The Growth & Development of Moana Kristy McCandless California State University, San Marcos
Meet Moana Moana is a strong-willed, adventurous, 15year-old female living on the island of Motonui. She has an inherited love for the ocean and an innate desire to voyage the seas. Since she was a little girl she has been drawn to the ocean and day dreams of life beyond the reef. Moana is of Polynesian descent and has long brown, curly hair, dark brown skin, and brown eyes. Moana has a strong, athletic build and appears to be developing appropriately for her age.
QSEN The Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) project was initiated to equip future nurses with the abilities to continuously improve the quality and safety of the healthcare system. The QSEN has defined six competencies that include patient-centered care, quality improvement, safety, informatics, evidence-based practice and teamwork and collaboration (QSEN Institute, 2014). These six objectives are in place to help nurses achieve the proper knowledge, skills and attitude to enhance the healthcare atmosphere.
Moana’s Family & Friends Moana’s parents, Chief Tui and Sina, are supportive and loving parents. Moana’s father is the Village Chief and Moana is to take over one day and serve as the next Chief of Motonui. Moana’s parents take pride in traditions and demonstrate an authoritative parenting style. Chief Tui refuses to let anyone travel past the island reef because it puts his people in danger of the unforgiving sea. However, Moana’s curious spirit and desire to find her true self leads her to clash with her father and question his strict adherence to tradition. Moana is very similar to her Gramma Tala who is also drawn to the ocean. Moana takes after her grandmother and shares the same desire for adventure and exploration. Gramma Tala fuels Moana’s rebellious side and supports her granddaughter’s curious spirit. Moana spends a lot of time with her pet rooster Hei Hei and pet pig Pua. Moana considers her pets to be close friends and she takes good care of her loyal companions.
Developmental Stage: Adolescence (12-18 years) Growth & Development
Fine & Gross Motor Skills
During adolescence (12-18 years) females gain about 6.8-25 kilograms and grow another 2-8 inches (Ward, 2014). Extremities continue to lengthen and the final 20-25% of height is achieved during this stage. Hormonal changes during adolescence lead to physical and sexual maturation. Pubertal changes such as breast development, menstruation and pubic and axillary hair growth are expected during adolescence (Perry, Hockenberry, Lowdermilk & Wilson, 2014).
Fine motor skills expected for Moana’s age group include manipulating complex objects, good finger dexterity for writing and other intricate tasks and precise hand-eye coordination (Ward, 2014).
Moana weighs 55 kilograms and is 65 inches tall, which gives her a body mass index of 20.1, categorizing her as normal. Based on Moana’s age she is in the 61st percentile for weight and the 69th percentile for height. Further, Moana started puberty at age 11 and started her period at age 13, two years after the onset of puberty. The timing of Moana’s pubertal changes are very common for her developmental age. Lastly, Moana has clear skin and does not show any signs of having acne, which commonly occurs among adolescents.
Gross motor skills expected for Moana’s age group include developing endurance, increased speed and coordination and a focused interest in an area (Ward, 2014). Moana meets and exceeds all of this milestones. Moana is extremely athletic and becomes a skilled sailor. To be a good sailor one must be coordinated, have good hand dexterity and have good endurance. Moana demonstrates precise hand eye coordination along with the ability to manipulate complex objects as she voyages the seas and battles Te Ka to return the heart of Te Fiti.
Cognitive, Psychosocial and Moral Stages of Development Piaget: Formal Operations Moana is currently in the formal operations stage of Piaget’s theory. Moana understands that her decisions affect other people, which is why she really thinks before she acts, especially when it comes to big decisions like leaving her island. Moana is able to analyze and construct theories and think logically (Ward, 2014). Further, she is able to think abstractly. An example of this is when Moana thinks about sailing the seas when she is not physically looking at a sailboat on the water.
Erikson: Identity vs. Role Confusion
Kohlberg's: Postconventional Morality
The people of Motonui live happily as a close network of neighbors. Moana’s people have a strong sense of culture and take pride in their way of life. Group identity is essential in the development of personal identity (Perry et al, 2014). Despite Moana’s group identity, she is still suffering from a major identity crisis. Moana has a strong love for her village and her people, but finds herself yearning to leave her island and venture beyond the barrier reef. She feels obligated to her people, but cannot fight her desire to find her true self.
Moana is developing her own set of morals and values that will guide her actions and behavior (Curtis, 2015). Moana makes decisions based on her own internalized set of principles. This is a major component of Kohlberg’s postconventional morality stage along with a heightened awareness of justice (Ward, 2014). Moana demonstrates her awareness of justice when she demands that Maui help her return the heart of Te Fiti since he was the one who stole it in the first place.
Nutrition Adolescents experience rapid growth and metabolism and females should consume about 1800 kcals daily. Adolescents need high quality nutrients and may need additional calcium, iron and zinc during growth spurts. Caloric restrictions are not tolerated at this time; however, undereating and overeating are both common during adolescence (Perry et al., 2014). Moana’s diet follows the nutritional guidelines for her age group. Moana’s village hunts and gathers food and lives off the land. Moana eats many fresh fruits and vegetables as well as seafood and coconuts. The people of Motonui also raise livestock, which provides the village with dairy products and protein. Moana lives a very physically active lifestyle and likely needs additional calories to maintain a normal weight for her height and age. It is important that Moana continues her healthy lifestyle habits because adolescence is a window into the future and the habits created now are the ones that will likely last a lifetime (Djalalinia, RamezaniTehrani, Malekafzali, Hejazi & Peykari, 2013).
