Childhood: The Case Of Terri Smith

The case of Terri Smith describes the difficulties three-year-old Terri’s parents, Joan and Michael Smith, experience while trying to discipline and help resolve Terri’s behavioral challenges. Terri hits and takes toys from other children at her preschool, refuses to listen to teachers, throws tantrums when she doesn’t get her way, screams, throws things at Joan and Michael, and runs away when trying to be put in timeout. Due to the severity of Terri not listening, Joan and Michael often let Terri have her way in the end rather than telling her “no” or trying to discipline her through her tantrums. This solution has resulted in Terri not understanding that her actions are not okay and has affected the preschool, home, and family environments around her. As Terri grows older, she may have difficulties developing
and a tendency to be impulsive, rebellious, and bossy” (Hutchinson & Charlesworth, 2022, p. 431). Terri may also struggle to develop a sense of worth, boundaries, values, and security. This is because by not teaching Terri boundaries, disciplining her, and allowing her to have her way, she won’t feel that people care what she does, that her actions don’t matter to others, and have some self-doubt. She may also feel incompetent in her own potential or that she doesn’t need to strive to do well, leaving a void of self-motivation. She may also develop a strong ego due to the tendency of her parents to cave to her tantrums and not provide consequences for her actions. Her self-esteem may also be influenced by her impulse control and lack of respect for authority, which can lead to feelings of shame and insecurity when confronted about it. If Terri keeps behaving how she is in public, her parents may receive comments about how Terri is acting due to societal expectations. During early childhood, society expects that all children should be able to regulate their