Growth and Development:
Princess Merida
Figure 1. [Untitled still of Merida standing with bow]
Mallory Steinkellner
California State University, San Marcos N332: Nursing Care of Children ISSUU Visual Report 1
Meet Merida Merida is a bold, free-spirited, headstrong 16-year-old girl who is the princess of DunBroch, a kingdom in Scotland. She is a tomboy who defies the customs and traditions of her heritage and would love nothing more than to change her fate. Merida tends to be impulsive and does not think of the consequences. As stubborn as she is, Merida is independent, daring, athletic and refuses to be the damsel in distress. Merida and her family are in life cycle stage 5, which is a family with adolescents (Kaakinen, Coelho, Steel, Tabacco, & Hanson, 2015).
Figure 2. [Untitled still of Merida with a wisp]
Physical Appearance: Merida has unruly, curly, long, red hair, blue eyes, and freckles on her face. She has pale skin with a slender body, standing at 5 feet 4 inches tall. 2
Social Networks Family: Merida is the daughter of King Fergus and Queen Elinor. Her father is more lax , or permissive, when it comes to parenting Merida, allowing a lady to have a bow and learn fighting skills. However, Merida’s relationship with her mother is strained due to the strict rules and expectations she places on Merida; her style of parenting is more authoritative. Merida has mischievous younger triplet brothers, named Harris, Hubert, and Hamish, who Merida complains “get away with murder.�
Figure 4. [Untitled still of Merida looking at her horse]
Friends: Merida tends to be independent and spends any free time with her horse, Angus. She does have three suitors for her hand in marriage: Wee Dingwall, Young Macintosh, and Young MacGuffin.
Figure 3. [Untitled still of Merida at family table]
School: Merida is homeschooled by her mother, Elinor. She finds the things that her mother teaches her as bothersome and tedious. Hobbies: Merida is very athletic excelling in horseriding, archery, and sword fighting. On the days she is not required at the castle, she prefers to roam outside with her horse and seeking adventure, like hiking to the Fire Falls.
Figure 5. [Untitled still of Merida at the Fire Falls]
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Growth and Development: Adolescent (12-18 YEARS) OBSERVED GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT MILESTONES Merida is slender and 5 ft 4 in tall, about the same height as her mother. The development of breasts is also evident. Figure 6. [Untitled still of Merida shooting her bow]
EXPECTED GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT MILESTONES -Weight increases 15-55 lbs -Height increases 2-8 in -Secondary sex characteristics develop FINE MOTOR -Manipulates complicated objects
FINE MOTOR Merida is able to play instruments, sew, and she is able to shoot a fish with her bow and arrow. GROSS MOTOR Merida is able to go out for long rides on her horse while practicing her archery. She displays increased accuracy and coordination when she shot “for her own hand� and was able to hit the bullseye of all targets and splitting one arrow.
-Good finger dexterity -Hand-eye coordination precise GROSS MOTOR -Begins to development endurance -Speed, accuracy and coordination increased -Develops skills necessary for a specific interest, e.g. sports/hobbies (Perry, Hockenberry, Lowdermilk, & Wilson, 2014; Ward, 2014)
Figure 7. [Untitled still of Merida jumping] 4
PIAGET: Formal Operations What to expect from this stage: -Well developed abstract thought -Able to use logic to solve problems -Can think beyond the present and plan for the future -Thoughts can be influenced by logical principles -Able to imagine thoughts of others (Perry, Hockenberry,Lowdermilk, & Wilson, 2014; Ward, 2014)
Observations of Merida: Merida displays well developed abstract thought when she said that, in order to change her fate, she needs to change her mum. She is able to use logic to solve problems such as when she had to decipher the riddle, “Fate be changed, look inside. Mend the bond torn by pride.� She figured out that she had to sew the tapestry that she cut in order to get her mother back. During this quest, Merida was able to think beyond the present and imagine the thoughts of her mother after giving an impromptu speech to calm down the lords. Merida was able to be influenced by logical principles and was just about to accept her fate in marrying one of the suitors when Elinor put a stop to it.
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Figure 8. [Untitled still of Merida defending Elinor]
ERIKSON: Identity vs. Role Confusion What to expect from this stage:
Observations of Merida:
There is a search for the sense of self and personal identity. This is done through exploring personal values, beliefs and goals. This stage is a transition from childhood to adulthood as the child becomes more independent and starts looking to the future. There is a need to belong to a society and to fit in.
