Ms. Kay’s Life Story - PowerPoint Presentation

Ms. Kay’s Life Story

Key McKenzie Mrs. McKenzie is a 80 year old women born on February, 6, 1936. She was born an raise in Atlanta, Georgia and briefly lived in Hollywood, Florida. She moved to North Carolina years ago to be closer to her children after her husband passed away. She currently lives at Homestead Hills along with her daughter Katherine.

How Historical Events Affected Her Life. World War II was an impactful event in the life of Kay. Her father had to join the Navy and her family had to relocate to Hollywood, Florida. She remembers not having butter due to the rationing of the war and buying saving stamps as a young child to support the war effort. The 1996 Atlanta Paralympics also made an impact in her life. She was the coordinator for the opening and closing ceremony, she stated “I felt like the lord put me there”. This event made an impact on her life since years later her daughter had a brain tumor and was faced with disabilities. Mrs. McKenzie was part of many projects that helped d evelopment the city of Atlanta. Kay’s Father

Identity Vs. Role Confusion: 12 to 18 years-old The fifth stage in Erikson’s development is known as Identity vs. Role Confusion . This is an important shift from childhood to adulthood and aids in setting up independent habits, future career endeavors, and where one finds where they fit into society. Mrs. Kay spent most of her childhood in Atlanta, Georgia before her father joined the war efforts in WW2 ultimately moving the family of 6 to Hollywood, Florida and Washington, D.C. After moving back to Atlanta she, along with the rest of her family, moved in with her grandparents which she recalls fond memories of. Around 18 she attended Sweet Briar College in Sweet Briar, Virginia until the end of her freshmen year. At the end of her freshmen year after arriving home she suddenly developed a high-temperature along with aching pains in her joints. She was admitted to the hospital where she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. Her doctor was able to place her in an experimental program where the NIH was testing the first synthetic cortisol which meant she could no longer attend Sweet Briar due to the extensive about of testing being performed every week. She then attended Emory University for a year before having another attack of what was believed to be RA ultimately causing her to postpone her education . According to Erikson success in this stage is the virtue of fidelity in which one eventually “grows into” change that is being forced upon them. Mrs. Kay best exemplifies a sense of identity and fidelity by adapting to the changes around her and although she was unable to revisit Sweet Briar and Emory she took charge and found what she wanted to do instead and found out who she wanted to be in the process.

Intimacy vs. Isolation:19 to 40 years old Major concepts center on forming intimate loving relationships with others At this point the person faces the developmental conflict of intimacy by developing close, committed relationships with others with a major focus on romantic relationships. People that are successful in resolving this conflict are able to have deep, meaningful relationships in life. Examples are strong relationships with family and close friends. And/or lasting romantic relationship. Those who struggle to form intimate relationships can be left feeling lonely and isolated and are more likely to suffer emotionally. Basic virtue is love with a major question being “Will I be loved or will I be alone ?” Mrs. Kay McKenzie met intimacy to the fullest in stage 6She met her husband, Harold C. McKenzie Jr., through her mom’s best friend. They were engaged as of January 18, 1958 and married on April 11th that same year. It was said that he was very intelligent, a high profile lawyer, and had a “cute sense of humor”What was most impressive is that he supported all of Mrs. Kay’s endeavor's, which was rare in the 60’s. Mrs. Kay said he was supportive and very loving. He coached Mrs. Kay for the LSAT, which she passed. It would be a huge commitment if she went to law school and she would not be able to be with her children as she had before. Her husband told her he would support her and they would make it work if that was what she wanted to do, she declined but moved on to other major jobs. This shows a true supportive and loving relationship during this stage. Growing up Mrs. Kay has 3 girls living next door to her and they all remained good friends throughout her life, as she met the conflict of having close and meaningful relations. Kay’s Husband

Intimacy vs. Isolation Mrs. Kay looked up to her father as a role model, she said he was the best businessman, he was not affectionate but still supportive. She also had a good relationship with her mother between ages 19-40 and kept in touch, she said she was “fun yet stern”. She maintained strong relationships with all 3 children, Katherine the middle child, lives with her. Katherine said “she and her mother are most alike personality wise.” Living together has created an even closer bond for the mother and child.Mrs. Kay said she was very different from her older brother, but that they still saw each other and kept in touch during her younger adulthoodOverall Mrs. Kay made many deep and personal relationships over her lifespan, focusing on ages 19-40. She overcame the biggest conflict of stage 6 , by having had a long lasting romantic relationship with her husband, while continuing to be close and have support her parents, siblings despite the differences, and childhood friends. She also made very influential friends throughout her career and a very good friend even asked her to plan the open and closing of the first Special Olympics in 1996, which she completed. All leading to meaningful, strong relation with others. Collection of her father’s speeches

