“I AM ALSO ALLOWED TO BE TIRED”: A CASE STUDY OF THE PERSON-CENTERED APPROACH IN THE FIRST DAUGHTER WHO FEELS BURDENED BY HER PARENTS' EXPECTATIONS

JKPI: Jurnal Konseling Pendidikan Islam P–ISSN: 2655-9692 E-ISSN: 2746-5977 Vol.7, No. 2, Mei 2026 “I AM ALSO ALLOWED TO BE TIRED”: A CASE STUDY OF THE PERSON-CENTERED APPROACH IN THE FIRST DAUGHTER WHO FEELS BURDENED BY HER PARENTS' EXPECTATIONS *1 Elin Sagita Putri, 2Yasintha Sari Pratiwi *1,2 Universitas Mulawarman *1 2 Email: , Abstract This study aims to describe the psychological dynamics and changes in emotion regulation of a first-born adolescent girl who feels burdened by parental expectations through a Person-Centered approach. The research employed a qualitative single case study design. The participant was an eighth-grade female student experiencing pressure to remain strong and serve as a role model for her siblings. Data were collected through four individual counseling sessions using semi-structured interviews, observation, and anecdotal records, and analyzed using Miles and Huberman’s interactive model. Findings indicate that initially the participant suppressed her emotions to maintain a strong selfimage. Throughout the counseling process, she gradually developed awareness of her emotional needs and shifted toward more open self-acceptance. The changes occurred gradually and remained influenced by ongoing family dynamics. Keywords: Person-Centered Counseling, Emotional Regulation, Adolescent Mental Health. Abstrak Penelitian ini bertujuan mendeskripsikan dinamika psikologis dan perubahan regulasi emosi pada anak pertama perempuan yang merasa terbebani ekspektasi orang tua melalui pendekatan Person-Centered. Penelitian menggunakan metode kualitatif dengan desain studi kasus tunggal. Subjek adalah siswi kelas VIII yang mengalami tekanan untuk selalu kuat dan menjadi contoh bagi adik-adiknya. Data dikumpulkan melalui empat sesi konseling individual dengan teknik wawancara semi-terstruktur, observasi, dan catatan anekdot, kemudian dianalisis menggunakan model interaktif Miles dan Huberman. Hasil menunjukkan bahwa pada tahap awal subjek cenderung menekan emosinya demi mempertahankan citra diri sebagai anak yang kuat. Seiring proses konseling, subjek mulai menyadari kebutuhan emosionalnya dan menunjukkan pergeseran menuju penerimaan diri yang lebih terbuka. Perubahan berlangsung secara bertahap dan tetap dipengaruhi oleh dinamika keluarga yang masih berlangsung. Kata kunci: Konseling Berpusat pada Klien, Regulasi Emosi, Kesehatan Mental Remaja. INTRODUCTION The characteristics and traits of a child can be influenced by their birth order in the family. Even though two children are raised by the same parents, differences in birth order can still lead to different psychological dynamics (Untariana & Sugito, 2022). The first child or eldest child often has the initial experience of being the only child before the arrival of 133 Lisensi Creative Commons Atribusi 4.0 Internasional a sibling, so they receive attention, demands, and expectations from their parents earlier. As the family grows, this role can change to one of being a role model, more independent, and more responsible than their siblings. This condition often leads to psychological pressure, especially when the responsibilities given are felt to exceed the child's emotional readiness (Budi & Hasibuan, 2025; Sengkey et al., 2025). The pressure arising from parental expectations can affect the emotional well-being of adolescents. The perception of high expectations is known to be associated with increased stress and decreased self-esteem when basic psychological needs are not met (Zhou et al., 2025). In addition, parental academic expectations can also affect adolescent happiness through the role of self-efficacy and a sense of connection with their social environment (Zhang & Yang, 2025). In the family context, parents' emotional responses and parenting styles also play a role in shaping adolescents' emotional regulation (Guo et al., 2024; Meuronen et al., 2024). Warm and supportive relationships tend to help adolescents develop more adaptive emotion regulation strategies, while less empathetic or overly controlling relationships can increase vulnerability to internalization problems (Tian & Zhang, 2025; Wilson et al., 2024). Adolescents who are under constant role pressure may experience confusion in understanding and expressing their emotions. One response that arises is the tendency to suppress or hide feelings as a form of self-adjustment to environmental demands. Qualitative research shows that emotional distress in adolescents is often related to relational experiences within the family and the lack of a safe space to express feelings openly (O'Neill et al., 2023). This condition highlights the importance of interventions that provide opportunities for adolescents to explore their subjective experiences safely and without judgment. This shows that individuals need a safe relational space to understand, accept, and process their emotional experiences without fear of judgment. A supportive space is important so that the role pressures that have been suppressed can be understood more consciously and integrated into the individual's self-concept. The Person-Centered approach proposed by Rogers (1957) views individuals as having a tendency toward self-actualization that can develop when they are in empathetic, unconditionally accepting, and authentic relationships. In the context of counseling, a safe and non-judgmental relationship allows the client to explore previously suppressed emotional experiences. Thus, this approach is relevant for understanding the process of self-awareness and emotional regulation in individuals experiencing role pressure within the family. Although various studies have discussed parental expectations, adolescent emotional regulation, and parenting dynamics in general, studies that specifically focus on the experiences of first-born daughters in facing family expectations are still relatively limited, especially in the context of in-depth exploration of the dynamics of their emotional regulation. Furthermore, there are not many studies that describe in depth how the dynamics of emotional regulation in firstborn daughters change through the PersonCentered counseling process in a case study design. Therefore, this study focuses on 134 describing the psychological dynamics and changes in emotional regulation mechanisms in firstborn daughters who experience family expectation pressure through a PersonCentered approach in a case study framework. METHOD This study uses a qualitative method that focuses on a single case study. The researcher aims to focus on exploring the emotional experiences of the counselee who feels burdened by his parents' expectations that he become a role model for his younger siblings as the first child in the family. A single case study is a research method that can realize practice in accordance with theory, as well as delve into the psychological changes that occur in the counselee during counseling sessions from the beginning to the end of th (...truncated)