The Experience Of A Young Lady Named Mamie

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.

Unlike most people, I did not get to be a carefree child for long. Even though I always said that I could not wait to grow up, now I wish that it all did not happen so fast and early in my life. From eleven to twelve years old—that would be the period I describe as the time I had to put my big-girl pants on and face the real, cruel and unwelcoming adult world. In that time period, I can specifically pinpoint two major events that ended my childhood: my move from Russia to the United States and the birth of my baby sister Toma. To some those might not seem significant enough to change someone’s life to the extent that they changed mine; however those events molded me into the person I am today.

One of the most critical points in a person’s life is their childhood. Erik Erikson

The purpose of this assignment is to closely observe the development of a child through an interview and apply the theories and concept of child development in his particular cultural and educational context. I selected the child who lives in my neighborhood for the interview and began with seeking the permission from his parents. The child’s name is ‘Abdullah’ and he is seven years old. He lives with his family in Terre Haute and his family consists of parents and two sisters. Abdullah goes to Sugar Grove Elementary School in the Terre Haute city along with his two sisters and he is in grade 2. The interview was conducted at his home and I ensured his convenience. He was cooperative and provided insightful responses to the questions and he provided significant detail in the interview. I was able to track his development stages and connect it to different theories of Developmental Psychology including psychoanalytical perspectives and Piaget’s stages of development. In the following paragraphs, I will explain my observations about Abdullah’s development in the light of developmental theories with special focus on cognitive, social, linguistic, and emotional development followed by making connections between his socioeconomic and cultural background and development. Lastly, I will conclude paper by highlighting that the observations during the interview can facilitate my future practice as a teacher.

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.”

My group’s category was the school aged child. We interviewed a 10 years old girl, named

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

ii. The effects of sports on teenagers who have low-esteem indicated that such teens tend to learn important life lessons that enable them to form constructive friendships and improve their self-image.

A closer study at "Mammy", the quintessential Southern African-American nanny, as the core icon of African-American womanhood, during the Civil War, particularly in films, who has figured prominently on memory, reveals that her depiction and characteristics skewed the collective and individual memory of the role of "real" African-American women, such as Harriet Tubman. This powerful figure in Southern households created stereotyped images of African American women slaves, i.e. Gone with the Wind (1939), allowing audiences to believe this to be an accurate depiction of African American women rather than recognizing the major contributions they made in the Civil War. The stereotype overshadowed the real efforts and work of African American women, both enslaved and freed; and left a false image which affected women then and now.

For this research project, I chose to interview my very own daughter (Alaina). She is a 7-year-old first grader who lives with her mother full-time. She has one older sister who lives in another state. Alaina is an active and inquisitive young lady. She attends year-round schooling and in her free time, she participates in Tae Kwon Do and basketball.

For my essay I decided to interview my mother. I know most of her story starting from my brothers birth. But i had never know much about her childhood. My mom was surprised when I started asking questions and I happy to learn more about my mother. I will focus this essay manly about when she was a child until teenager. While doing the interview I learned many thing and am now grateful for having the opportunity of writing this essay. I started by asking her when she was born and everything else sparked from their.

Erikson’s stage of Identity vs. Role Confusion (13-19 years old), was a crucial time for my brother and I, as my parents decided to put us back in public school. I was thirteen-years old at the time, just entering the eighth grade as a “new kid” in a very small rural community. This was beyond some of my toughest

The first person I interviewed was my cousin Chloe. I was very shocked at what I found with her answers. I have always thought she was somewhat immature, but her answers said otherwise. One question I asked her was what the biggest accomplishment she has had was. Her answer, “getting straight A’s through all of elementary school and most of middle

My case subject is Regina Holms, a second grader, from County Elementary School. Before I interviewed the subject, I received permission for her guardian. During the interview, Regina and I conversed while working on one of the seven Piagetian tasks, the volume task. During this task, Regina’s stage of development was determined.

Throughout the Human Behavior and the Social Environment course, we have encompassed the many stages of the life cycle process. Now that I am twenty two years old, I found the early adulthood stage to be the most influential, and the most sensible one to relate to given the point that I am at in my life. More importantly, I decided to research and apply this life cycle stage to a variety of milestones, experienced by my interviewee, Chelsie. Living just houses apart, being raised by single fathers, Chelsie and I found that we had many things in common. We have remained friends since we were children, and have only grown to be closer into our early adulthood years.