Interview with a new-found relative
Interview questions were developed using Life Course Theory as the theoretical lens for human development. This theory will be tested against Johnny’s salient life experiences, specifically, four hypotheses: historical event influence, interdependent lives, the importance of control, and stability of behavior when confronted with a crisis (Newman & Newman, 2016). Life course theory names these five mechanisms as life stage principle, principle of interdependent lives, principle of control cycle, principle of situational imperative, and the accentuation principle (Newman & Newman, 2016). The interview took place on April 13, 2020 for 66 minutes with thirteen initial questions asked using Zoom, the video conference application. Ten follow-up questions were asked over the next five days via text messages.
Johnny Johnson is a 69 year old male, has no children, manages a construction company, has been with his partner for 46 years, lives in Studio City, California, and believes in a higher power but not necessarily organized religion. Johnny moved from Decatur, Illinois to Oklahoma when he was two years old. He remembers the sudden move across the country as unusual and believes the move led to his mother having a nervous breakdown after a couple of years. His parents divorced when he was around age 15, and began a career in show business, which included school plays, local theater, musicals, and shows in Dallas, Texas. His parents were unaware of his activities when a relative saw him on TV, square dancing for the Wanda Jackson show. Johnny moved from Oklahoma to Dallas, Texas for a brief period, and continued working on the Ida B. Show. In the fall of 1970, he moved to New York City to play a major role in Jesus Christ Superstar, which established his fame in the business. Significant life events occurred during this time period which included: meeting his life partner, friending Joni Mitchell, and moving to Los Angeles where he continues to live today. In Los Angeles, he continued to work in show business where he successfully gained long term employment with Mac Davis, and during this time period, Joni Mitchell’s son Marlin became a godson to Johnny. Johnny decided to leave show business in 2007 after a two year stomach related health issue changed his life trajectory. After a lifetime of suspicion regarding the identity of his biological father, Johnny submitted DNA to Ancestry and discovered his doubts were correct; the father that raised Johnny did not share his DNA. Although not unusual to his biological father’s family, Johnny’s musical and artistic talent was unique to his family growing up, which they dubbed “Johnny’s World”.
Life Stage Principle
Newman and Newman (2016) defines life stage principle as the linking of cultural, societal, and historical changes to influences on an individual’s development. The impact to a person’s development may vary by stages in life, i.e. childhood, adolescence, and adulthood (Newman & Newman, 2016). During his childhood in Oklahoma, Johnny experienced turmoil in his family, i.e. his mother’s nervous breakdown, fighting between parents, and his parent’s divorce. Johnny suggested his mother’s breakdown could have been attributed to the cultural change to Oklahoma.
TR: So did you ever find out why there was a move to Oklahoma?
JJ: No, no and it was, it was as I mean when I ask people about it, it was a strange thing because we moved in the middle of the night. And their other relatives that I have that still live in Decatur said it was, it was a strange thing. They didn't know what was going on and I still don't.
JJ: I don't think my mother wanted to do it.
TR: That's interesting.
TR: Why do you say that?
JJ: Within a couple of years after that she had a nervous breakdown after we moved to Oklahoma. She really didn't like it there because she had no family there at that time and no friends.
Newman and Newman (2016) suggests that cultural events help to define meaning and the dependence on others. In Johnny’s case, the events that follow suggests his behavior was changed to a more of an independent person in later life stages, i.e. a lower degree of dependence on his parents. The JFK assassination historical event illuminated Johnny’s leadership role in school (compared to his cohorts) given the timeframe coincided.
TR: Did you live through a lot of historical events? You know like the Vietnam War, I don't know if you were affected by like Korean War.
JJ: Mmm, the day Kennedy was shot.
TR: Okay, talk about that.
JJ: I started in a really weird school at that time because the school was like really overcrowded. So they built another school. And this is when I was going into junior high. So when I was in the seventh grade, I was actually the upperclassmen in this school. The next year it's like whoever started in the school always were the upperclassmen of the school until after the first three years that it was open. And then it was like regular 7 through 9.
