Experiencing adolescence stage now, I always ask “who am I?”. It is a difficult but meaningful question for all of us because of its importance to our future personal growth and development. By self-understanding, it directs you how to change yourself to be a better you in the future. Also, only when you understand who you are can you start to love yourself as well as others. Moreover, through learning from your childhood experiences, we can apply these lessons to our future life to truly become the author of your life (G. Corey & S. Corey, 2010, p. 66). Furthermore, understanding those events that pain you assist you in transcending them and avoid replaying previous self-defeating ways in your life (G. Corey & S. Corey, 2010, p. 53-54). Therefore, …show more content…
My positive relationship with peers enhanced my sense of connectedness with peers and school. Furthermore, I learned from different roles in social activities and experienced from being relatively egocentric to more considerate and altruistic. I started to understand that all the harsh punishment from my parents, unduly unfair judgment and exposure of my imperfection have fostered individual growth and development (G. Corey & S. Corey, 2010, p. 61). Also, individuation, which means separating from our family system and building up our own identity depended on our experiences, are an important part of the identity-formation process (G. Corey & S. Corey, 2010, p. 62). The main event that shows individuality at this stage was my own decision of choosing psychology as my university major.
Currently, I am still in struggle between “the need for independence” and “the orientation toward the social world” (G. Corey & S. Corey, 2010, p. 62). Although due to past experiences, I am still sensitive and feared to changes, I am stronger in facing them. Although past trauma will start to weaken my courage and expose nakedly my inner fear once I feel uncomfortable and insecure, I am able to recognize them as trauma but not the truth. Although I develop autonomy, initiative and industry later, it doesn’t mean those crises cannot be solved and I am more mature to develop
Biological influences combined with societal and social expectations contribute to how well people learn to adapt to their environments (2013). According to Erikson, there are eight stages of development. Within these states, there are different psychological, emotional and cognitive tasks. In order to adjust, individuals must learn to develop these tasks. During adolescence, Erikson states that each person needs to navigate through the development task of ‘‘Identity vs. Identity confusion ’’ (2013). He defined this task by stating that adolescent children must learn to develop a sense of self and establish independence. Prior to this stage of development, a person’s parents largely influence their identity. In this stage the adolescent children begin to explore and develop their identity outside of their parents’ influence (Hill, Bromell, Tyson, & Flint, 2007). Adolescents are generally more egocentric at this stage and have an increased sense of self-consciousness. They also have a strong desire to conform to peer influence and develop concerns regarding their appearance. They develop concern about their level of competence in relation to their peer group as well. As peer influence increases, during this stage, parental influence decreases (Ashford & LeCroy, 2013; Hill et. al, 2007). Conflict generally increases between parent and child at this stage of development (2007).
This period is marked by physical, social, moral and emotional development (Davies, Hartdegen, Haxell, Le Geyt & Mercier, 2012). It is a time when the adolescent’s sense of self or identity is becoming much more clear and they are beginning to understand their role in society, starting to question the morals of others and contemplating their own moral and ethical beliefs (Davies et al., 2012). During this time Erik Erikson believed that adolescents are faced with the psychosocial stage of identity versus role confusion (Berk, 2008). Adolescents explore their values and role in society, overcoming this conflict to better understand their own identity, however if they do not fully overcome this conflict, Erikson believed that the adolescent would be confused about their values and future adult roles (Berk, 2008). This conflict was clearly demonstrated in my own development during the late teenage years when I experienced both the results of failing to overcome and then overcoming Erikson’s fifth psychosocial stage. At age eighteen I finished secondary school and began my tertiary studies, I had been accepted into the degree I had wanted to study since middle childhood, however I quickly learnt that I was enjoying neither my studies nor my experience of life in halls of residence. I discontinued my studies after only
In the critical incident described above, the main culture to take into consideration is the culture of adolescence. During the transitional period between childhood and adulthood, known as adolescence, many vital milestones must be met in order to ensure academic and personal success and wellbeing. Morbidity data allows for assessment of many conditions and non-fatal diseases that develop during adolescence. The top five causes of morbidity in adolescence between the ages of 10-14 include; unipolar depressive disorder, iron deficiency anemia, asthma, back pain, and anxiety disorders. Mortality rates of adolescence have been shown to decline in the past decade. The leading causes of death among the adolescent age group include; road injuries, suicide, lower respiratory infections, HIV, and interpersonal violence. It is estimated that 1.3 million adolescents died in 2012, and the mortality rate is 111 per 100,000. In regards to poverty, there are currently nine million adolescents who live in low-income households and there are four million adolescents who live in households that are at or below the federal poverty level (Adolescent health epidemiology, 2017).
