Term Paper on "Interview With Mrs. N --: Study"

Term Paper 4 pages (1495 words) Sources: 3 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Interview with Mrs. N --:

study in resilience and defiance of the stereotypes attached to old age

For the purposes of this assignment, my interview subject was one Mrs. N --, a 85-year-old friend of my mother's who used to run the small, corner grocery store in my town when I was growing up. My mother's family still has some contact with Mrs. N --, and when I learned, somewhat to my surprise that she was still living in the area, the area where she had grown up, she seemed like an ideal subject to examine the transition into the final stage of life. She was not a family member, but she was friendly enough with my family that she would not be offended by any questions posed to her over the course of a probing interview. I did have something of an acquaintance with her, since I used to buy ice cream and candy from her, or pick up some cold cuts or bread from her store during the summer when I rode my bike, but it was not to the point that it would interfere with my objectivity.

Discussing the store proved to be a good way of developing a rapport during the interview between myself and my subject. I asked how long it had been since she had abandoned the store, and she said she had done so after her husband died. The two of them had moved into the area from the Italian-American community in Brooklyn, where both of them had grown up. They came looking for a nicer, suburban location to raise their children. The area, she explained to me, was very rural, long before I was born, and she could still remember many of the busy streets when they were lined with trees, and even some of the roads I took for granted were fields and pavement. During the interview at se

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veral occasions, she made comments about the noise outside and how much things had changed. This type of positive nostalgia is often typical of older adults, who may wish to remember their formative years in the past as better than the present.

Both Mrs. N -- and Mr. N -- spent most of their lives running the store they had bought and raising their children. Mrs. N -- worked the cash register and her husband, who had been trained as a butcher, ran the deli and meats section in the back. I remember the store had always been known as a nice place to get cheeses and meats, particularly for Italian-Americans in the area. Mrs. N -- expressed regrets that so many things had changed recently, that the stores had become so faceless and generic. She also expressed fond memories for her husband, but she did not seem lonely, which was one of my questions.

She was still very close to her two daughters and their families, and visited them frequently, and one of her friends was departing when I arrived. Although she had sold the store after her husband's death, she said the decision was partly financial, as they had saved enough for retirement, not because she felt she could not run the store without him. Mrs. N -- expressed pride in making enough money from the store to establish a business, buy property she could rent, and to put her two daughters through college. She claimed personal pride in this achievement, and did not see this as her husband's accomplishment, but a mutual one, as they had both worked equally hard in the store.

This also undercut the common conception that women of previous generations uniformly lacked vocational and esteem-building resources. Another surprising finding was the high level of cognitive function Mrs. N -- showed. Mrs. N -- said that working with the public had kept her 'sharp' mentally and physically. Mrs. N -- never went to college, only finished high school, as did her husband, which she said was fairly typical of her community and era, and she did not have any regrets that she did not go to college although she was proud of both daughters' educational and vocational achievements.

Physically, Mrs. N -- was neither over nor underweight, which bodes well, since being underweight can be a sign of physical neglect in the elderly, while being overweight can cause health problems such as insulin-resistant diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. She said she did occasionally bring food to her children, the Italian foods they… READ MORE

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Quoted Instructions for "Interview With Mrs. N --: Study" Assignment:

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Written Assignment #2 Guidelines

Topic: For this assignment, you will select one person in your life to interview. This person must either be in the adolescent stage or the later life stage (65 or older). Your objective is to select ONE major developmental stage (childhood, adolescence OR adulthood), and then describe and explain some of the influences on your subject*****s personal development during that particular stage. Be sure to cover at least two of the four main developmental domains (physical, cognitive, personality and social).

The main goal of this assignment is to explain how the developmental domains interact to influence your interviewee*****s behavior. For instance, how did their physical aging affect their cognitive ability? How did their educational experiences affect their social ability? In addition, compare their personal development to the text and research you read. Was their development considered *****typical*****? Why or why not?

You should choose someone whom you have fairly close contact with, such as a family member, friend, co-worker, etc. In addition, interview someone who is comfortable answering all of your questions. Assure them that their privacy will be respected and their name will not be used in the paper. Select a pseudonym (a fake name) to use throughout your paper, and list that name in your references page.

Specifications: This paper requires the use of 4 - 5 double-spaced pages. At least 4 complete pages of text are required in addition to the title page and reference page. Black, 12-point Times New Roman or Arial font and 1-inch margins should be used. The assignment is to be submitted electronically, through the assignment link on Blackboard. It must be saved as a Microsoft Word document (.doc file) or in Rich Text Format (.rtf file). In all cases, professionalism demands accurate and appropriate form and observance of conventionally accepted rules of the language.

Sources: At least 3 professional or scholarly journals (also known as "peer reviewed") are required for your primary sources, in addition to using the textbook as a secondary source. Journal articles are accessible directly through the Virtual Library or through the following specific database links.

EBSCO Academic Search Premier

EBSCO PsycARTICLES

ProQuest Research Library

When using these databases, be sure you click on the "peer reviewed" or "scholarly journal" limiter; that way you'll get only journal articles, rather than newspapers or popular magazines. This limiter as well as the limiter for full text appears below the search box in EBSCO and ProQuest. For more deatiled information about using EBSCO or ProQuest, click here.

