Chalynn McHatton
PSY 202
Dr. Gourrier
August 29, 2013
My life (the good and the bad)
Where am I from?
From Humboldt County
Beautiful
Chico now
What my family was like?
Only child
Parent’s divorce and father’s absence
I struggled
What are my personal, professional, and academic goals?
Demonstrating the importance of a college education to my children
Earning my college degree
Becoming a psychologist
References
My Life
I never thought of ever being in college, let alone writing a paper. I had planned to go to college right after high school, but things changed. I got pregnant, and my whole world changed. I was a single mom so there wasn 't any time to go to college. In this paper, I will write a brief descriptions of my life experiences and have helped me be the person that I am today and analyze some of these experiences using the adult development theories from this class. I will also look ahead at the goals I want to accomplish in the future.
I am originally from Humboldt County, California. It is so beautiful there, and there is so much for Humboldt to offer. I live in Chico, California now, and it is nice here, but I miss my home town. I believe that Chico is too big for me. Chico is too hot and humid, and soon I want to go back home.
I was the only child in my family, and at times I didn 't like it because I didn 't have a brother or a sister to play with. So as I started to have children, I didn 't just want to have one child, I had four of them. My parents divorced when I was fifteen years old. It was so hard on me to accept it. I didn 't know what to do. I started getting in trouble because my dad wasn 't around. I missed him so much, but there was another life that my dad didn 't want to miss out on, and that was methamphetamine’s. He couldn 't put that life aside, and
My life
just come hang out with me, but I knew that his addiction was his life now, so I accepted it. My mom was my mom and dad. Then she remarried her high school sweet heart, and my step dad is really good to her. I just wished that he was my dad. I struggled a lot when my parents divorced. I thought that it was all my fault. Know since I have my own children, I know that it wasn 't my fault at all. I know that divorce is common and it can happen. My children almost have the same life as me, except for the beatings. My children 's father has another life too. My ex husband is also into methamphetamine’s. I couldn 't accept it, so I had to leave him. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do, but my children didn 't need to see it.
I am going to demonstrate the importance of a college education to my children. By me going to college, is going to show my children that they should go to college too. In the end, when my children are all grown up, it will be their choice to go to college or not. I can only show them which road they should take. I have always dreamed of earning a college degree, but never did because I got pregnant right out of high school. So now that I am trying to earn a college degree is a big deal. I am so proud of myself that I am actually doing it. I want to become a psychologist because I have a son that has a lot of issues and I want to help him. I feel that I want to help other people too. My son is the
My Life
reason why I want to help people from children to adults. Someone always is looking for help in some way, and I want to be that person.
So once again I never thought I would be sitting here writing this paper for college. It 's overwhelming because I didn 't think that I had it in me to even go to college. I am so glad that I waited until I had children, that way now I can help them with homework and teach my children what I know because I am in college.
References
Witt, G., Mossler, R., (2010), Retrieved from http://content.ashford.edu/books/AUPSY202.10.2/sections/ch
Scialfa, Charles, Caird, Jeff, Connolly, Kevin, Cosmescu, Cassian, (1998), Retrieved from http://ehis.ebscohost.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu
References: Witt, G., Mossler, R., (2010), Retrieved from http://content.ashford.edu/books/AUPSY202.10.2/sections/ch Scialfa, Charles, Caird, Jeff, Connolly, Kevin, Cosmescu, Cassian, (1998), Retrieved from http://ehis.ebscohost.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
Development is a lifelong process. It incorporates the biological, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual growth of people. Our genetic make-up, culture, society, and experiences are the factors that influence our developmental growth. The developmental stages that this book touched basis on were middle adulthood and old age. According to Erik Erikson, there are eight stages of psychosocial development. This book portrays the last two: Generativity vs. Stagnation (middle adulthood) and Integrity vs. Despair (old age). A theory of this development is that the tasks accomplished in one stage lay a foundation for tasks in the next stage of development (McLeod, 2008).…
- 1334 Words
- 6 Pages
Good Essays -
Rashi K. Shukla’s “Methamphetamine: A Love Story” could be a textbook itself about social problems. Many different concepts discussed in “Social Problems: Community, Policy, and Social Action” can be observed through the lives of only 33 participants from Oklahoma. Each adult described the world of methamphetamine in necessary, but excruciating detail. They told of traumatic childhoods, the impact of the drug on their mental well being, and the burden it had on those closest to them. They also explained how they broke free from its tempting grasp, what type of treatment they received, and how their lives were forever altered by their involvement with methamphetamines.…
- 762 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Think about your life after college. While it is tempting to get to college and think of it as your own little world, one day you will have to leave. Make sure that e...…
- 562 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
As the drug takes over the user’s life, the family is slowly falling apart, affecting the children who witness the violent and erratic behavior of their parents. Crystal Meth keeps a person from making logical decisions. For example, my brother once told me that during one of his binges with meth, he chased my sister-in-law around their house with a shot gun; all the while my nephews witnessed the horrific scene.…
- 413 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Lee described how her child grew up and “graduated” on time (par. 14). In her motherly aspect, this is positive; however, kids grow to be mature at different rates and the further mature kids do have an easier time succeeding in college. The mature college kids do not think of college as a time to beige drink, oversleep, or drive recklessly as individuals may label the college experience (par 10).…
