper is plagiarized?
We check all papers for plagiarism before we submit them. We use powerful plagiarism checking software such as SafeAssign, LopesWrite, and Turnitin. We also upload the plagiarism report so that you can review it. We understand that plagiarism is academic suicide. We would not take the risk of submitting plagiarized work and jeopardize your academic journey. Furthermore, we do not sell or use prewritten papers, and each paper is written from scratch.
When will I get my paper?
You determine when you get the paper by setting the deadline when placing the order. All papers are delivered within the deadline. We are well aware that we operate in a time-sensitive industry. As such, we have laid out strategies to ensure that the client receives the paper on time and they never miss the deadline. We understand that papers that are submitted late have some points deducted. We do not want you to miss any points due to late submission. We work on beating deadlines by huge margins in order to ensure that you have ample time to review the paper before you submit it.
Will anyone find out that I used your services?
We have a privacy and confidentiality policy that guides our work. We NEVER share any customer information with third parties. Noone will ever know that you used our assignment help services. It’s only between you and us. We are bound by our policies to protect the customer’s identity and information. All your information, such as your names, phone number, email, order information, and so on, are protected. We have robust security systems that ensure that your data is protected. Hacking our systems is close to impossible, and it has never happened.
How our Assignment Help Service Works
1. Place an order
You fill all the paper instructions in the order form. Make sure you include all the helpful materials so that our academic writers can deliver the perfect paper. It will also help to eliminate unnecessary revisions.
2. Pay for the order
Proceed to pay for the paper so that it can be assigned to one of our expert academic writers. The paper subject is matched with the writer’s area of specialization.
3. Track the progress
You communicate with the writer and know about the progress of the paper. The client can ask the writer for drafts of the paper. The client can upload extra material and include additional instructions from the lecturer. Receive a paper.
4. Download the paper
The paper is sent to your email and uploaded to your personal account. You also get a plagiarism report attached to your paper.
PLACE THIS ORDER OR A SIMILAR ORDER WITH US TODAY AND GET A PERFECT SCORE!!!
