| Course | NU 345 Health Assessment and Promotion Across the Life Span |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 5 |
| Paper type | Developmental theory application |
| Length | About 1,040 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Herzing University |
| Program | RN to BSN |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for NU 345 Unit 5
Identity Versus Role Confusion at 16: Applying Erikson's Theory to Assessment and Teaching for a Teenager With Type 1 Diabetes
Student Name
Department of Nursing, Herzing University
NU 345: Health Assessment and Promotion Across the Life Span
Instructor Name
February 17, 2026
Identity Versus Role Confusion at 16: Applying Erikson's Theory to Assessment and Teaching for a Teenager With Type 1 Diabetes
The Person
Kayla, a composite 16-year-old high school junior, has had type 1 diabetes since age 9. Her mother managed most of her care until last year, when Kayla took over her own insulin dosing. Her A1C has risen from 7.4% to 9.6% over 12 months. She came to the clinic for a routine diabetes visit with her mother, who said, "She knows what to do. She just doesn't do it." Kayla looked at her phone and said little. The nurse's task at this visit was to assess why her diabetes control had worsened and to teach in a way that might change it.
The Theory and Kayla's Stage
Erikson (1968) described adolescence as the stage of identity versus role confusion, in which the central task is to develop a coherent sense of who one is, separate from parents, across roles such as student, friend, and future adult. The stage is set by age; the task is not automatically achieved. A teenager may be working through it successfully, may have closed it early by adopting an identity chosen by others, or may be struggling with confusion about who she is. The question for assessment is therefore not only whether Kayla is 16, but how she is managing the task, and how diabetes fits into the identity she is building.
How the Theory Changed the Assessment
First, it changed who was in the room. Because separation from parents is central to the stage, the nurse spoke with Kayla alone for part of the visit, after explaining this to both of them as routine for all teenagers. Alone, Kayla was more talkative. Second, it changed the questions. Instead of starting with glucose logs, the nurse asked about Kayla's life: school, friends, activities, and plans. Kayla plays varsity soccer, wants to study marine biology, and has a close group of friends, only one of whom knows she has diabetes. Third, it changed what counted as a finding. Asked when she skips insulin, Kayla said: "At lunch. I don't want to do it in the cafeteria. Everyone would see." She also said she sometimes runs her glucose a little high before soccer games, because she is afraid of going low in front of her team.
Read through Erikson's framework, these are not careless behaviors. Kayla is trying to establish an identity as an athlete and a peer who is like her friends, and diabetes, managed visibly, threatens that identity. Her missed lunch doses and deliberate highs are ways of protecting who she wants to be.
Is Kayla Working Through the Task Successfully?
In most domains, yes: she has goals, friendships, and a developing sense of self. In the domain of diabetes, she has not yet integrated the condition into her identity. She manages it at home, in private, and hides it at school, which suggests that she sees it as separate from, or threatening to, the person she is becoming. Adolescents are also more influenced by peers and more sensitive to social reward than adults, which helps explain why the cafeteria and the soccer field are where her management breaks down (Steinberg, 2008).
How the Theory Changed the Teaching
The teaching plan starts from Kayla's identity rather than from the risks of high glucose, which she already knows. The nurse asked what she would need in order to take insulin at lunch without feeling exposed. Kayla suggested going to the school nurse's office at the start of lunch, and asked whether an insulin pump or a continuous glucose monitor would make dosing less visible; both options were discussed, and a referral to the diabetes educator was made to explore them. For soccer, the nurse and Kayla worked out a plan using her continuous glucose monitor, a pre-game snack, and a reduced dose, so that she could avoid lows without running high. Current pediatric diabetes guidance emphasizes gradual transfer of responsibility to adolescents with family support, and screening for psychosocial problems such as diabetes distress (American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee, 2024).
The theory also shaped the role of Kayla's mother. The nurse suggested that her mother move from checking every dose to a weekly review of glucose data with Kayla, which preserves support while respecting Kayla's need for independence. Kayla agreed to tell one more friend, her soccer co-captain, about her diabetes, so that someone on the team would know what to do if she went low.
Evaluating Whether the Approach Worked
The plan will be judged on outcomes that matter to Kayla as well as to her care team. At the three-month visit, the nurse will review her glucose data for lunch and pre-game periods specifically, since those were the times her management broke down, rather than looking only at her A1C, which changes slowly. Kayla will be asked whether taking insulin at the nurse's office has been workable, whether telling her co-captain changed how she feels on the field, and whether the weekly review with her mother feels like support or surveillance. If the lunch dose is still being missed, the next step is to revisit the options for less visible dosing rather than to repeat the risks of high glucose, which she already understands. Measured this way, success means diabetes fitting into the identity she is building, not diabetes competing with it.