JJ: But there wasn't a lot of teachers in this school. They were understaffed in their music department. They didn't really have someone, they didn't really have a teacher and I just knew more than everybody else. So they put me in charge. I was 12 years old.
JJ: So I was conductor and I was the arranger and I would tell everybody what to play and I got a great opportunity.
TR: So did you feel like that was an unfair responsibility put on you?
JJ: I kind of dug it. But when I was 12 years old, that's when the Kennedy thing happened and I was in that class when the teacher came and told me to stop teaching. There was an announcement coming on and then they said that Kennedy was dead and the whole classroom just sat there for an hour, nobody knew what to do.
The 1950s and 1960s are considered the golden years of television and arguably had a major impact on American culture. These cultural events had an effect on Johnny’s late adolescence/early adulthood development. In fact, Newman and Newman (2016) suggests that cultural events in early adulthood shape the identity of a person and influence open opportunities.
JJ: I started working in show business at 15 and so I was like leaving the state a lot. My parents didn't even know I was in show business until I was like 17, no 16, because I was on a TV show and all of a sudden I had not told anyone that I was on it and I guess a relative saw me on there and told him that I was on TV.
TR: So let's talk about that. How did you get into show business? Like what were the steps you took?
JJ: The first thing I did I was square dancing on the Wanda Jackson show when I was 15 because I had a girlfriend that was kind of like she was doing it and she said, come on, you have to do I, and it kind of started from there.
Principle of Interdependent/Linked Lives
Newman and Newman (2016) explains that the interlocking of lives is important for development. A disruption in social relationships, employment, and schooling can require adapting to a new environment (Newman & Newman, 2016). Given the timing of Johnny’s parents’ divorce at age 15, proximity to popular tv shows, and a gift in music, his occupational trajectory began with a brief move to Dallas followed by New York City. During this time, Johnny performed in tv shows, numerous theaters, and Broadway shows. Given he started this new occupational trajectory at such a young age, it could be argued that his social time was early for a 15 year old during the 1960s. Social time is defined as societal or cultural expectations for an individual of a certain age (Newman & Newman, 2016). Johnny’s relationship with his father and grandfather was strained. His father had an expectation that Johnny would participate in sports. This was based on the ideology that Johnny’s cohorts also played sports at this age. Johnny’s environment growing up suggested his mother played a stronger role in Johnny’s development with respect to establishing a foundational network of support.
TR: So how would you describe your environment with your parents probably from Age 2 to 15?
JJ: okay. I was definitely my mom's boy. Look my dad pretty much ignored me. He was really more like I have two other brothers and they were both in the sports and I wasn't so he had more in common with them and
JJ: We just never had that much in common. So we never I mean I remember being punished once in my lifetime.
JJ: I just never felt like I was a part of the Johnson side of my family. I don't look like them. I don't, you know, I have nothing in common with any of them. I don't remember my point I was going for
JJ: Anyway, I'll come back to him. My grandfather never liked me. No, my dad's dad, but I think he knew. I think he knew all the time that I think that that's what it was.
TR: So how did you know he didn't? Like a like a feeling or did he say stuff to you? Can you give me an example?
JJ:. Yeah. My grandparents were used to having a very big family on that side. My dad has ten brothers and sisters, well and my grandparents every summer they would take the grandchildren, different one each time, and take us on vacations and stuff like that and the one time that I went, I was sitting in the backseat of the car, we had just started and we've been on the road a couple of hours and I need to go to the bathroom and I wanted to stop and then my grandfather just made this whole thing to my grandmother but said it really loud so that everyone even me could hear it. You know, I told him I didn't, I told you I didn't want to bring him. You know, he's always a pain in the butt. So that's just an example.
Newman and Newman (2016) explains that people make choices which create building blocks in their trajectories and transitions. In other words, individuals operate under their own agency toward life decisions (Newman & Newman, 2016). The minimal support from family illustrated that the choices Johnny made, were his own. It became Johnny’s responsibility to establish a new network of friends and family and alter his life trajectory.
