Case Study:

Ralphie Parker from "A Christmas Story"

First M. Lastname

PSY 241

Mr. Wolf

Month day, 200*

Abstract

Many theories have been developed over the years to explain the development of human beings and the manner in which both nature and nurture interact to influence the ways in which humans think, feel, and behave. These theories range from Freud and Erikson’s psychoanalytic models, to Piaget’s cognitive developmental stages, and Bandura’s social learning viewpoint. No one single theory can account for an explanation of the complexity of the human experience. Yet each one is important in helping us understand how humans grow and develop from infancy to adulthood. One of the best ways to aid in an understanding of these many theories is to apply them within the context of an actual person. This paper examines a fictional character, Ralphie Parker, who is based upon the real-life memoirs of author Jean Shepherd. In nine-year-old Ralphie can be seen many of the traits and characteristics ascribed to middle childhood by several developmental theorists.

Case Study:

Ralphie Parker from "A Christmas Story"

The Christmas season has rolled around and nine-year-old Ralphie Parker has but one desire on his wish list for Santa – a Daisy Red Ryder 200-shot Carbine Action BB Gun. However, many obstacles lie between Ralphie and the gun of his dreams since every adult from his mother to his teacher to the department store Santa attempt to dissuade him with the words, "you’ll shoot your eye out." The movie, "A Christmas Story" is based upon the writings of Jean Shepherd and his memoirs of growing up in Indiana during the 1940’s. The movie is as much about childhood itself, as it is about Christmas and BB guns. Ralphie deals with his daredevil friends, the neighborhood bully, a younger brother (Randy) who refuses to eat, a loving but over-protective mother, and a turkey-eating, furnace-battling, foul-mouthed father (who is still portrayed in a most positive light). We get a chance to revisit childhood through Ralphie’s kid’s-eye view of the world as we watch him scheme and maneuver to obtain his goal.

Ralphie’s age is clearly stated at the beginning of the movie so he is obviously in the developmental period of middle childhood. Although less research has been done on children in this age group than on preschoolers or adolescents, it remains a significant time of life with major cognitive advances that will eventually affect adolescent and adult experiences (Bee & Boyd, 2003). Cognitive development is aided when children of this age are posed with the notion of finding solutions to problems and explaining and elaborating upon those solutions. Middle childhood is also a time of growth in the area of social skills, which involves how children behave towards adults and to each other (Schickedanz, et al., 2001). Ralphie’s key problem in the movie revolves around how he is going to obtain the gun against the wishes of so many adults, and the comedic results are his multiple trial-and-error attempts to generate solutions to what he describes as the "impenetrable BB gun web." Ralphie also understands that there are certain social rules for dealing with the adults in his life that are poles apart from the manner in which he interacts with friends his own age. A charming example of this occurs when Ralphie observes his friend, Schwartz, delivering a challenge to another friend, Flick. By going straight from the double dog dare to the triple dog dare (and bypassing the triple dare you) Ralphie states that Schwartz has committed a "major breach of etiquette."

Ralphie can be categorized as being in Piaget’s concrete operational stage, the third of Piaget’s four major periods of cognitive development. According to Piaget, the inborn ability to adapt to the environment is at the center of intelligent behavior. He believed cognitive development occurs in a series of stages with the child developing a new way of thinking and responding to the environment at each stage. Although the timing differs among individuals, Piaget believed that everyone goes through the same stages in the same order. In Piaget’s theory, a person deals with new information by means of adaptation, which involves two steps: assimilation and accommodation. Assimilation is the incorporation of new information into an existing cognitive structure, while accommodation involves change in an existing cognitive structure to include new information (Papalia & Olds, 1998).

According to Piaget, children are in the concrete operational stage from approximately ages seven to twelve. During this stage, they begin to demonstrate the beginnings of the capacity for adult logic. For the most part, though, their thought processes (operations) involve tangible objects and not abstract ideas, which is why their thinking is referred to as concrete (Etaugh & Rathus, 1995). In this context, however, the word concrete does not refer to items that can be physically touched, felt, or handled, but, to problems related to identifiable objects that can be directly perceived or imagined (Morrison, 1990). The cognitive changes of the concrete operational period allow children to plan and solve problems using their thinking and reasoning skills, which are more logical and organized than before. Concrete operational children are also less egocentric and are now able to view the world and themselves from the perspective of others. They realize that different situations and different values can cause people to see things in a different way (Ethaugh & Rathus, 1995).

Ralphie certainly demonstrates his problem-solving and reasoning skills as he schemes to obtain the much desired BB gun. He slips a Red Ryder ad between the pages of his mother’s Look magazine, informs his father that there have been grizzly bear sightings in the neighborhood, and works feverishly on a "What I Want for Christmas" writing assignment in order to plead his case with the teacher (along with a fruit basket bribe). In a last ditch effort to solve his dilemma, he even resorts to waiting in an endless line to see Santa. As Ralphie puts it, most kids his age "were scoffers. But right before zero-hour, it did not pay to take chances." Ralphie engages in all of these shenanigans because, as a concrete operational child, he does recognize that others (i.e. adults) view the world differently. He recognizes that his dreams of BB gun adventures are being thwarted by the grown-up view that he will invariable put his eye out. While he does not agree with this viewpoint, he understands it and does everything within his power to work around it.