Intimacy vs. Isolation: Community and Family ties Throughout stage 6 a positive outcome and strength that was very prevalent with Mrs. Kay was community and family ties.She was involved through her entire young adult life in volunteer and community government works. Friends of the River was one program she headed for many years that led her to positive community ties. She kept Chattahoochee River clean, benefiting the community. She was president at McKenzie and Associates which promoted marketing and public relations throughout the community, creating a positive relationships between the community and herself. She also formed many strong relationships with those she worked with in her community programs and government work, she did this for years and received many acknowledgement for the work she had done, including regards from Jimmy Carter . All of these endeavors were supported by her parents and husband family ties who helped her lead the way with advice and at times financially. The community supported her as well and appreciated her work, as shown by the many awards she has received. Jimmy Carter & Kay

Generativity Vs. Stagnation: 40 to 65 years old In this Erikson's stage, Generativity plays an important role in a person’s live. Career and work are the most important things at this stage, along with family. Wanting to make a difference in society is usually a goal to achieve in this stage. During this stage Mrs. McKenzie had already established a family whom she prioritized above all. Despite her acceptance to law school, she decided to not go to school in order to focus on her family whom she felt needed her at this point in time. She also wanted to make a difference in the state of Georgia by running for senator and being part of different committees to better her community such as the Georgia Clean and Beautiful Commission , which was the first program in the USA to institute a statewide effort that aimed to improve the physical quality of life for its citizens. One of Kay’s many strengths is her sense of commitment. Everything she set her mind to she achieved by committing herself to it and not giving up until the work was done. She volunteer for many causes without pay or expecting anything in return. She is a very giving person and had a life fulfill with love from her community, friends, and family.

Ego Integrity Vs. Despair: 65+ years old At age 80, Mrs. Kay McKenzie divulged to our group that she has indeed had a “phenomenal life.” We couldn’t disagree one bit. In addition to her early positive outcomes of cleaning up the Chattahoochee River, promoting the Paralympic Games of 1996, and raising three successful children; she continues to help those around her by supporting a movement for more public walkways throughout the Homestead Hills community. She has also stayed involved in politics, a personal passion, by volunteering for the Hillary Clinton campaign this year.She is involved in the lives of her children (lives with one daughter and regularly sees the other two) and the lives of her grandchildren, a few of whom are entering the job market in their young adulthood. She has also been the major support person for her daughter, Catherine, who experienced a life threatening brain tumor and stroke followed by a divorce in the mid 2000s. They now reside together at Homestead Hills. Mentally and emotionally Mrs. McKenzie feels completely content and fulfilled, however, her physical struggles remain as she suffers from Multiple Systems Atrophy (MSA). This disorder, which was first misdiagnosed as Parkinson’s Disease, has varying effects on her muscular function and has also begun to affect her digestive system. MSA has forced her to stop driving and often leaves her fatigued when completing daily tasks. Despite the debilitations associated with MSA, Mrs. McKenzie remains stubborn to live life to the max through the family, friends and resources she is surrounded by. The basic virtue of this Erikson stage is “wisdom.” Furthermore, when it comes to Mrs. McKenzie, we could not have met a better person to advise us going forward in life. * Words of wisdom from Mrs. Kay: “When a door cracks, walk through it.”

Vital Logs *First Visit (Monday September 26)(1:30pm – 3:30pm) Interview performed with all group members present.Mrs. McKenzie answered many questions about her life, personality, and family.*Second Visit (Sunday October 2nd)(2pm-4:30pm)Mack visited Mrs. McKenzie to gather information on her family for the genogram. * Third Visit (Monday October 3rd)(2pm-3pm) Mack stopped by one last time to help Mrs. McKenzie go through drawers for memorabilia, pictures, and articles to add to the PowerPoint.

References American Psychological Association (2010). Publication manual of the American psychological association (6th ed.). Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association. Kanu, A. (Jan 1 2012). “Usefulness and Efficacy of Genograms” Articlesbase . Retrieved October 7, 2016 from: http :// www.articlesbase.com/genealogy- articles/usefulness-and-efficacy-of-genograms-5533868.html Shiraev , E., & Levy, D. A. (2010). Cross-cultural psychology: Critical thinking and contemporary applications. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Toughy, T. and Jett, K. (2009). Geriatric nursing & healthy aging. (4th ed.) St. Louis: Mosby.