Empathy Map for boy I’ve nannied for 3 years
Brian* is a 10 year old boy who resides in Northwest Austin with his parents and 13 year old brother. His family is affluent, his father a VP and his mother a consultant, which reflects his lifestyle. His favorite sports are golf, baseball, and football he is one of the top golfers in his age group in Texas. Brian has traveled extensively, including trips to Turkey, Switzerland, Singapore, Mexico and more. Keeping up with the 5th grade fashion trends is important to him. He is very involved with technology and has a computer and iPad (both shared with his brother) as well as an iPhone and iPod. His exposure to social media has been limited in the past but recently expanded to include instagram.
1. In Brian’s life, what really counts is his family and sports. While he is not prone to show his feelings towards his family often, when he does, he is very sweet and caring. Considering the role that sports play in his life, he puts a lot of pressure on himself to excel. If a game or tournament does go well for him, it is common for him to lose his temper and throw a fit. Poor performances in sports activities can cause him to change his character for the worse and negatively affect how he views himself. He aspires to playing professional golf but has a reasonable goal of playing for a Division I university. His worries are very limited due to the fact that he is so well taken care of by his parents. Brian tends to get what he wants from his parents and they provide for him well. He does worry about fitting in with his friends at school and can act out in class in order to gain attention from his peers. He also worries about what clothes to wear and has expensive golf shirts and wears Oakley sunglasses.
2. Brian, having grown up in a nice area near Lake Travis, with quick access to the city life of Austin has a relatively jaded view of the world. He most often sees easy, suburban living where people are friendly and have luxury items. All of his friends are from similar backgrounds and they have many common interests. While he has traveled and seen poverty, he does not see how that applies to his own life. “The market” is his parents, from whom he sees an unending supply of money and support.
3. His attitude in public is generally pleasant and sociable. Brian knows how to respect authority when it comes to strangers, but is not as respectful to authority figures he knows well, such as his parents and his babysitters. He has many friends who he treats well but can be selfish in his interactions with them, preferring his own interests to theirs. He is a fun friend to have and has a positive, extremely outgoing personality. In the classroom setting, he is the class clown, consistently joking around and prone to making inappropriate comments. Brian cares about his appearance and spends time on his hair and selecting his clothes. Brand names are important to him.
4. Brian is used to hearing words of affirmations from those who surround him in relation to sports. When it comes to school, he often hears disappointment and encouragement to try harder in his classes and on his homework. While he realized school is important, his grades are not a priority and while he is intelligent, does not put forth much effort on assignments. He is frequently reprimanded by teachers for acting out in class and not paying attention. He is influenced by professional athletes and hears their stories and about their drive to get where they are now. Brian also hears positive reinforcement from his coaches and works hard to achieve that.
5. Brian has the fear of not fitting in and embarrassing himself in front of his friends and peers. He overcompensates by acting like he does not care about others opinions. As previously noted, he becomes frustrated when he does not perform well in sports. In addition, he is frustrated when he does not get way, particularly when that comes to finishing his homework assignments. His obstacles include, paying attention when he needs to and controlling his anger management issues. He fears that his improvement will not continue in golf and worries about potential injuries.
6. Brian wants the approval of his peers and recognition from his parents. He also has many material wants and expects to receive them. He needs to be taken care of and must rely on adults for support. Simple daily needs, such as food, can only be obtained through others efforts. He is even unable to provide transportation for himself. His measures of success revolve mostly around sports and how many friends he has. When he does well in a game, he considers himself more highly than when he does not. He faces obstacles of succeeding in school, especially as he transitions from elementary school to high school. Brian will have to overcome his lack of attention and drive in the classroom in order to succeed in his goal of becoming a college athlete.
*alias used