Ralphie’s behavior in "A Christmas Story" can also be discussed using other developmental concepts of middle childhood. In addition to his four-stage theory of cognitive development, Piaget also identified two stages of moral development typical of children in elementary grades. Children through the 1^st and 2^nd grades are in the stage of heteronomy (or moral realism) in which the concept of right or wrong is determined solely by adult judgment. As a child matures, his thinking on moral issues changes to that of autonomy (or moral relativism) in which one is governed by oneself regarding acceptable behavior (Morrison, 1990). By this stage, children have come to realize that violators are only punished if they get caught. Ralphie and his fellow students are plainly in Piaget’s stage two of moral development. When Flick gets his tongue stuck on a frozen metal pole (due to the triple dog dare) the teacher demands to know the responsible party and delivers a guilt-inducing lecture. However, no one in the class snitches because in Ralphie’s words, "kids know its darn better not to get caught."

Freud’s concept of the latency period of middle childhood involves the suppression of sexual urges and the development of social skills. Children in this stage act as though the opposite sex does not exist and this is demonstrated throughout the movie. Except for his mother and his teacher, Ralphie never mentions or interacts with members of the opposite sex in any way. The only girls visible in the movie are either classmates or bystanders, which show that females are definitely on the periphery of Ralphie’s universe.

School-aged children also exhibit the concept of selective attention in which they can focus on relevant information for the task at hand and screen out distractions, a feat that preschool-aged children find almost impossible (Frost, Wortham, & Reifel, 2001). When Ralphie receives his long-awaited-for Little Orphan Annie decoder ring in the mail, he cannot wait to decipher Annie’s secret message delivered at the end of her radio program. The only location in his house that is private enough to engage in such a clandestine operation is the bathroom. Ralphie displays his selective attention when he is able to focus on his "mission" despite Randy’s incessant pounding on the bathroom door and his mother’s screams to "let him in, this instant!" (Unfortunately for Ralphie, the secret message turns out to be nothing more than a commercial for Ovaltine.)

Certainly not to be overlooked is Erikson’s idea of the middle childhood stage of industry vs. inferiority. According to Erikson, the primary psychosocial task of six- to twelve-year-olds is industry development or the willingness to work in order to accomplish goals. Like Freud, he also believed that sexual desires are latent during this period as the child actively engages in play, which Erikson called "the work of childhood" (Morrison, 1990). As stated previously, Ralphie repeatedly demonstrates the concept of industry in working towards his goal of the BB gun. Ralphie takes his playing very seriously as he dreams of the adventures he will have with the gun that even include defending his family from an attack by "Black Bart" and his gang. He refers to the Red Ryder as the "holy grail of gifts" and alludes to Christmas (and the toys that come along with it) as the event "around which the entire kid year revolved."

Friendship development in children occurs in five stages of overlapping development according to Robert Selman. Stage two (ages six to twelve) involves the concept of two-way, fair weather cooperation (Morrison, 1990). Ralphie and friends are more than willing to support Flick as he takes the triple dog dare to stick his tongue to the frozen metal pole, and stand in wondered awe as he is unable to disengage himself. But when recess is over and the threat or possible repercussion looms, they all head back to the classroom. As the hapless Flick screams not to be left behind, Ralphie shrugs and offers his only explanation, "but the bell rang."

Although "A Christmas Story" takes place during the 1940’s and many of the depictions seem quaint by today standards, it also demonstrates that many of the developmental theories and concepts developed years ago have a timeless quality that can still be applied to children of today. Piaget’s view of the concrete operational child can be seen in Ralphie as he utilizes his growing cognitive abilities to pursue his goal of the BB gun (which, incidentally, he does finally obtain). Ralphie can also be viewed from the concept of Piaget’s second stage of moral development, Freud’s latency stage of psychosexual development, Erikson’s fourth stage of psychosocial development (industry vs. inferiority), Selman’s second stage of friendship development, and the idea of selective attention in school-aged children. All of these theories and concepts point to the fact that Ralphie is squarely in the middle of childhood and, despite his many misadventures, is progressing through it at a normal pace.

References

Bee, H. & Boyd D. (2003). Lifespan Development (3^rd ed.). Boston: Allyn

and Bacon.

Etaugh, C. & Rathus, S.A. (1995). The World of Children. New York: Harcourt

Brace.

Frost, J.L., Wortham, S., & Reifel, S. (2001). Play and Child Development.

Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Merrill Prentice Hall.

Morrison, G. (1990). The World of Child Development: Conception to
Adolescence. Albany: Delmar.

Papalia, D.E. & Olds, S.W. (1998). Human Development (7^th ed.). Boston:

McGraw Hill.

Schickedanz, J.A., Schickedanz, D.I., Forsyth, P.D. & Forsyth, G.A. (2001).

Understanding Children and Adolescents (4^th ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

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Case study of a Middle Aged Female (click on hyperlink to view)  thanks, EP!