Steel Magnolias Understanding your client

Record your answers in the space provided. The boxes will expand as you type. Students are expected to adhere to standards of scholarly writing. Answer the questions in your own words, in complete sentences, and in appropriate paragraphs. Use Erik Erikson’s 8 Stages of Man to describe the stage of development experienced by your selected character from the film. Your response should consist of a minimum of 75 words. Be sure to include proper citations when referencing information from outside sources. In the movie, Steel Magnolias, the character I chose was Shelby, she is a spontaneous selfless person, and always putting others needs before her own.

She is in the young adulthood stage of Erickson’s eight stages of development. The task Shelby was working on was intimacy versus isolation. She was deeply in love with Jackson, a successful Louisiana lawyer. Shelby is in gauged to be married, but is trying to talk Jackson out of marrying her because her physician recommended that she not get pregnant. Shelby stated, “I’m afraid Jackson is throwing away his chance to have babies” (Berman, Erb, Kozier, & Snyder 2004).

Describe three challenges or barriers to the positive progression of your client’s psycho-social development. Your response should consist of a minimum of 100 words. Be sure to include proper citations when referencing information from outside sources.

In the movie, Shelby encountered some challenges hat hindered her psycho-social development. The first challenge she encountered was when her physician told her she should not have children of her own, due to her diabetes. This made her feel incomplete as a woman. The first person she thought about was her fiancée Jackson. Shelby loved him so much, and wanted him to be happy, that she did not want him to give up his chance to have babies of his own. More than anything she wanted a successful family of her own like the one she grew up in. She was afraid Jackson, would not love her anymore. She tried to encourage him to not marry her, but Jackson reassured her that he would be happy with adoption. Soon after they were married (Berman et al., 2004).

Shelby was in conflict with her body. She wanted to be “normal” and could not come to terms that she was different. She wanted to live her life to the fullest and ignore the fact that she had diabetes. Without completely thinking things through, she gets pregnant to mend her relationship with Jackson. Completely disregarding medical advice. Her body did not handle the stress that the pregnancy had on it. Soon after she had her son, she was given a shunt and started on dialysis (Berman et al., 2004).

The third challenge Shelby experienced was with her mother. She was always seeking her mother’s approval. Shelby was so disappointed her mother could not be happy for her when she got pregnant. Her mother new the risks she was taking and had a hard time watching Shelby struggle. It was very difficult for her mother to accept Shelby was willing to risk her life to have a baby. She knew Shelby wanted a baby more than anything when Shelby stated, “Mama, I would rather have three minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special.” Although she was worried, she became very supportive and stood beside Shelby to the very end. She even gave Shelby one of her kidneys (Berman et al., 2004).

Based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, describe three needs of your client. Explain which needs were met and how this affected the client’s psycho-social development. Your response should consist of a minimum of 100 words. Be sure to include proper citations when referencing information from outside sources.

Based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs, the Physiological needs of Shelby were met. She grew up in a good stable home where all of her basic needs of food, water, rest, and sleep were met. This gave her a baseline to what made her the person she was (Berman et al., 2004).

The next need that Shelby has met is safety and security. She felt physically and psychologically safe in her home and in her relationship at the beginning of the movie. Her husband reassured her that although she was advised to not have children, he loved her and respected her enough to still marry her (Berman et al., 2004).

The last need that Shelby acquired is love and belonging. Shelby grew up in a loving, supportive and safe environment. Even when she was getting ready to go into surgery to get one of her mothers kidneys, her family still accepted her for who she is and made her feel like she still belongs (Berman et al., 2004).

Finally, based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, describe which of the three needs were unmet and how this affected the client’s psycho-social development. Your response should consist of a minimum of 75 words. Be sure to include proper citations when referencing information from outside sources.

Based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, there were needs of Shelby that were unmet. The first one was safety and security. In the middle of the movie she started having feelings of insecurity with her marriage to Jackson. This is when she decided to get pregnant thinking if would make her husband happy give her the security in her relationship she was looking for (Berman et al., 2004).

Shelby did not meet self-esteem needs. She never received recognition or respect from her mother that she so greatly desired. Her mother was so worried about Shelby and her reckless behavior, she could not overlook the fact that she was an adult. Shelby lived for the moment, not thinking about the consequences of her actions. She did not think about her son, Jackson Jr. growing up without a mother. She was only thinking about her 3 minutes of wonderful (Berman et al., 2004).

The last need Shelby did not meet is self-actualization. This need can only be met if you have achieved self-esteem needs. She was unable to develop her maximum potential in life. She could not look past her physical limitations, and focus on her abilities. Although she portrayed a happy person on the inside, this is what drove her to her deathbed in the end (Berman et al., 2004).

On the last page of your assignment, include complete references (in APA format) for any materials or information you cited in your responses. NOTE: For information on how to structure and format your work in APA style, please review the online tutorial at: http://www.apastyle.org/learn/tutorials/basics-tutorial.aspx.

Reference

Berman, A., Erb, G., Kozier, B., & Snyder, S. (2004). Fundamentals of
Nursing (7th Ed.), Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.