Development and Multicultural Challenges

The cultural context of a child impacts childhood development. It is thus important to identify and understand how childhood development is influenced by culture to help children feel confident, safer, and loved. Adrienne’s family will require assistance due to their multicultural status that could hinder proper childhood development.

Developmental Challenges and Solutions

Body Image Dissatisfaction

Most children Adrienne’s age is likely to develop body image dissatisfaction (dysmorphophobia) as they experience physical development. It happens that dieting behaviors, especially among girls, start in middle childhood (Neves et al., 2017). Body image satisfaction is related to poor self-esteem, lack of exercise, unhealthy eating, depression, and inadequate weight gain during childhood. Peer interactions play a key role in body image dissatisfaction. Most middle childhood girls bond over the “fat talk,” criticizing each other and their bodies. Most girls in Adrienne’s age hold that being thin makes one more likable by her friends and is less likely to be mocked (Neves et al., 2017). Since Adrienne is in middle childhood, she is also likely to experience this challenge, especially if she develops depression from her parent’s divorce. She may have low self-esteem, which often leads to body image dissatisfaction.

Inferiority complex

In emotional/social development, Erickson argued that if industrious children in middle childhood perceive themselves as successful in their ventures, they acquire a sense of skill for prospective challenges. However, if they feel that they do not measure up to their parents’ expectations and their peers, self-doubt and feelings of inferiority develop (Voelker et al., 2015). The feelings of inferiority can result in an inferiority complex that may last into adulthood. Adrienne is likely to develop an inferiority complex if she feels she is not successful in her endeavors, especially if she feels that she may have been the cause of her parent’s divorce. She may also feel that she does not measure up to her peers since she comes from a broken family and has a step-father.

Methods to help Adrienne overcome her potential challenges

According to Voelker et al. (2015), it is recommended that interventions be incorporated to address a wide spectrum of weight and eating-related concerns among children in a manner that also promotes a healthy body image. It is further suggested that interventions that target physical activity improvement should shun strategies that could negatively influence a child’s body image, such as impractical weight goals, critical weight-associated comments, and weight-ins. Rather, promotion of physical activity should entail a way of increasing body satisfaction, particularly when body satisfaction may safeguard against symptoms related to mental health concerns in overweight children (Voelker et al., 2015). To help Adrienne resolve her likely challenge of inferiority complex, she should be encouraged to explore her talents and abilities. In return, she should be provided with authentic criticism (Voelker et al., 2015). She should know that failure is not necessarily a terrible thing but a form of feedback that may help her develop a sense of modesty. A balance of modesty and competence is ideal in creating a sense of competence in a child.

Comparison of challenges among stages of development

While Adrienne may suffer body image dissatisfaction because she experiences physical development, her brother Justin is not aware of his development since he is in early childhood. Similarly, Tony has already passed through physical development and has embraced the changes. Justin can also not go through an inferiority complex since he is not aware of his abilities. Adrienne’s brother, Tony, is already past the age of discovering his abilities, but he may be affected by an inferiority complex that happened in his middle childhood.

Multicultural challenges and Plan of Action

Multicultural challenges

Adrienne may face society biases as a child from a mixed-race family. She may feel that her acceptability among her peers and the society is based on her multiple cultures (Hud-Aleem & Countryman, 2008). Adrienne may publicly identify with her mother’s race since she has genes from her mother and reveals her interracial identity with her friends due to fear of prejudice. Besides, Adrienne may have trouble embracing and valuing both of her parents’ cultures.

These challenges could impact Adrienne’s development. In social development, Adrienne may not fully develop the ability to express herself as she may develop a fear of being discriminated against because of her multicultural race (Hud-Aleem & Countryman, 2008). In her cognitive development, Adrienne will be influenced by the attitude of society towards interracial individuals. Her racial status influence adrienne’s thinking and relationship with. Morally, Adrienne may not accept her interracial status because of fear of bias. She may maintain her mother’s racial status for positive relationships with her peers.

Action Plan

Adrienne’s family needs supportive, responsive relationships. Responsive relationships between children and adults benefit children’s development by promoting healthy brain development and offering protection required to prevent highly challenging experiences from generating toxic stress response (Hud-Aleem & Countryman, 2008). The family should thus be supported to develop supportive relationships among members. The sources of stress for the family should also be reduced (Hud-Aleem & Countryman, 2008). Counseling children can attain that to accept their status as a blended and interracial family. Reducing the potential sources of stress will, directly and indirectly, protect children (Hud-Aleem & Countryman, 2008) since their response to stress is triggered less often, and the adults they rely on can support and protect them, preventing long-term harm.

Conclusion

Adrienne is facing developmental challenges caused by her multicultural family background. Her family will require resources to help them overcome multicultural status that could hinder proper childhood development. The relationship between children and parents need to be strengthened and sources of stress for the family need to be reduced through counseling.

References

Hud-Aleem, R., & Countryman, J. (2008). Biracial identity development and recommendations in therapy. Psychiatry, 5, 11, 37-44.

Neves, C. M., Cipriani, F. M., Meireles, J. F. F., Ferreira, M. E. C., & Da, R. M. F. F. (2017). Body image in childhood: An integrative literature review. Revista Paulista De Pediatria, 35, 3, 331-339.

Voelker, Dana K, Reel,Justine J, & Greenleaf,Christy. (2015). Weight status and body image perceptions in adolescents: current perspectives. Dove Press.