Gloria, a 53-year-old developmentally disabled adult, was born with a moderate intellectual disability and with cerebral palsy. Soon after her birth, her parents hospitalized her in an institution for the developmentally disabled. She lived in this institution until she was 31, at which time she was placed in a group home for individuals with intellectual disabilities. During childhood, Gloria’s language development was delayed. She could not speak in sentences until she was 4 years old. She was not toilet trained until age 7. Although her parents would visit her periodically, her main caretakers were the social service workers at the institution. Gloria was schooled at the institution, where she acquired the equivalent of a second-grade education. Gloria had few friends in the institution and was considered a loner. Despite working on socialization skills while in the institution, Gloria still prefers to be alone and spends much of her time painting. She has become a rather good artist, and many of her paintings are found in the institution and the group home. Visitors often comment on the paintings and are usually surprised that someone with an intellectual disability can paint so well. Gloria has a part-time job at a local art supply company, where she generally does menial work. Although Gloria does have some friends at the group home and the art supply store, when she spends much time with someone, she often ends up having a temper tantrum. When this happens, she will usually withdraw—often to her painting. Gloria generally blames other people for her anger. Gloria is a rules follower. She feels very strongly about the list of rules on the bulletin board at her group home. She methodically reports people who break the rules. She always feels extremely guilty after having a temper tantrum because she sees herself as breaking the rule stating that one should “talk things out rather than get into a fight.” Similarly, Gloria feels that laws “are there for a purpose.” For instance, at street crossings, she always stops at red lights and waits for the light to change. Gloria has no sense of her future. She lives from day to day, and, despite periods of depression, generally functions fairly adequately. She states that she wants to get married, but her lack of social skills prevents her from having any meaningful relationships with men. Overall, the human service professionals who have contact with Gloria describe her as a rigid, conscientious, talented person who has trouble maintaining relationships. They note that, despite being in individual counseling and a socialization support group, she has made little progress in maintaining satisfying relationships. They feel that she probably will maintain her current level of functioning, and they see little hope for change.

What stage of Piaget's Cognitive Development do you believe she is in and why?
What stage of Kohlberg's theory of Moral Development do you believe she is in and why?
What stage of psycho-social development do you believe she is in and why?

How would Freud's psychosexual model of development explain Gloria's personality development?

Question

Gloria, a 53-year-old developmentally disabled adult, was born with a moderate intellectual disability and with cerebral palsy. Soon after her birth, her parents hospitalized her in an institution for the developmentally disabled. She lived in this institution until she was 31, at which time she was placed in a group home for individuals with intellectual disabilities. During childhood, Gloria’s language development was delayed. She could not speak in sentences until she was 4 years old. She was not toilet trained until age 7. Although her parents would visit her periodically, her main caretakers were the social service workers at the institution. Gloria was schooled at the institution, where she acquired the equivalent of a second-grade education. Gloria had few friends in the institution and was considered a loner. Despite working on socialization skills while in the institution, Gloria still prefers to be alone and spends much of her time painting. She has become a rather good artist, and many of her paintings are found in the institution and the group home. Visitors often comment on the paintings and are usually surprised that someone with an intellectual disability can paint so well. Gloria has a part-time job at a local art supply company, where she generally does menial work. Although Gloria does have some friends at the group home and the art supply store, when she spends much time with someone, she often ends up having a temper tantrum. When this happens, she will usually withdraw—often to her painting. Gloria generally blames other people for her anger. Gloria is a rules follower. She feels very strongly about the list of rules on the bulletin board at her group home. She methodically reports people who break the rules. She always feels extremely guilty after having a temper tantrum because she sees herself as breaking the rule stating that one should “talk things out rather than get into a fight.” Similarly, Gloria feels that laws “are there for a purpose.” For instance, at street crossings, she always stops at red lights and waits for the light to change. Gloria has no sense of her future. She lives from day to day, and, despite periods of depression, generally functions fairly adequately. She states that she wants to get married, but her lack of social skills prevents her from having any meaningful relationships with men. Overall, the human service professionals who have contact with Gloria describe her as a rigid, conscientious, talented person who has trouble maintaining relationships. They note that, despite being in individual counseling and a socialization support group, she has made little progress in maintaining satisfying relationships. They feel that she probably will maintain her current level of functioning, and they see little hope for change.

What stage of Piaget's Cognitive Development do you believe she is in and why?
What stage of Kohlberg's theory of Moral Development do you believe she is in and why?
What stage of psycho-social development do you believe she is in and why?

How would Freud's psychosexual model of development explain Gloria's personality development?

Accepted Answer

Developmental psychology focuses on understanding how individuals grow, change, and develop across…