Young Adulthood Case Study
Kristina Lamey
BSHS/325
May 30th, 2014
Dr. Laura Cobb, Ph. D

Background
The client is a 25 year old, unemployed, single male. This age is a sensitive time for a person’s sense of self (Gayman, Lloyd, & Ueno, 2011). He grew up in a single-parent home. Since a car accident, he suffered some cognitive damage to his cerebrum and, as a result, is now using prescription painkillers and mixing them with alcohol on occasion to relieve the pain felt from failure to complete college, two unsuccessful relationships, and the absence of his biological father. Since the client dropped out of college, he has not found or wish to look for work. The client’s life and relationship experiences indicate a lack of trust that contributes to his emotional instability and low self-esteem. “Depression often emerges early in the lifecourse and is consistently shown to be associated with poor self-esteem” (Gayman, Lloyd, Ueno, 2011, para 1).

Family Relationships
“From a developmental perspective, self-esteem is intertwined with social experiences and social development early in the lifecourse” (Gayman, Lloyd, Ueno, 2011, para 5). A person’s family usually sets the tone for how an individual will view the world and interact or contribute in it. The client grew up in a single parent home with his mother and had no involvement with his biological father. In my experience as a professional, young men that grow up without their fathers have a harder time transitioning from adolescence to adulthood compared to young men who grow up with their fathers. His father’s absence also contributes to the lack of trust in building social and intimate relationships. I have also noticed his lack of interest in his mother’s boyfriend’s attempts to bond with him as a father figure. The client does not see any value in building a relationship with someone who may not be