Lynda remembered her adolescent years as a time of many changes, “high school was a roller coaster, and I think it is for every teenager. I had so many different clothing and hair styles; even friends moved on frequently, you realize you’re not into the same things.” Peer relationships plays a very important role in this stage of development as the adolescent tries to answer the question “Who am I?” The adolescent is making a search for identity, they are experimenting and they begin to realize things about themselves that help them form an idea of who they are and what they want in life. According to Erikson, healthy resolution of the earlier conflicts now serves as a foundation in the teenager’s search for an identity. A strong sense of self-control and feeling of independence is the result of a positive resolution of this stage. Unsuccessful resolution of this life stage will lead to what Erikson called role confusion; these individuals will lack a feeling of self, they may drift from job to job and jump from one relationship to another, not knowing what they really want in
During this time, people will find themselves facing the task of self-discovery. Everything from what they believe in, what they want in life, to discovering who they are as a person (Santrock 2014). Technically, I am still in this stage. I remember facing many questions like where I wanted to go to school, what I wanted to study, and even questions on what kind of lifestyle I wanted to live. During the times these questions were usually asked, I was extremely insecure. I felt like I didn’t belong anywhere and that I wasn’t pretty enough. As I progressed through this stage I started to see what really made me happy and where I wanted to fit in with society. An increase of independence can lead to better interactions with schools, neighborhoods, and communities (Sokol 2009). I started to get involved with student senate, Dance Company, and community service during the earlier years of adolescents. I didn’t start out doing these things but I had to adapt and change to participating in things that didn’t make me feel uncomfortable. I have had more than one identity crisis; I went from being a total stoner, to partying/drinking every day, joining the Mormon religion, practicing Buddhism, and then to wanting to live in a van for the rest of my life. As I reach the end of this developmental stage, I have a sense of self. I have learned to respect others regardless of differing factors like religion. In Erikson’s theory of Psych-Social development, I successfully made it through this developmental period and gained the skills necessary to
Human development is a highly complex lifelong process. Identity is a self-definition or sense of who one is, where one is going, and how one fits into society. It relates to our basic values that dictates the choices we make in life. It is considered that identity formation is a means of finding oneself, by matching one’s talent with available social roles. Crisis is a vital part in one’s development. It occurs in every stage of finding one’s self and without resolution, may lead to tension and role confusion. Dedicated and influential theorists such as Erik Erikson and James Marcia have contributed significantly to the broadening and understanding
Erik Erikson, a German-born American who is a well known developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst, established the grand theory of psychosocial development. Throughout his theory, persistently stresses that one’s personality advances non-stop throughout the duration of several differential stages. Erikson’s theory also goes in depth to explain the immense impact of social experiences in one’s lifespan. The main element that is produced from his theory of psychosocial development is essentially ego identity. Ego identity can be defined as a sense of self, or better, the knowledge of one’s self that forms through a process within all social interaction. Contemporary
The process of finding one’s “self” is strongly reliant upon our interactions with other people. From the beginning, as infants, to when we are still small children, we have no idea who we are or what our relationship to the world is. Our perceptions of the world are through the eyes of our parents or guardians and other adults who try to teach us and show us the world. They instill in us their own ideas of right and wrong, good and bad. As we grow, our peers have much influence over h...
Thirteen: The Age of Adolescence Adolescence is the stage in life when you are no longer a child, but not yet an adult. There are many things that still need to be explored, learned, and conquered. In the film Thirteen, the main character, Tracy Freeland, is just entering adolescence. While trying to conquer Erikson’s theory of Identity vs. Role confusion, Tracy is affected by many influences, including family and friends, that hinder her development. Many concepts from what we have learned in class can be applied to this character, from identity development, to depression, to adolescent sexuality and more.
...t as the individual seeks to become independent, successful in school or employment, and develop satisfying social relationships” (Rank, J.).
Adolescence is a transition which has no fixed time limits. However, the changes that occur at this time are so significant that it is useful to talk about adolescence as a distinct period of human life cycle. This period ranges from biological changes to changes in behavior and social status, thus making it difficult to specify its limits exactly (Damon, 2008). Adolescence begins with puberty, i.e. a series of physiological changes that lead to full development of the sexual organs and the ability to breed and sex. The time interval that elapses begins at 11 to 12 years and extends to 18 to 20. However we cannot associate to a 13 with one 18 years. Let us talk about early adolescence between 11 to 14 years, which coincides with puberty, and after a second period of youth, or late adolescence between 15-20 years. Its extension to adulthood depends on social, cultural, environmental as well as personal adaptation.
Role Confusion” occurs during adolescent years. This stage puts focus on achieving a sense of identity in occupation, sex roles, politics, and in other areas. For me, this stage was the harshest and toughest period of my life. I struggled to discover who I am, what I want to do in the future, and what skills I am capable of. I had to somewhat adjust how I perceive my identity and roles to how people around me and my parent’s perceive me. But because what I wanted to do and their expectations were very different, I had a lot of conflict, especially with my parents. At this period, I wanted to gain independence and valued my relationship with friends and spending time with them, but my parents always told me to think about what a “student” should focus on. I knew they respected my decisions and had trust for me, but I could feel the worry whenever they were talking to me. But luckily, as I gained different experiences through school curriculum and constantly found approaches to life, I was able to decide what I really wanted to and what was really important to me. Thus, I believe that these struggles were necessary for me to form a clear sense of who I am and what I have to do. Although this stage was a tough period, I had successfully built a sense of identity in few areas so I was able to have a favorable
Throughout our life, it can be marked by developmental changes in every domain of life: our physical, cognitive, social, personalities, and morals. Due to some important researchers such as Erickson, Freud, Piaget we are able to understand the development of each of these domains. Each stage of it’s life has it’s own difficulties and events that can determine a person’s life (Mogler, 2008). During the stages of adolescence, they are very vulnerable to a lot going on in their life such as fitting in, peers, family, school, activities, and society, and not to forget the ups and downs of puberty. Adolescence can be viewed as a huge part of many children’s lives where in this part of their life they try to find teenagers experience physical, cognitive,
In textbook (Berk, 2017), Erickson describes the psychosocial development of adolescence as a time when the individual establishes a new sense of identity or self, which leads to independence or individuation from parents and reliance on peers. The adolescent examines and redefines self, family, peer group, and community, and an adolescent who is unable to establish meaningful definitions experiences confusion in one or more life roles. Parental separation and individuation are critical developmental tasks faced by late adolescents, which can impact their academic, social, and emotional adjustment to college.
During my adolescence, I experienced a lot of things. Of course I went through identity crisis; I didn’t know what should I do or what should I be. Moreover, sometimes when I was alone, I suddenly felt that what I am doing now is totally wrong. I often suffered from imaginary audience. I think imaginary audience is just stupid, but a...