Tone: This paper should be written in formal, college-level style. Approach this assignment from an objective, psychological point of view (for example, *****My interview was conducted with an 85-year-old female*****¦***** instead of *****I interviewed my aunt Mary*****). Students should not give their own opinions or discuss personal experiences or anecdotal evidence; the goal is to research and summarize the opinion of the experts on the specific topic.

Format: This paper should use APA format for the title page and reference page as well as for all in-text citations and final references of the resources used.

SUMMARY OF ASSIGNMENT:

Topic: Structured Interview

Sections: Title Page /Body of 4 *****“ 5 pages / Reference Page

Sources: At least 3 professional journal articles as your primary sources of information, and the course textbook as a secondary source.

Details: Formal, college- level tone

Please review the *****Written Assignment #2 Grading Criteria***** below to see how your work will be evaluated.

Suggested Topics/Questions

Below you will find some suggested topics and questions that may help you in your interview. You are not required to ask these questions, they should simply be used as a guide. Be sure to cover at least two of the main developmental domains: physical, cognitive, personality or social development.

Â· Health

Â· Education/School Achievement

Â· Friendships

Â· Family Life

Â· Work Achievement

Â· Class level/Environment

Â· Significant life events (Deaths, moving, divorce, etc.)

Â· Cultural (*****How did it used to be?*****)

Childhood: Physical: When did they first walk? Have exposure to language/talk? What was health care/immunization like? Any illnesses? Diet? Sleep patterns? Abuse/neglect? Spanking?

Cognitive: What toys/games did they enjoy? How do they relate to Piaget*****s stages of cognitive development? What kind of play behaviors did they exhibit? School experiences?

Social: What was their typical daily routine like? Who took primary care of them? What attachments did they form? Family structure? Parenting styles? Erikson*****s stages? How would they describe their general temperament, and is it similar to their present temperament? What did they learn about gender roles, and where did they learn it? Friendships/achievement in school? Ethnic/racial identity?

Adolescence: Physical: Early/late puberty, body image, sexual behavior, diet/exercise, athletic development

Cognitive: School challenges, Piaget*****s stages, language, memory

Social: Transitions to middle/high school, Romantic relationships, Friendships, Family Structure changes, Mental Health, Erikson*****s stages, first jobs

Adulthood:Physical: Declines in health? Mental health? Diet/exercise? Disease?

Cognitive: Activities, Piaget*****s stages, Memory

Social: Transitioning to college/work, Transitioning to independence, Transitioning to parenting, Friendships, Erikson*****s stages, Jobs, Midlife crisis/empty nest, grandparenting, preparing for retirement, Aging stereotypes, Thoughts on death

Written Assignment #2 Grading Criteria

Your grade will be determined by the following categories:

Breadth and Depth of Content = 65% (97.5 points)

Writing Organization = 25% (37.5 points)

Mechanics = 10% (15 points)

Total = 100% (150 points)

Breadth and Depth of Content = 65% *Plagiarized material will receive 0 points

Outstanding

88 - 97. 5 points

Expected

60 *****“ 87 points

Unacceptable

0 *****“ 59 points

Demonstrates understanding of developmental concepts as related to the interviewee's experiences-Terminology is appropriately used and explained-

Shows only partial understanding of the developmental concepts as related to the interviewee's experiences-Terminology is used incorrectly or is not explained-

Demonstrates little understanding of the developmental concepts as related to the interviewee's experiences-Terminology is incorrect, unclear, or absent -

Good support for all points (using specific examples from interviewee) with clear reference to approved sources

Provides insufficient support for all points (using partial or vague examples from interviewee) or doesn't fully reference sources

Limited support for all points (using few examples from interviewee) or use of personal or anecdotal evidence

Writing Organization = 25%

Outstanding

33 - 37. 5 points

Expected

26 *****“ 32 points

Unacceptable

0 *****“ 25 points

Material is organized, cohesive, and communicates the content clearly

Material is not clearly organized

or is presented in inconsistently

Material is disorganized or haphazardly presented

Uses correct APA style -Correct quotations, and form for title page and reference page

1or 2 errors in APA-1or 2 errors in title page and reference page -1or 2 quotation errors

3 or more errors in APA style, quotations, title or reference pages, or any section is absent

4+ approved sources with accurate and complete citations

3 approved sources -1or 2 errors in the citations or form

insufficient or unacceptable sources - 3+ errors in the citations form

Mechanics = 10%

Outstanding

13.5 *****“ 15 points

Expected

10.5 *****“ 13 points

Unacceptable

0 *****“ 10 points

Correct use of Standard English, grammar, word choice, sentence structure, punctuation, and spelling - Writing is clear and concise

1or 2 errors in grammar, word choice, sentence structure, punctuation, and spelling-

1 or 2 writing errors

3 + errors in grammar, word choice, sentence structure, punctuation, and spelling- lacks clarity, is awkward or confusing

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