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Emotional And Intellectual Development Levels

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The difference in emotional and intellectual development levels can be seen in Chris when he often acts like a child despite having a college diploma. When Chris gets his job at the McDonalds he makes a clear effort to show that his managers, or anyone else, do not have power over him. McDonalds requires that all its employees wear socks to work; this proves problematic as Chris abhors wearing socks and gets into an argument with a manger over the issue. While he does eventually succumb to the policy, he makes a clear effort to show that the power his managers have over him is conditional. ”Kind of like a statement, to let us know we didn’t own him, I guess.” Krakauer notes that as soon as his shift ends, the first thing he would do is…show more content…
“Chris was a high achiever.” It is very common that the eldest child in dysfunctional family is all-around stud and Chris was no exception. He was an excellent student and served as a captain on his high school track team, eventually leading them to many championships. The oldest child often usurps the role of the parent when there is a lack of parenting. Krakauer points out that whenever Billie and Walt got into an argument, Chris would try to get Carine as far away as possible to protect her from the chaos. By sheltering Carine, Chris is essentially taking care of his sister like a parent would. Furthermore Chris did his best to hide the issues of his family and was characterized as charismatic among many that knew him. With the traits of the oldest child in a dysfunctional family in mind it is evident that Chris was raised in a dysfunctional family with an authoritarian parent as he exemplifies all the subsequent traits. When compared to the McCandless family, my family is slightly similar in that my parents, like Walt and Billie, came from poor families and worked very hard early in their life to improve their economic standing. Also, my parents have always inspired me to excel academically and have recognized the value of a college education. Despite these similarities, there are some distinctive differences. For example, while my parents do push me to get good grades they have never instilled that “perfectionist mentality” that is evident in the
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