Principle of Control
Newman and Newman (2016) suggests when people lose control, coping mechanisms provide a pathway to regain control. In the 1970s, Johnny experienced rapid changes in occupational and social trajectories to include a couple turning points. Newman and Newman (2016) explains that turning points are the result of significant reorganizations in life trajectory. During this time period, Johnny was looking for something that felt more permanent in life, which changed his family trajectory. Johnny met his life partner in 1974.
TR: Can you think of a life event that just completely changed your life?
JJ: Definitely back when I was like in my 20s and I always you know, when you're a rock band, you know, it attracts so much to you and nothing really seems permanent or serious. And as I was kind of getting towards the end of that, you know, I knew I wanted to have a relationship and I knew I wanted to have a long relationship, because I was tired of all the you know just fucking around.
He also gained fame in Jesus Christ Superstar and was introduced to his lifelong friend, Joni Mitchell. It’s important to revisit the concept of linked lives at this time in his life. After Jesus Christ Superstar was completed, Johnny enlisted his underemployed peers into creating a rock band called Wheeze. During a tour in Los Angeles, he met his life partner. His life partner was a hair stylist for celebrities, which is how he was introduced to Joni Mitchell. The time and place for these events were critical in establishing a family trajectory.
TR: So, how did, where did Joni Mitchell come in during the same time period
JJ: I've known her for 40 years. My partner used to be a hairdresser for 10 years when I first met him he was a hairdresser and she was one of his clients then several times where I actually managed his salon on Sunset Boulevard, and it was like mostly celebrities and he would do tv shows and that's kind of when I first met her. He's a contractor now and that's the construction company. Then we flip houses on top of that.
Principle of Situational Imperative
Newman and Newman (2016) explains when situations change, new behaviors are created to adapt to the conditions. Johnny successfully adapted to his new situation around age 15 when his parents divorced.
TR: So, I mean you seem to have a really strong work ethic. Where do you think they came from your parents or?
JJ: It's just kind of like a survival mode, survival, okay. Yeah, because I've always felt like that I'm kind of on my own. You know, no one's gonna do it unless I do.
TR:I like that.
It could be argued that Johnny’s sexual orientation identity required new behaviors to adapt to his circumstances. Calzo, Antonucci, Mays, and Cochran (2011) suggests that from a life course theory perspective, the historical context is an important factor and assigned participants in their study to four trajectory groups: younger who identify in adolescence and adulthood, and older participants that identify during the same developmental periods. How this concept applies to situational imperative was illustrated via a follow-up question.
TR: Last follow-up question (for this assignment) and it’s a tough one. It’s a completely private thing, but I’m sure it shaped your development as a person, at least in some way.
TR: Did you ever feel persecuted because of your sexual orientation? Did you ever feel the need to “hide” who you are because of (backwards) society at the time?
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JJ: Absolutely! Living in LA is like living in a bubble. Pretty much everything and everyone is accepted for who they are. But, I find that when I step out of the bubble I find that I have to be on guard with some men and women. Especially if I have to go to Oklahoma. I have family that still have a problem with it. Their loss…I think society is still backward to some extent and sometimes I have to put myself in protective mode.
Accentuation Principle
The accentuation principle is based on critical transitions that force an individual to engage coping mechanisms in an effort to control a crisis (Newman & Newman, 2016). In 2007, Johnny was admitted to the hospital for stomach issues.
TR: You seem like positive person, a glass is half full kind of guy.
JJ: I have I mean, there's been like a few times where I've had like medical things going on. It took a lot of my time and set me back a while. So I really kind of stopped show business, probably ten years ago because I had like a lot of medical stuff going on. A stomach thing. Like I had to have like part of my intestine removed. It hung me up for about two years.
TR: How did you how did you cope with that for those two years?
JJ: I painted a lot. I wrote a lot. I couldn't move around too much. I had a colostomy for about six months and you know there was just when the whole thing first happened. I had three emergency surgeries in one week and they didn't expect me to stay around.
