IIC Written assignment
The University of Hong Kong
HKU SPACE Community College
Intra- and Interpersonal Competencies (CC-88-259)
Semester 2 (2012-2013)
Written Assignment
Sammy’s Case Study
After studying the case, I found that the main character, Sammy, has been perplexed by several problems. In the following paragraphs, I am going to demonstrate them and give suggestions to her.
The first problem is about the low self-esteem. Referring to the story, Sammy’s parents insist that she must continue her study even she in fact do not like studying. It implies that in her parents’ opinion, studying and academic background is of vital importance for her future development . Because of these external standards from her parents, Sammy may have an unrealistic ideal (Hanna, Suggett, & Radtke, 2010). Compounded with the large disparity between her self-description and the hurtful ideal self, her self-esteem is negatively affected (Hanna et al., 2010). Besides, it is learnt that Sammy keeps comparing herself to the others. She found herself inferior in every aspect without actually understanding her own strengths, placing herself in the life position of “ I am not OK, you’re OK ” which also contributes to her low self-esteem (Harris, 1969, cited in Hanna, Suggett, & Radtke, 2010).
The next problem is related to the question of “ Who am I ? ”. Sammy cannot recognize her own role in the world with no idea about what she likes and dislikes. Having no aim in her life, she don’t have any plans or schedules to follow but satisfies the demands of her parents without having thorough considerations. It seems that Sammy enters the state of “ Identity foreclosure ” in which she makes a decision prematurely before having a complete exploration or experiment with different roles (Marcia, 1980, cited in Pastorino & Portillo, 2012). The precocious choice made is more likely to dishearten the person at some future point (Pastorino & Portillo,2012) which is consistent with
HKU SPACE Community College
Intra- and Interpersonal Competencies (CC-88-259)
Semester 2 (2012-2013)
Written Assignment
Sammy’s Case Study
After studying the case, I found that the main character, Sammy, has been perplexed by several problems. In the following paragraphs, I am going to demonstrate them and give suggestions to her.
The first problem is about the low self-esteem. Referring to the story, Sammy’s parents insist that she must continue her study even she in fact do not like studying. It implies that in her parents’ opinion, studying and academic background is of vital importance for her future development . Because of these external standards from her parents, Sammy may have an unrealistic ideal (Hanna, Suggett, & Radtke, 2010). Compounded with the large disparity between her self-description and the hurtful ideal self, her self-esteem is negatively affected (Hanna et al., 2010). Besides, it is learnt that Sammy keeps comparing herself to the others. She found herself inferior in every aspect without actually understanding her own strengths, placing herself in the life position of “ I am not OK, you’re OK ” which also contributes to her low self-esteem (Harris, 1969, cited in Hanna, Suggett, & Radtke, 2010).
The next problem is related to the question of “ Who am I ? ”. Sammy cannot recognize her own role in the world with no idea about what she likes and dislikes. Having no aim in her life, she don’t have any plans or schedules to follow but satisfies the demands of her parents without having thorough considerations. It seems that Sammy enters the state of “ Identity foreclosure ” in which she makes a decision prematurely before having a complete exploration or experiment with different roles (Marcia, 1980, cited in Pastorino & Portillo, 2012). The precocious choice made is more likely to dishearten the person at some future point (Pastorino & Portillo,2012) which is consistent with
References: Hanna, S. L., Suggett, R., & Radtke, D. (2010). Person to person: Positive relationships don’t just happen (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Pastorino, E., & Portillo, S. D. (2012). What is psychology? (3rd ed.). Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning. Prolific Living, (2011, February 22). Getting to Know Yourself: The Greatest Discovery of All. Retrieved form http://www.prolificliving.com/blog/2011/02/22/the-greatest-discovery-of-all-getting-t o-know-yourself/