As a college student, I usually look back to my adolescence days with a mixed sense of guilt and pride. I still regard it as one of the most focal points that have shaped who I am today. I am a first born in a family of three, and thus I have had to grow up living responsibly to ensure that I act as a role model to my other siblings. My parents have been authoritative with me, and the rest of the family included, and this played a significant role in my acquisition of specific values in life. As earlier noted, my adolescent period was a moment of trial in my life. I experienced sudden abrupt changes within and outside my body that altered my worldview and also a sense of identity. The transition was phenomenal, and I needed immense support not only from my parents but also the school fraternity to cope up with the new realities. Biologically, I noticed that I was physically and emotionally changing, a transformation that gave me mixed reactions. Moreover, I realized that I was becoming more prone to specific influences within my sphere with media playing a vital role in shaping my personality. The biological changes coupled with a myriad of external influencers all combined to build on a new identity development characterized by accepting reality and moving on to achieving a new self. As such, the discussion will primarily center on my adolescent journey and how biological transition, the media, and the subsequent identity development played a role in creating a new personality in me.
Biological Transitions
The biological theory of adolescent asserts that the agitation experienced during the adolescence period is universal and is not dependant on either time or social context. The model goes on to emphasize that adolescence involves a young individual achieving an adult appearance and size coupled with other physiological changes. Piaget on his part explains the psychological advancement experienced during adolescence using his cognitive development model (Terrie, 2018). Freud’s psychosexual theory explains the etiology of sexual characteristics in an adolescent and further highlights how conflicts in the psyche can lead to stress in an individual.
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I began to experience my adolescent changes at the age of 13 when I was in the 7 th grade. Earlier on that year, we had covered a science lesson on puberty and the general discussion about adolescent where I came to realize of the biological changes that occur during the transitional stage. The changes were classified as physical, intellectual, and emotional development. First and foremost, the first biological change which I experienced was an increase in body size and mass. As I grew up, I received a lot of recognition about my smooth face, but as I approached adolescent, I realized massive changes in this regard as I started developing acne. Furthermore, my voice became rough, and my body physique became more established. The biological theory of adolescent asserts that the agitation experienced during the adolescence period is universal and is not dependant on either time or social context (Byrnes, 2013). The model goes on to emphasize that adolescence involves a young individual experiencing an adult appearance and size coupled with other physiological changes. Byrnes (2013) noted that the biological theory also points to the fact that the biological changes in the body could account for unstable moods in an individual. Most of the changes that occurred in my body were in tandem with the biological model which summarizes that the entire puberty changes reflect the necessary alterations that one requires as they enter into adulthood.
As I traversed from my early adolescent ages of 13 years to around 15 years, I experienced massive transformation in the thought process. I began having illusions that I was an adult and thus I felt that the rules at school and those at home limited my full exploitation. I experienced egocentric thoughts, always believing that the spotlight was on me whenever I was with my colleague. My parents complained that I was becoming less objective and in many cases, I engaged in meaningless arguments just to experience a sense of satisfaction. Piaget, in his developmental theory, however, attempts to explain these cognitive changes that I was experiencing. He intimated that cognitive development occurs during the adolescent stage. In what he termed as the formal operative stage, Piaget sought to explain the variations in the thought processes of children as they moved from early adolescence to late puberty. Piaget accounts for my egocentric thoughts when he explains that it involves a feeling of having an imaginary audience (Grusec, & Hastings, 2014). Furthermore, he asserted that one posses a sense of personal fable and constant scrutiny. Other factors that characterized by cognitive characteristics included a feeling of uniqueness, invulnerability, and self-consciousness. Piaget, however, notes that all these attributes could have a detrimental effect on an individual. The developmental theory postulated by Piaget illustrates that when an adolescent begins exercising their newly acquired reasoning skills, they tend to jump to conclusions and argue just for its sake, something that I experienced a lot (Byrnes, 2013).
Another critical area of my development was with regards to my sexual characteristics. Other than the fact that my genital organs enlarged, I developed sexual attraction towards the opposite sex, something that my science teacher opined that it was normal. Freud explained this is his psychosexual development, more precisely in the genital phase where he explains that that child experiences instinctual and inundated impulses that play a role in disrupting the much-needed balance between the id and the ego (Byrnes, 2013). Other than the sexual characteristics, my adolescent life was severely hallmarked by turmoil and stress majorly emanating from the thoughts regarding my appearance and how others thought about me. However, this can also be explained by the Freud’s development theory which focuses on the conflict between the id, ego, and the superego parts of the human psychology (Byrnes, 2013). Other than the biological changes that occurred in my body, media also played a significant role in shaping my personality during this period.
Media
Media played a critical role in influencing my personality during the adolescent period. With the 21 st century world more dependent on the information provided by both the mainstream and social media, the broader implication is that it remains almost inevitable for a person to avoid the media influences. In assessing the effects of media, specific vital theories become significant. The cultivation theory fronted by George Gerbner asserts that persistent exposure to media content such as television has small but measurable effects on an individual's perception and worldview. Arnett (2014) illustrated that the social action theory by Anderson and Meyer intimate that mass communication is directed towards an active audience which thereby uses the information to create meaning and perceive the content consumed. The media dependency theory explains that people depend on information from the media to attain their goals and satisfy their needs. Grusec and Hastings (2014) noted that the agenda-setting media theory on its part emphasizes that the media plays a critical role in determining the type of discourse that goes on in the public domain. The arguments outlined help to explain some of the negative and positive influences that media had on me during adolescence.