- 652 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Levinson named five developmental tasks for young adults. These are pursuing a dream, creating relationships, developing an occupational career, forming a marriage and family and building responsibility in the larger community (Burns, 2005). These developmental tasks are interdependent on each other and achieving one affects the possibilities of accomplishing the other four. The development of a career will help in achieving other tasks as the young adult attains a means with which she/he can support the family. The career may help in achieving the dream which may be based on the career or family. It is within the workplace that the young adult can easily establish mentor relationships with those she/he works with. Achieving these dreams challenges the young adult to take responsibilities within the community. On the other hand, the mentor relationships may inspire the young adult in developing the career and in the pursuance of a career growth and responsibilities in the community, urging him/her to form a marriage and then family.…
- 1348 Words
- 6 Pages
Better Essays -
Prepare a genogram of a minimum of three generations of your own family. If you have children, your genogram will include four generations (i.e., it will include your children). Include your grandparents and parents as well as your own generation (yourself and siblings, if applicable). Include your partner/spouse. You need to include those members of your (and your partner’s, spouse’s, ex-spouse’s, etc.) family who have been and/or are significant in your life. You need to diagram each individual (e.g., grandparent’s siblings), but you will not need to have detailed information about each family members. It may be of interest to lean why you do not know much about particular family members.…
- 1490 Words
- 6 Pages
Powerful Essays -
Cited: Botstein, Leon. “Let Teenagers Try Adulthood” New York Times 17 May 1999, Op-Ed. Rpt. In “Additional Readings.” The Little, Brown Compact Handbook with Exercises. Jane E. Aaron. 6th ed. New York: Longman, 2007…
- 1088 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
Newman, P. R., & Newman, B. M. (2012). Development through life: A psychosocial approach (11th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.…
- 1881 Words
- 8 Pages
Powerful Essays -
Another theory of adult learning is shown in the journal article, “Adult Learning Theory: Applications to Non-Traditional College Students” by Kenner and Weinerman. This theory is about the adult learner and how she takes her work success and integrates it in her academic success. She uses her life experiences to help in her academic community. “By understanding what makes adult learners different from traditional students, developmental educators can provide specific tools…
- 1041 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
Choosing a major or a degree field to go into after graduating from high school is one of the more difficult things that recently graduated young adults have to go through. Many different aspects of a future career field are evaluated to help the individual in choosing the best career path for them. These evaluations include required education, salary, future places of employment and most importantly, what an employee in this specific area of employment will be doing. Choosing to earn a degree in Psychology offers many different possibilities for future areas of employment that can fit almost any type of person. In addition to the diversity of the field, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicted an increase in psychology job opportunities over the next decade due to increased demands for these services in education, law, hospitals, and private companies along with many more options (BLS, 2010). With so many different areas of society requiring these services pursuing a degree in psychology opens up many career paths outside the commonly stereotyped job description of psychologists. Even though many people assume that clinical psychology or other types of therapy are the only options with this degree, an individual in this study can go into fields such as neuropsychology, developmental psychology, and educational psychology.…
- 1126 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
For many early adulthood is a time of continued uncertainty as people begin to make essential commitments to work, relationships, and ideologies that express the content of their personal identities. The nature of early adulthood is now a time of many transitions and temporary commitments. The five criteria for the transition into adulthood are: leaving home, finishing school, getting married, and having a child. For most people these criteria capture the essence of a cultural definition of adult status, and as such, provide a framework for the psychological sense of maturity. During middle adulthood, most people are striving to enact the key life roles of a worker, intimate partner, community member and parent that will reflect their ability to take responsibility for themselves, make important decisions about their lives, and begin to care for others (Newman, Newman 2012).…
- 511 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
My initial plan was to graduate from high school and finish my Bachelor’s degree within three years. However, I got a big dose of life experience and found that things don’t always go as planned. In this paper, I will present a brief description of a few of my passions in life that have helped shape the person I am today and analyze some of these experiences using the adult development theories from this class. I will also look to goals and aspirations that I want to accomplish in the future.…
- 1715 Words
- 7 Pages
Powerful Essays -
References: Boyd, D., & Bee, H. (2006). Adult development. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2001, December). Students whose parents did not go to college: Postsecondary access, persistence, and attainment. Retrieved September 11, 2008.…
- 2271 Words
- 10 Pages
Good Essays -
As I reflect upon my life I will describe facts and events believed to have contributed to the person I am today. I like how Merriam Webster’s online dictionary explains experience as something personally encountered, undergone, or lived through. I have encountered difficulties, circumstances, and triumphs that have helped me to grow as a person. I am pursuing a higher education as my future goal. In this paper, I will apply theories from Adult Development and Life Assessment in my explanation of challenges I have faced during childhood to adulthood.…
- 1370 Words
- 6 Pages
Powerful Essays