Teenage Motherhood: An Analysis of an Oral Diary

The following is an analysis of a 1996 oral diary by Melissa Rodriguez, a teenage mother in New Haven Connecticut. The analysis will investigate the different theories relevant to relevant to Melissa's story; as well as the many development conceptual issues involved.

At the time of the publication of "Teen Mom," Melissa Rodriquez was eighteen years old and eight months pregnant; residing in the city of New Haven, Connecticut. Melissa in Puerto Rican and was receiving assistance by the Connecticut State Department of Children and Families; she was a ward of the state.

Melissa receives free rent and financial assistance, suggesting she is living in a high poverty area with limited income. This situation suggests that the decisions she is making are influences by her surroundings (Microsystems) and culture (Macrosystems), as suggested with the ecological theory (Maricopa.edu, 2006). "Ethnic and social class influence the development of adolescents. Poverty, for example, can increase the stress among ethnic minorities (2006)". This is further demonstrated by Melissa's description of her childhood. As a former foster child she had spent the majority of her childhood in group homes, with foster families and in residential homes; totaling twenty different homes in all. This also suggests a lack of stability and constant change for Melissa, giving her feelings of mistrust and possibly doubt in her own identity.

The teen's own mother is not discussed in detail; the listener is told that Melissa's mother was eighteen when pregnant with Melissa and was still alive at the time of the recording of "Teen Mom." however they have a very distant relationship. Melissa sounds upset when reminiscing over a picture taken with her mother seventeen years prior. She discusses how she looks like her mother, and describes her mother as being very pretty. After her child is born, it becomes evident that the mother does not wish to be involved in Melissa's life; the mother's phone number was changed to a non-published phone number. A tone of disappointment is heard in Melissa's voice. Melissa's lack of a consistent and reliable maternal figure causes her obvious pain and doubt in her own abilities to be a mother as described in the remaining report. "A lone individual is vulnerable not only to physical threats but also to social influence that can cultivate new ways of thinking, while undermining his or her existing opinions, values, and commitments to action (Vallacher, n.d.)".

Melissa discusses her pregnancy and the circumstances involved. She expresses feelings of just starting to getting her life together when she becomes pregnant, and a feeling of not having anything settled. She is not married or serious with the soon-to-be father of her baby. However she does express anger upon discovering that he had been unfaithful to her. She finds this out when learning that she had contracted an STD from him. The boyfriend is not discussed for the remainder of the diary after Melissa confronts him on his actions. Melissa also talks about options she considered when first finding out she was pregnant. She had considered abortion briefly, but did not choose that option because she felt it was "like killing a human being". Adoption is something she does not believe in because of her own past experiences as a foster child. The listener accompanies Melissa to a prenatal visit where she talks of lying to the doctor about her nutritional diet. She also reveals to the listener that she was in a state of denial about her pregnancy, even up to the day she first heard the baby's heartbeat, and even then it was difficult for her to accept.

Melissa is describing a lack of solid identity. The above summary describes a girl who is having an inner tug-a-war, where she has no real grounding in which to make good judgments. As noted;

Among the various developmental tasks involved in the transition from adolescence to adulthood are the acquisition of adaptive social and psychological capacities, skills, values and habits which facilitate the adolescent's movement into, and adequate performance in, culturally appropriate adult roles (Inkeles, Leiderman,).

All but one of Melissa's friends has children. She expresses feelings of being different from her friends in regards to children. She feels her friends have children in order have someone to belong to them, someone who will always love them. Melissa on the other hand, seems like her pregnancy is an inconvenience which will have to be worked around. Melissa speaks of her plans for the near future, of not giving up the "party girl" lifestyle; but cutting it down to one day a week versus five. This "party girl" is very unrealistic of the responsibilities that lie ahead once her baby is born. Melissa is looking for that attachment that she should have had with her mother growing up. There is a missed step in her development process.

The reoccurring theme in Melissa's diary is that of misplacement, of not belonging to anyone group or idea. Melissa was not able to develop emotionally as she should have due to her upbringing; which was very inconsistent and emotionally stressful. Melissa had few connections to stable people, she was a ward of the state, and as such, was forced to move from home to home. As Melissa says when remembering her days in foster homes, "this family is not even mine".

By getting pregnant as a teenager, just as her mother did, Melissa a displaying a "vicious cycle" (Walker, n.d.). As Walker describes, people with low expectancies of themselves and others will not try to succeed and will most likely fail.

Pregnancy at any age generates developmental change, but in a teenager it can create a developmental crisis. When the stress of two developmental stages, adolescence and young adulthood are compressed, successful completion of both sets of tasks is compromised. Failure to accomplish the developmental tasks at hand not only places the teen at risk for further developmental difficulties, but places the children of teens at biological, social, and psychological risk (Rodriguez & Moore, 1995, p.685).

Once Melissa has the baby and brings him home, she talks of her exhaustion and frustration with getting up in the middle of the night to feed him. However she also expresses her feeling of being important, of the baby needing her and of having someone that belongs to her. Ironically, she expresses feelings similar to that of her friends.

Melissa has developed the way most adolescents would when in a stable environment with at least one supportive parental figure. Melissa was left to grow up basically on her own and missed many developmental building blocks which would have helped her in making the right decisions for herself. One psychologist suggests that "the parent relinquishes control step by step, and retains a secure attachment or connectedness to the teen, which will promote more competent relationships for the adolescent later in life (maricopa.edu, 2006)."

While listening to this oral diary, it becomes apparent that this child, who has now had a child of her own, was not equipped mentally for a pregnancy at such a young age; and by the end of the entry, although happy, showed a moment of realization that she was being forced into adulthood. The entire diary entry was full of Melissa's uncertainty, demonstrating the developmental theory. This child was not given an opportunity to go through the developing stages from child to adolescent to young adult; this could explain her irresponsibility in becoming pregnant at a young and ill-prepared time.

References

Inkeles, A., & Leiderman, H. (1998). An Approach to the Study of Psychosocial Maturity: The Development of a Cross-National Scale for Adolescents. International Journal of Comparative Sociology, 39(1), 52+. Retrieved December 7, 2006, from Questia database: http://questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5001335546

Maricopa Community Colleges, (2006). Transition to Adolescence: Introduction. Retrieved December 02, 2006 from: http://www.mc.maricopa.edu/dept/d46/psy/dev/adolescence/index.html

Rodriguez, C., & Moore, N. B. (1995). Perceptions of Pregnant/parenting Teens: Reframing Issues for an Integrated Approach to Pregnancy Problems. Adolescence, 30(119), 685+. Retrieved December 7, 2006, from Questia database: http://questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5000337276

Vallacher, R.R. (n.d.). Stability and Change in Social Structure. Florida Atlantic University. Retrieved December 07, 2006 from: http://www.thefederationonline.org/events/Briefings/2006_SPSP_DHS/SPSP_VallacherStructure_Sum.pdf

Transcript

http://www.radiodiaries.org/teenagediaries.html