Merida struggles with her duties and responsibilities that come with being a princess and the heir to the throne. She says, “But every once in awhile, there’s a day when I don’t have to be a princess. No lessons, no expectations. A day where anything can happen. A day I can change my fate.” She struggles with her identity as being a princess and someone who wants to make her own decisions. Merida rebels and tries to “claim her own hand” but, eventually, she realizes she needs to do what is best for the kingdom.
(Perry, Hockenberry, Lowdermilk, & Wilson, 2014; Ward, 2014; McLeod, 2013-a)
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Figure 9. [Untitled still of Merida with her bow and horse]
KOHLBERG: Conventional Morality What to expect from this stage:
Observations of Merida:
Adolescents substitute their own sets of morals and values in order to gain autonomy from adults. In this level, the moral standards of valued adult role models are beginning to be internalized.
Merida struggles with the expectations and demands of her mother and tension in the relationship continues to grow. Initially, she felt that it was okay to change her mother, in order to change her fate, because it suited her own needs. However, Merida starts to realize the importance of her position in society as well as the lessons from her mother when she tells the story of the kingdom to the lords and says, “Legends are lessons, they ring with truths. Our kingdom is young. Our stories are not yet legends but, in them, our bonds were struck. Our clans were once enemies but, when we were threatened from the North, you joined together to defend our lands. You fought for each other. You risked everything for each other.� Merida realizes that kingdom is successful because of the unity of the clans and finally starts to understand the reasons for the expectations of her position as princess.
-Good Interpersonal Relationships: decisions are based on the goodness of motivation as well as what other people expect. -Maintaining Social Order: decisions are based on the needs of society. (Perry, Hockenberry, Lowdermilk, & Wilson, 2014; Ward, 2014; McLeod, 2013-b)
Figure 10. [Untitled still of Merida talking to the lords]
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NUTRITION STATUS EXPECTED STATUS -Rapid, extensive increase in height, weight, muscle mass accompanied by increased nutritional environment. -Caloric and protein requirements peak; sensitive to caloric restrictions -Caloric intake based on level of activity. -Balanced diet of fruits, grains, protein, vegetables, and dairy products. -Total daily fat intake of 25%-30% of estimated energy requirements; reduce saturated fat and avoid trans fat. -Dietary fiber 26 grams/day -3 meals/day -Increase in the need for calcium, iron, and zinc.
OBSERVED STATUS Merida eats, for the most part, meals that are prepared at the castle and consist of whole foods. She is seen eating an apple and her mother complains about the amount of food on Merida’s plate at the table. She does enjoy desserts that seem to be mainly pastry based. However, Merida is able to prepare her own meals while she is out in the countryside, as can be seen when she caught and prepared fish and foraged for berries. Merida has a slender body frame, is athletic and able to endure long horse rides so, from a nutrition standpoint, it appears Merida eats as it fits her needs without overindulging or under eating.
(Perry, Hockenberry, Lowdermilk, & Wilson, 2014)
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Figure 11. [Untitled still of Merida fishing]
OREM’S SELF CARE REQUISITES FEELINGS: Merida feels as though she has her whole life planned out for her. She also feels that her mother is only preparing her to be exactly like her mother and not allowed to make any decisions on her own. Merida explodes with frustration and anger when she says that she would rather die than be like her mother and then cuts the tapestry depicting the family. Figure 12. [Untitled still of Merida ripping the tapestry]
SEX AND SEXUALITY: When Merida was told about her betrothal, she feels as though she is not ready to get married and that she may
She shows no further interest in the opposite sex. not ever be ready.
DRUG/ALCOHOL USE: Merida is not seen as partaking in drug or alcohol use or showing any interest. BODY IMAGE: Merida care for the new dress that her mother made for her, claiming that it is too tight. She seems to favor comfort and/or functionality over her looks, especially as it pertains to being able to shoot her bow. When Merida rebelled and stated that she would shoot for her own hand, Merida ripped her dress in order to get the shot.
FAMILY AND FRIENDS: Merida appears to have a stronger relationship with her father. He is more permissive with Merida and allows her to do things that Queen Elinor considers not appropriate for ladies, such as archery. Merida and her mother, Queen Elinor, start out having a tense relationship as Elinor tends to take the authoritative approach in parenting. However, both Merida and her mother start to see the other’s perspective and end up making a shared decision in regards to Merida’s betrothal. Merida see’s her triplet brother as “wee devils.”
