Misfit Curse

Erikson theorizes that in such a period, adolescents have certain tasks, one of which is identifying who they are. An individual successfully completes the task by staying true to his or her self, whereas when a person fails that stage, it leads to role confusion; consequently creating a weak sense of self. (Block 2011). The stage also entails a variety of personal challenges and limitations faced as well as a series of needs to be met, including: attention, guidance, independence, stability, and acceptance, among other needs. Meeting an adolescent’s needs is fundamental to their healthy development and personal growth. Nevertheless, adolescence remains as puzzling of a period in time for both the teens experiencing it, as well as for the individuals surrounding them, watching them as they navigate through the trials that adolescence brings them.

It outlines the struggle an individual faces in finding stability between developing a sense of forming a unique identity while still being accepted and “fitting in” with society. Erikson believed that when teenagers adequately navigated their way through this crisis, they would transpire into having a clear understanding of their individual identity and easily share this new ‘self’ with others. However, if an individual is unable to navigate their way through this crisis period, they may be uncertain of who they are which can result in a lack of understanding, leading to disconnection from society and the people around them. If youth become stuck at this stage they will be unable to become emotionally mature adults, according to Erikson’s theory. This period of an individual’s life allows them to investigate possibilities which will lead them to discovering their own identity based upon the result of their explorations.

Ana is a girl who followed trends and participated in activities the “cool kids” attended in high school. At first, she follows trends because an abundant amount of students claim it seems entertaining. However, that was not the case for her. Ana came to the conclusion that the activities were not amusing; she only followed trends because she thought it would create a popular reputation for herself. She decided to be unique and became determined to achieve what was best for herself. Such a follow-the-leader type situation is not uncommon in high school as it inhabits people to follow others’ actions to fit in. Fortunately, a person like Ana will always strive to be an individual and live the way he or she assumes is best. Unfortunately, a willingness to practice nonconformity such as Ana’s takes time to develop, and other individuals in society frequently then overlook their freedoms and are commonly unaware of living in censored communities. In this type of restrained community, people follow laws blindly and shield themselves from reality. Ray Bradbury in Fahrenheit 451 to protest such societal censorship depicts Guy Montag as an evolving deviant, rebellious protagonist.

Much like Maeve’s trial and error phase, Erikson’s theory of identity versus role confusion explains psychological conflict of adolescence. This theory states that this conflict is resolved positively when adolescents achieve an identity after a period of exploration and inner soul searching. If a young person’s earlier conflicts were resolved negatively or if society limits their choices to ones that do not match their abilities and desires, they may appear shallow, directionless, and unprepared for the challenges of late adulthood. (p. 314). Maeve luckily didn’t make many choices that were resolved negatively. These social and emotional changes weren’t always easy for the rest of the family to deal with, but they were a part of her growth. With us there to provide nurturing support, she was able to develop her own healthy identity after her period of “soul searching.”

According to McAdams (2009), in their late teens and early 20s, young people living in modern societies face the challenge of finding a place for themselves in the complex adult world and developing an understanding of themselves that provides their life with meaning, unity, and purpose. ("Chapter 9, The Problem of Identity, Adolescence and Young Adulthood"). However, some who will experience many conflicts such as, identity crisis, role confusions, and insecurity of how they will fit into society. I think she is at this stage because she is still in the process of developing her sense of self at the age of 29. She had begun to accomplish many of her goals, but tend to never finish them such as, school, and different career opportunities. At her age she still feel a need to blend in with her social group of younger adults, instead of focusing on herself and her children. I honestly believe that she is trapped in her teenage years, since her mother had done everything for her and the children. Which I feel that it really effected the way she thinks and live her life, which may have caused her to get lost in the mix of becoming an independent adult. The central question that was posed during stage 5, adolescence and young adulthood, is “How do I fit into the adult world”? (McAdams, 2009, p. 351). I believe she has unconsciously sought to answer this question, because she rather be with her friends out in

The life pursuits and subjective judgments of many contemporary young people indicate that the transition to adult roles has become so delayed and prolonged that it has spawned a new transitional period extending from the late teens to the mid-to late-twenties, called emerging adulthood. During the college years, young people often refine their approach to forming their own identity. In these years, young people have left adolescence, but most have not yet assumed adult responsibilities. Many have dreams and those are what guides them in their decision making. In the video, 22 year old Casey describes her dream and comments on her identity development. Casey says that she became interested in Psychology in high school during her junior year when she took a psych course. She knew from then on that was what she wanted to do, but she hadn't picked a career yet. Casey said that she picked a career during her first year of graduate school, when she decided on gerontology. She said her happy and active grandparents had a lot to do with picking a career and wanting to work with the population. Casey thinks her identity was a gradual process and it's only really formed since last year. She feels her parents helped shape her morals and beliefs, but in between her senior year and her first year of graduate school, she started to form her own and integrated some of her own ideas. 24 year old Elizabeth and 25 year old Joel are shown discussing

When adolescents transform into adults, they think of this transformation based solely on appearance, but it is actually how they transform emotionally as well which leads into their highly yearnful adulthood. In the short story “Marigolds” by Eugenia Collier, the protagonist Lizabeth recalls her poverty-stricken childhood and the major events she experiences that causes her to be able to become more mature. By Lizabeth maturing from an ignorant girl to a compassionate woman, she is able to grow an adultlike perspective on life and thus relay Collier’s message that there is always hope, even in hopeless situations.