Nutritional Guidelines for Adolescent Females Grains
6 oz
Vegetables
2 ½ cups
Fruits
1 ½ cups
Proteins
5 oz
Dairy
3 cups
Oils
5 tsp
(United States Department of Agriculture, 2017)
Orem Identity Feelings Partially Met
Family & Friends Partially Met
Sex & Sexuality Partially Met
Drug/Alcohol Use - Met
Body Image Met
Moana is an independent, confident, free-spirited young woman. Moana loves her island and the people of Motonui. It is her duty to take over as Chief of the village; however, Moana is constantly drawn to the sea. Moana realizes that she cannot fulfill her own heart’s desire and still be true to her people. Moana takes off on a quest to find her true self. Moana’s adventures lead her to find her true identity… the Great Wayfinder of her people.
Moana has an optimistic and infectious personality. People are drawn to her and look to her as a leader. Moana has a close, loving family that provide her with support. Moana also has loyal companions that she spends time with. Despite her loving support system, Moana and her father clash because Moana rebels against his rules. Moana also has strong morals and beliefs that cause her to fight with her peer Maui.
Moana is developing into a beautiful young woman and is considered to be of age within her culture. She has started to mature physically; however, she is still innocent at heart. Moana has yet to show interest in exploring her sexuality.
Moana has not shown any interest in drugs or alcohol. Moana is busy exploring her island, sailing the seas and saving her people, which doesn’t leave much time to get into drugs or alcohol. Moana has a strong moral compass and stays true to herself and her values. Moana is looked to as a an upcoming leader for her village so she must lead by example.
Moana embodies self-confidence and self-love. Moana’s body language, clothing and attitude reveal her high self-esteem. Moana was raised by a loving mother and father that take pride in their daughter. Moana treats her body with respect and does not partake in self-destructive behaviors such as disordered eating or over-exercising. Moana meets the self-requisites for body image.
Family & Patient Teaching Nutrition Moana eats many whole foods; however, the islands supply of fish and fresh produce is declining. Adolescence is a period of rapid growth and increased metabolism; therefore, caloric restrictions are not tolerated at this time Physical Development Moana puts pressure on herself to please her family and her village. Moana experiences stress as she prepares to be the next village chief.
Social Development Moana is very independent and strong-willed. Her two closest companions are her pets Pua and Hei Hei. Moana would benefit from more peer relationships.
Safety Teaching Moana is very adventurous and active. Moana’s love for sailing puts her at risk for drowning and other serious injuries because the ocean can be very dangerous.
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Interventions Teach Moana that it is important she consume at least 1800 kcals daily to meet her energy needs Encourage Moana to choose foods that are calorically dense such as coconuts, salmon, dairy, nuts, and pork. Interventions Explain the concept of stress and its long-term physical effects on the human body. Encourage Moana to have ways of coping with her stress so that it doesn’t become a chronic problem. Interventions Talk with Moana about her peer relationships and ask her feelings about it. Encourage Moana to get involved with other activities offered within her village. Interventions Parents can provide guidance and teach Moana to make responsible decisions. Moana should have rules and consequences set in place regarding sailing that reinforce safe behavior.
References American Heart Association (2016). Dietary Recommendations for Healthy Children. Retrieved from http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/Dietary-Recommendations-for-HealthyChildren_UCM_303886_Article.jsp#.WT35AmjyvIU Curtis, A.C. (2015). Defining Adolescence. Journal of Adolescence and Family Health 7(2). http://scholar.utc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1035&context=jafh Djalalinia, S., Ramezani-Tehrani, F., Malekafzali, H., Hejazi, F., & Peykari, N. (2013) Development and evaluation of a nutritional health program for adolescents. Itranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research, 18(5), 425-427. Perry, S.E., Hockenberry, M.J., Lowdermilk, D.L., & Wilson, D. (2014). Maternal Child Nursing Care (5th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Mosby: Elsevier. QSEN Institute. (2014). QSEN Competencies. Retrieved from http://qsen.org/competencies/pre-licensure-ksas/ United States Department of Agriculture. (2017). MyPlate. Retrieved from https://www.choosemyplate.gov/MyPlate Ward, S. (2014). Pediatric Nursing Care: Best Evidence-Based Practices. Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis Company.
References [Untitled image of Moana]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/shangaycom/status/804645396756697088 [Untitled image of Moana]. Retrieved from http://www.fandango.com/movie-news/the-top-5-disney-easter-eggs-hidden-in-moana-751627 [Untitled image of Moana and her parents]. Retrieved from http://rise-of-the-brave-tangled-dragons.wikia.com/wiki/Moana_Waialiki/Relationships [Untitled image of Moana as a toddler]. Retrieved from http://www.freakinawesomenetwork.net/2016/11/moana-a-review/ [Untitled image of Pua and Hei Hei]. Retrieved from https://es.pinterest.com/pin/400468591851492725/ [Untitled image of Moana]. Retrieved from https://es.pinterest.com/pin/365284219761916292/ [Untitled image of Gramma Tala]. Retrieved from http://www.insidethemagic.net/2017/02/interview-actress-rachel-house-on-playing-the-wise-gramma-tala-in-moana/ [Untitled image of Motonui]. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-4052078/The-ultimate-fairy-tale-escapes-holiday-dreamyPacific-islands-inspired-Disney-s-Moana.html [Untitled image of Moana and Maui]. Retrieved from http://thefinalbeat.com/dinghy-sailing-categories/other_sailing-_topics/blog_posts/moana-review-sailors [Untitled image of Moana’s village]. Retrieved from http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/File:Moana-137.png [Untitled image of Moana]. Retrieved from http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Moana_(character)