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4.1 - Gender-typed behavior
One of my friends was very aggressive and displayed bullying behaviors. When playing games or sports, he was competitive, and used his strength to his advantage. He seemed to want to be better than everyone else, and he hated to lose. I remember pointing out our height difference (I was taller) and he got mad and was mean to me because he really felt that it was unfair --since I was a girl, I should be shorter than him. This is consistent with what the book says about aggression in boys. -
1.1 Entering Adolescence
I believe my adolescence began when I was around 9-10 years old, because this is when I began to think critically, understand abstract concepts about humanity and life, and have responsibilities. Documents of my writing validate this. My adolescence was noticeable in my thought processes and cognition, and became visible with body changes when I was 11-12. The textbook's description of adolescence fits me well at that age, including biological, cognitive, and socioemotional processes. -
3.2 - Differentiation
When I was mainstreamed, though I saw myself as bubbly and friendly, I knew that I was mostly very introverted. After moving to a deaf school, I found myself opening up and becoming so much more extroverted, happy, and social. My personality changed, and was different with hearing peers than with deaf peers. With hearing people, I was observant and quiet. With deaf peers, I was energetic, involved and vocal. I recognized this change in me and this is why I chose to remain at a deaf school. -
2.1 - Typical Maturer
My puberty hit at around the same time as my peers, and the majority of my friends hit puberty a few months earlier or later. There were girls who matured way earlier, and others who matured much later. I felt content with my growth and body changes because many others were going through the same. I can imagine that if I'd matured earlier or later, I'd be less confident or content with myself and how people perceived me. I believe that my puberty is consistent with what the textbook points out. -
6.1 - parent adolescent conflict
My mother was with a man when I was an adolescent. They got in fights a lot, and that affected my mom a lot, including the way she parented. She started venting to me more, and treating me like an adult rather than her daughter. My formal operational stage developed and at the same time I started to engage in activities that included risk-taking behavior and if she didn't like it I would pit against her and use what she said to me in defense, since she didn't treat me like a child anyway. -
6.3-simulation
In 6th grade, when I was still in public school, I became a part of a 4-girl group of close friends who spent virtually every weekend together. Fridays we'd go ice skating, chat with boys, and go out walking in the suburbs. They lived in a nice area with lots of things to do, while I lived in a different, more remote area. The activities we did, and their homes, as well as their personalities and talk, really simulated me and helped me feel content, busy, amused and feeling positively. -
7.1-Transition to Middle School
My transition from elementary to middle school included a lot of changes in how I viewed my body, disconnecting from parents, and how much I started worrying about my appearance and looking attractive. This is consistent with the changes stated in book about transition to middle school, including body image and changes in social habits and cognition, and having less dependency on their parents and a higher desire for independence. Body image was definitely a huge indicator of that change for me. -
2.2 - Niche picking
My niche: the forests behind my homes. I lived in several homes and explored the unattended areas behind our neighborhood often. My nature-loving mom was raised in the country and had a farm, and always brought me to the mountains when I was growing up. The admiration and love for exploring nature and the unknown was instilled in my mom and I both--that's our gene-environment correlation. We are also very independent and risk-taking, and have a similar outlook on life and thus similar interests. -
4.2 - Non-gender typed behavior
In "Adolescence" boys are said to have tendencies to boast, be aggressive, and be less emotionally supportive or prosocial than girls. I remember one of my female friends in middle school whose entire demeanor was like a boy. She would dress like her male friends and boast about the girls that she had "snatched". She was very egotistic, and in the bathroom when I came out of the shower she would say things like "Damn, girl! Look at that body!". This was non-gender typed behavior. -
3.3 - Social Comparison
I struggled with connecting with my peers and compared my general knowledge and comprehension skills to theirs often. It was frustrating for me at the time. Here is a text from an email to my mom in 8th grade: "I feel like i'm the smartest person in my school sometimes, and the others aren't really smart or smart at all, and it's really hard for me because i can't have very deep conversations with a lot of people, just a few. It's hard to deal with sometimes when people just don't understand." -
3.1 - Imaginary audience
I used instagram to share selfies, pictures of things I thought made me seem cool, etc. Likes and comments gratified me, and I was both afraid and enlightened by the idea that so many people had access to my photos... I thought it would make them like me more or find me cooler. I felt an increased sense of self-interest and worth. I shared poetry that involved a great amount of abstract thinking, but my judging skills weren't up to par. I posted some things I later felt embarrassed about. -
6.2- ego support
I was encouraged by my friends to truly promote my best self, build skills, and improve my overall impression as a person. They supported my ego by making me feel like not just a good student, but an all-around good student (including dorm student, athlete, organization member, and more). This was in middle school in my first deaf school and I definitely gained my confidence so much with that support. I lost a lot of it when we all parted in high school, but it was still existent in me. -
7.2-Transition to College
In my journey into college from high school, there was a big change in feeling younger and at "the bottom of the chain", from being a senior to a freshman. I also endured more stress, and had to manage my time on my own which was a challenge, but also enlightening. Santrock says this transition can have positive aspects, like helping people feel more independent, in control, and be challenged in ways that benefit them. Other changes included higher depressive rates, which also applied to me. -
1.2 Emerging Adulthood
I believe I started truly being independent from parents and taking responsibility for myself since I was about sixteen, after I graduated high school, as I was able to make decisions and pursue goals on my own. Santrock says that taking responsibility of my actions and being in control of my emotions is a key aspect of adulthood. I am financially independent, which is another aspect of adulthood, and recently became so at age 19, though I am still not economically stable and am working on that. -
7.3- Intrinistic Motivation
Self-determination, curiosity, challenge and effort are all aspects of intrinsic motivation, and an example of this was when I took junior-level classes online during my sophomore year. I was ready to enter college because I wanted to be academically challenged and craved more simulation. I took two math, english, history, and science courses at the same time and completed my year-long online courses within 8 weeks. That allowed me to graduate early and pursue college and challenge earlier! -
8.1- rite of passage
My rite of passage was turning 18. Almost as if it was magic, I suddenly was able to do much more at age 18 overnight compared to the day before when I was 17. My mom allowed me to drink alcohol at home, and my dad let me go out with no curfew without letting him know where I was going. I immediately had more independence. It's informal, but still a mark of a change of my life, as it was clear to me that I was an adult when I turned 18. My birthday was the mark of my transition into adulthood.