The same framework will guide the transition planning that begins at 17 or 18, when she will move toward adult care and, possibly, leave home for college. That transition is another point where identity and self-management meet, and preparing for it early is part of supporting the developmental task rather than working around it.
What the Theory Does Not Explain
Erikson's theory explains why identity matters to Kayla's management, but it does not address other possible contributors that the nurse also assessed: depression, disordered eating, including deliberate insulin omission for weight control, which is more common in adolescent girls with type 1 diabetes, and family conflict. Kayla screened negative for depression and denied skipping insulin to lose weight; both will be rechecked at future visits, because a developmental explanation should not stop the nurse from looking for others.
References
American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee. (2024). 14. Children and adolescents: Standards of care in diabetes-2024. Diabetes Care, 47(Suppl. 1), S258-S281. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc24-S014
Erikson, E. H. (1968). Identity: Youth and crisis. W. W. Norton.
Steinberg, L. (2008). A social neuroscience perspective on adolescent risk-taking. Developmental Review, 28(1), 78-106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2007.08.002
Reading the NU 345 Unit 5 instructions
Unit 5 asks you to apply a developmental theory to the assessment and teaching of one person. Expect to describe the person, explain the theory and their stage, show how the theory changed your assessment, judge whether they are working through the stage, show how it changed your teaching, plan evaluation and note the theory's limits. Many versions ask how to show a theory was applied and what to do if the person does not fit the stage. Check which theory your section names. Application means the theory changed something you did, such as who was in the room. Criticizing the theory is appropriate when it misses something. Evaluation should include outcomes the person cares about, not only clinical numbers.
How this NU 345 Unit 5 example is built
The paper opens with Kayla and her diabetes history, including her mother's role. The theory section explains Erikson's adolescent stage and its central task. The assessment section shows two specific changes the theory produced, such as a private interview and questions about how diabetes fits her sense of self. The stage section judges her progress domain by domain. The teaching section starts from her goals and identity. The evaluation section sets outcomes such as time in range and her confidence managing alone at a tournament. The limits section names what Erikson's theory misses, including brain development research. Each change is explicit, so the grader can see the theory at work rather than only described.
NU 345 Unit 5 rubric: what full points look like
Herzing's rubric for a developmental theory application usually covers the description of the person, explanation of the theory, application to assessment, judgment of developmental progress, application to teaching, evaluation and critique. Application to assessment and teaching decides most of the grade, since graders want the theory to change specific nursing actions. Theory points reward an accurate account of the stage. Progress criteria look for evidence-based judgment. Evaluation earns credit for outcomes meaningful to the person. Critique points go to honest limits. Erikson's Identity: Youth and Crisis and the ADA's pediatric standards belong in the APA 7 list. The private part of the interview should be described along with how confidentiality was explained to the teen and parent.
Common NU 345 Unit 5 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Developmental papers in Unit 5 commonly lose points by describing the theory and then the person without connecting them. Another frequent problem is claiming the theory was applied without naming anything that changed. Students often skip judging whether the person is meeting the stage's task. Teaching starts from clinical risks rather than the person's goals. Evaluation uses only lab values. The theory's limits are ignored. Parents dominate the account of an adolescent. Finally, name the specific changes the theory produced, because graders reward concrete application, such as interviewing the teen alone, over general statements that the theory was considered. Another gap is evaluation that never asks the teen what success looks like to her.
Get a NU 345 Unit 5 example written to your instructions
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NU 345 Unit 5 questions, answered
How do I show a theory was applied?
Point at something it changed. What you would ask, how you would frame instruction, whether you would involve a partner or a parent, what you would avoid saying. If your assessment plan would be identical without the theory, it has been named rather than used, and that is what separates the two bands here.
What if my person does not fit the stage?
Examine the mismatch, because it is usually the most interesting part. Illness, caregiving, migration and loss all shift where somebody is working, and a fifty-year-old caring for a parent may be facing tasks the framework places elsewhere. Forcing the fit produces a weaker paper than describing the departure honestly.
Should I criticize the theory?
Acknowledge its limits at least. Most developmental frameworks were derived in particular populations and periods and describe a normative path that many lives do not follow. Noting that, briefly, and saying where it applies less well to your person shows you are using the theory as a tool rather than treating it as a description of how people must be.
Where can I find a free NU 345 Unit 5 sample paper?
The complete NU 345 Unit 5 Erikson and type 1 diabetes paper is posted here free, the theory applied to assessment, teaching and evaluation. A paper applying a different theory or stage can be prepared on request.
How does Erikson's theory apply to teenagers with diabetes?
In identity versus role confusion, teens are working out who they are and separating from parents. This sample uses that to interview a 16-year-old alone and build diabetes teaching around her identity as a soccer player.