“If one’s different, one’s bound to be lonely.” This is a line stated by John the Savage in the novel: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. This quote arguably summarizes one of the core themes of the book. On the second reading of the first line, the thought arises if this is very far from the truth of our present-day society here in the real world? Hipster culture in contemporary society was an attempt to strive to be “special” or “different than the masses”. But is this not the very thing that makes us similar at the end of the day, or is the whole individualism issue just an illusion that is also evidently present in the novel? In this essay, these topics will be explored with evidence from the book and from my own experience in the world.

Showing your True Self Many young people prefer to follow their dreams, than follow their parents’ footsteps. In Alice Walker‘s short story, "Everyday Use,” the older daughter, Dee, had never yearned to follow the country lifestyle of her mother, instead had choose to rebel against it. Meanwhile, in Amy Tan’s short story, “Two Kinds,” Jing-mei Woo had chosen to break away from her mother’s persistence to become a prodigy, and be true to herself. Both females had refused to follow the road that both their family had always pushed them toward.

Everybody in the world has choices; we choose whether we want to go to the movies, we choose who we want to be friends with, we even choose how we want to look. What if your choices were determined by someone else, would you enjoy it? Everyone has a their own definition of the line in sand, where sane meets insanity, and depending on who you are or your choices can look crazy to the next person. Lets examine the theme of love and obsession in the book “The Realm Of Possibility” written by David Levithan. This book chronicles the life of 16 students and the different obstacles they face amongst each other.

The short story “Inem” by Toer and the song “This is What Makes Us Girls” by Lana Del Rey (Or Elizabeth Grant) effectively present the theme that society may force individuals particularly children, to “grow up” before they are emotionally and/or physically prepared. This universal theme could impact those who feel pressured into growing up too fast, or those willing to do whatever it takes to fit in

Has it ever crossed your mind if you, your family or someone you know is being cursed based on events happening in your or their life? While some people believe curses to be total bogus there are actually many people out there who believe in being cursed. To be cursed means to invoke by evil. A curse is the effective action of some power, distinguished solely by the quality of adversity that it brings. It may also be said to result from a spell or prayer, imprecation or execration, or other imposition by magic or witchcraft, asking that a god, natural force, or spirit bring misfortune to someone. ( ). There are four different types of curses the first beginning with Biblical curses, These curses are there for those who do not obey God’s commandments. The next type is Witchcraft curses, these are Curses placed on us by witches, any kind of witchcraft for the solutions to any problems one may have. The third type is Spoken curses by people who are not witches, people place these curses just by what they say or express about other people and lastly, there are Self-imposed curses. This type of curse is based on what you say about yourself. If you say something negative about yourself, you are giving the devil permission to send you a demon. (,). People can cast evil spells like a curse for similar reasons such as attempting to get even with enemies or trying to get ahead in life.

When I step back and look at Passion Play, I see humans struggling to find their identity when faced with times marked by great change within their society. Each character is faced with the dilemma of adjusting to, or resisting, the alterations being endorsed within their civilization.

She is very insecure with herself and is afraid what others think of her. Throughout her childhood she has felt “inferior to other people.” (Woolf 1) Her family never had enough money they would always “skimping and paring.” (6) At the party she finds herself hiding from the view of the other people because she is so uncomfortable in her new dress; “She went straight to the far end of the room to a shaded corner where a looking glass hung and looked.” (1) Mable feels excluded from the others which makes her think back to the inferiority she felt as a child. She has obviously been concerned with what people think of her all through her life. Mabel is hard on herself. She feels that she deserves to be punished for how she is dressed at the party; “She felt like a dressmakers dummy standing there, for young people to stick pins into.” (2) She isn’t proud of Miss Milan’s work on the dress she was actually ashamed because she wasn’t looking like everyone else - “fierce or tragic.” (3) During the party she pictured herself as a “fly but the others were dragonflies, butterflies, beautiful insects dancing (and) fluttering.” (2) She is unable to picture to picture herself in the same light as everyone else because she feels as if she is unable to connect with those at the party. During her comparison she begins to “envy and spite” everyone around her. (2) Mabel sees the perfection in

Humanity advanced, quickly. With basic survival and a functioning society fulfilled, civilization sped up. Distances became shorter, entertainment became quicker, and life became busy. With life moving quickly, man lost time to think. And without thought to fuel it, purpose became sparse and unfulfilled. Mankind, in their vanity, began to attempt to eradicate the need for purpose. Society became shallow. It pressed upon its youth, its future, mindless norms disguised as purpose. College, careers, and retirements were laid out ahead of them, whereupon the latest generation began to goose-step into misery. Before long, midlife crises began to arise at ages as early as 16, a harrowing thought. Absent among all this anguish was purpose; 401(k)’s would not bring meaning to one’s life, nor would a management level position in a startup on the rise. Life was no longer about the means, but rather the ends. Consequently, joy became not an experience, but a material. A product, bought and sold in numerous markets, manufactured and pumped out of factories. Amongst this fiasco, we find a character. Lost in the darkness, he wanders,