Figure 13. [Untitled still of Merida sitting uncomfortably in her dress]
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SPECIFIC AREAS OF CONCERN NUTRITION: Merida may experience pressure from time and commitments, which may then affect her eating habits. She may try to miss a meal or grab food that is not as nutritious as other choices, such as pastries. Some behaviors to promote would be to make sure Merida eats breakfast daily, have frequent family meals and limit portion sizes (Perry, Hockenberry, Lowdermilk, & Wilson, 2014).
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT At 16, Merida is likely to have started her menses but it is still important for her to have sexuality education about normal body functions in a straightforward manner. Many girls at the age may have heard myths and illogical beliefs so it is important for Merida to learn about reproduction, especially if she is to be married (Perry, Hockenberry, Lowdermilk, & Wilson, 2014).
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT: During adolescence, parents and the teenager are often confused about how to deal with behavior changes. Teenagers are trying to become independent, as Merida is, and parents need to learn to understand that there are changes happening, accept their child as becoming an individual but also setting clear boundaries that promote independence as well as safety (Perry, Hockenberry, Lowdermilk, & Wilson, 2014).
SAFETY TEACHING: Injury prevention is an important area for concern with Merida due to her interests in archery, sword fighting, and horseback riding. In adolescence, teenagers tend to feel indestructible and are prone to making risk-prone behaviors. Parents should teach Merida and continually reinforce the idea that bows and swords are weapons and how to safely use them (Perry, Hockenberry, Lowdermilk, & Wilson, 2014).
Figure 14. [Untitled still of Merida stuffing her gob]
Figure 15. [Untitled still of Merida’s suitors]
QSEN: SAFETY-- “Minimizes risk of harm to patients and providers through both system effectiveness and individual performance” (QSEN Institute, 2014). The nurse for Merida will need to be able to describe factors that promote safety. Skills that can help enhance this would be to communicate observations or concerns that are considered hazardous or in error to the patient, her family and the health care team. The use of error reporting and near misses are also important. This would help create a role that the nurse values in preventing errors (QSEN Institute, 2014). 10
REFERENCES Kaakinen, J., Coelho, D., Steel, R., Tabacco, A., & Hanson, S. (2015). Family health Care nursing: Theory, practice and research (5th ed.). F.A. Davis: Philadelphia. McLeod, S. A. (2013-a). Erik Erikson. Retrieved from www.simplypsychology.org/Erik-Erikson.html McLeod, S. A. (2013-b). Kohlberg. Retrieved from www.simplypsychology.org/kohlberg.html Perry, S., Hockenberry, M., Lowdermilk, D., & 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/#informatics Sarafian, K. (Producer), Andrews, M. (Director), & Chapman, B. (Director). (2012). Brave [Motion picture]. United States: Pixar Animation Studios. [Untitled still of Merida standing with bow]. Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1217209/mediaviewer/rm1915624960 [Untitled still of Merida with a wisp]. Retrieved from http://movies.disney.com/brave-gallery? [Untitled still of Merida at family table]. Retrieved from http://movies.disney.com/brave-gallery? [Untitled still of Merida looking at her horse]. Retrieved from http://movies.disney.com/brave-gallery? [Untitled still of Merida at the Fire Falls]. Retrieved from http://movies.disney.com/brave-gallery? [Untitled still of Merida shooting her bow]. Retrieved from http://movies.disney.com/brave-gallery? [Untitled still of Merida jumping]. Retrieved from http://movies.disney.com/brave-gallery? [Untitled still of Merida defending Elinor]. Retrieved from http://movies.disney.com/brave-gallery? [Untitled still of Merida with her bow and horse]. Retrieved from http://movies.disney.com/brave-gallery? [Untitled still of Merida talking to the lords]. Retrieved from http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Merida [Untitled still of Merida fishing]. Retrieved from http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Merida [Untitled still of Merida ripping the tapestry]. Retrieved from http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Merida [Untitled still of Merida sitting uncomfortably in her new dress]. Retrieved from https://gracelessreflections.wordpress.com/2013/05/16/princess-merida-and-disneys-brutal-commercializat ion/ [Untitled still of Merida stuffing her gob]. Retrieved from http://www.moviequotesandmore.com/brave-movie-quotes/ [Untitled still of Merida’s suitors]. Retrieved from http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/disney-princess/answers/show/451048/merida-joins-disney-princess-line-upwho-think-will-disney-prince Ward, S. L. (2014). Pediatric nursing care: Best evidence-based practices. Philadelphia, PA: F. A. Davis Company.
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