JJ: Two years in solitude just kind of like a lot of meditating lot of reflecting, you know you had time or because you couldn't go anywhere like kind of like this.
TR: So, can you think of a life event that just completely changed your life and your view on life. I mean you might have touched on some of them already.
JJ: Definitely the medical things.
He had three emergency surgeries within a week, and doctors were preparing the family that he would not survive. Thankfully, he did survive, but the event took a toll on his occupational trajectory. Johnny decided to end his show business career, and for the next two years, he was homebound leaving him to rely on coping mechanisms. Newman and Newman (2016) claim that during a crisis, the most prominent parts of one’s personality will be expressed. In Johnny’s case, the positive parts of his personality and healthy coping mechanisms ensured a successful recovery given his situation.
Conclusion
Newman and Newman (2016) provided four hypotheses to test life course theory: historical event influence, interdependent/linked lives, the importance of control, and stability of behavior when confronted with a crisis. For historical event influence, only one significant historical event (JFK assassination) was discussed during the interview, and it was used to highlight life stage principle, i.e. a 12-year-old Johnny was teaching a music class when it occurred. Johnny’s parents’ divorce during adolescence seemed to have a stronger influence on his development given his immediate change in occupational trajectory. However, the historical impact in this case did not provide strong evidence for the life stage principle. Newman and Newman (2016) indicates the lack of causation for how social changes alter one’s life trajectory, is a weakness of life course theory. In my opinion, linked lives and stability of behavior when confronted with a crisis had the strongest evidence. For linked lives, Johnny’s relationship with his partner, and Joni Mitchell, early in life, developed a strong enough bond to last over forty years. A criticism of linked lives is the lack of evidence for intergenerational transmission in his case. Johnny seemed to be impervious to the influence of his parents. Newman and Newman (2016) explains that life course theory may not explain individual differences in agency and life roles. For behaviors during a crisis, Johnny’s years in solitude, which lead to an end of his show business career, illustrated his resiliency, positivity, and healthy coping mechanisms. Newman and Newman (2016) admits that the lack of biopsychosocial awareness prohibits an explanation of resiliency within the life course framework. Lastly, the emergence of DNA based ancestry in recent years allowed Johnny to find his biological father, but the impact of this technology on life course theory is lacking and to Johnny’s life trajectory is too early to tell.
References
Calzo, J. P., Antonucci, T. C., Mays, V. M., & Cochran, S. D. (2011). Retrospective recall of sexual orientation identity development among gay, lesbian, and bisexual adults. Developmental Psychology, 47(6), 1658-1673. doi:.1037/a0025508
Newman, B. M., & Newman, P. R. (2016). Theories of human development (2nd ed.). Psychology Press.
Appendix A – Questions
1. What are the most memorable points in your life?
2. How would you describe your family environment “growing-up” compared to after leaving home?
a. What age did this transition occur?
b. What was expected of you from your parents?
c. Did your parents reference major events in history that affected their life?
3. Any memorable historical events that affected your life?
4. Describe the cultural shift from Oklahoma to LA
5. Describe your most salient experiences in showbiz
6. Describe a time in your life that felt out of control? What steps did you take to maintain/exert control?
7. Any turning points that stand out?
8. Was there a situation where you adjusted your work life to meet family responsibilities?
9. How would you describe your personality?
10. How would you describe your coping strategies during a crisis?
11. Can you think of a life event that completely changed your life?
12. Tell me about a time in your life where you faced a significant challenge?
13. What has been your most significant accomplishment in life?
Follow-up Questions
14. Was there a personality trait or life lesson that you took from your parents?
15. Did either of your parents have dementia?
16. What years did you start/stop various showbiz gigs?
17. What years did you move to major cities?
18. When did you meet Joni (Mitchell)?
19. What year did you get sick?
20. Anything else I should add?
21. Was the Ancestry finding significant in your life?
22. Did you ever feel persecuted because of your sexual orientation?
23. Did you ever feel the need to “hide” who you are because of a (backwards) society at the time?