The mainstream media was one of the fundamental reasons why I was stressed during this period. As earlier intimated, I was getting more concerned with my ever enlarging body and my rough facial skin tone. On the other hand, when I checked the media, the advertisements involved perfect people who seemed to have an appealing skin tone, hair, and bodies. The standard of beauty and appearance seemed unachievable to me thereby leading to more stress on my part. The cultivation theory explains the effect of media in this regard. As noted, the cultivation theory explains that persistent exposure to the media content can potentially change an individual's worldview or perception about the surrounding phenomena. The media, therefore, cultivated in my mind distorted images about the body, something that significantly put me under unimaginable pressure. Part of my development during adolescence was in the area of sexuality. The changes happened both physically and emotionally something that the media, both mainstream and social media played a significant role. The depiction of half-naked people and sexual content had a significant impact in influencing my emotions in this regard. The social action theory explains that media use is directed to an active audience which utilizes the information to create meaning.
However, despite all the negative influences of media, I also received positive impact from my interaction with media during this particular time. The media dependency theory explains that people rely on the press for information to ensure that they achieve their needs. As much as the media greatly influenced my sexual emotions, I relied on the same platform for education and enlightenment especially regarding the risky sexual behavior commonly associated with adolescence. More important to note is that I discovered my sexuality at adolescence and as such, it was only through the media that I could access vital information regarding any dangers associated with sex. Furthermore, the agenda-setting theory explains that it is through media that essential discourses or discussions can take center stage in the social context. Through such instructions, I found valuable information which I related to, hence improving my personality. Such topics included violence, sex, inspiration, and self-acceptance amongst others.
Identity Development
Identity is an essential part of development during adolescence. Erikson provided a platform in his psychosocial stages model in which he discussed the steps that an individual passes as they continue with their life. In what he terms "identity vs. role confusion," the stage occurs between the age of 12 and 18 (Arnett, 2014). The stage involves an adolescent search for identity through the exploration of their goals, beliefs, and values. Another theory was identified by Marcia known as the theory of identity achievement. It debunked the notion that adolescence is a time to experience crisis. Arnett (2014) asserted that Marcia, however, contended that the identity formation has two parts that include crisis and commitment. The trauma experienced in the adolescence period emanates from the need to make difficult decisions regarding one's identity. According to Marcia, an individual has to move through four different statuses including identity diffusion, moratorium, foreclosure, and identity achievement. Strain Theory intimated that the adolescence period is not a time for stress and storm but a time when individual seek adult privileges such as status, autonomy, and money (Sanders, 2013).
Throughout my adolescent life, I experienced various identity problems that almost led me into an identity crisis. In the wake of the changes, it was increasingly difficult for me to comprehend my new role in life and further tailor myself towards achieving my expectations and goals. Erikson in his psychosocial model suggested that those who fail to achieve identity end up suffering from role confusion, something that came about to me as I had mixed feelings regarding my newly acquired values, goals, and beliefs. I experienced trauma because I found it difficult to accept my new appearance which I thought was less appealing than my initial. As such, this was in tandem with Marcia's assertions that which emphasize on the crisis as part of adolescence. As earlier intimated, my adolescent years involved a paradigm shift which involved my desires to enjoy the privileges that adults have. I became defiant to rules at home and school as I sought more freedom and autonomy from my sources of authority. Strain Theory asserts that the adolescents are always concerned with gaining adult experiences something that also happened to me.
Conclusion
From the discussion, it remains increasingly apparent that adolescence is a stage characterized by biological, psychological, and environmental factors that work in unison to develop a new identity. The biological theories explain the physical and cognitive changes that hallmark the entry into puberty. Psychological changes are mainly concerned with how people perceive or view their new self and the resultant worldview. Environmentally, many influencers can impact an adolescent and further determine the type of personality they end up taking. From the discussion, media forms one of the main elements that have a huge implication in the life of an adolescent. The theories of development outlined such as in the discussion reflect the massive changes that I have experienced as I approached puberty. Biologically, the theories have explained my how my physical characteristics such as body enlargement and change in voice came along. Through the application of Erikson and Mercia’s theories, it was possible to highlight the sense of distorted identity I experienced. Also, the media theories have explicitly analyzed how media platforms either positively or negatively affected my character.
References
Arnett, J. J. (2014). Adolescence and emerging adulthood . Boston, MA: Pearson.
Terrie, E. M. (2018). Adolescence-limited and life-course-persistent are offending: A complementary pair of developmental theories. Developmental theories of crime and delinquency (pp. 11-54). Routledge.
Grusec, J. E., & Hastings, P. D. (Eds.). (2014). Handbook of socialization: Theory and research . Guilford Publications.
Byrnes, J. P. (2013). The nature and development of decision-making: A self-regulation model . Psychology Press.
Sanders, R. A. (2013). Adolescent psychosocial, social, and cognitive development. Pediatrics in review , 34 (8), 354-8.
