Adolescent 1

ADOLESCENT

Jordan Harris
NUR2130
Prof. Bassell
Adolescent 2

In order to understand more about the Adolescent stage of human growth in

development I interviewed a friend’s 13-year-old son, Tyler. In order to help me to

interpret his interview I chose to research and review the work of two Theorists: Erik

Erikson and Jean Piaget.

Erik Erikson (1902-1994) was a German developmental psychologist and

psychoanalyst known for his theory on the social development of human beings (Erikson

2008). Erikson believed childhood is a crucial component in personality development.

He accepted many of Freud’s theories; however, Erikson rejected Freud’s theory that

development was linked mainly to sexual urges and instead focused on relationships to

family and culture in his stages of development (Boree, 2006). Erikson is generally

categorized as a neo-Freudian (Berger 2005). Erikson is probably most famous for

coining the phrase “identity crisis” (Erikson 2008).

Each stage of Erikson’s personality theory builds upon the other. These stages

begin to express themselves over time as genetics and social influences mold a

personality. Each stage is characterized by a psychosocial crisis that is based on

physiological development and the demands placed on a person by their parents and/or

society (Erikson 2008). Ideally the crisis inherent in each stage should be successfully

resolved by the ego so that development may continue. The outcome of one stage is not

set in stone but can be affected by later experiences (Boree 2006).

Erikson’s eight stages are as follows: Trust vs. Mistrust, Autonomy vs. Shame,

Initiative vs. Guilt, Industry vs. Inferiority, Identity vs. Role Confusion, Intimacy vs.
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Isolation, Generativity vs. Stagnation, and Integrity vs. Despair (Berger 2005). I am

focusing on the stage of Identity vs. Role Confusion because it corresponds to the

adolescent stage of personality development. In Identity vs. Role Confusion an

adolescent becomes concerned with how they appear to others. Social relationships

become extremely important at this stage. A teenager needs to strive to develop a strong

personal identity. A successful completion of this stage will allow a teenager to create a

sense of self while staying true to their values. A failure at this stage would lead to role

confusion or a weak sense of self (Boeree 2006)). Erikson believed some adolescents

emerged from this stage with a strong sense of identity while others ended up confused

about their roles in life; however most adolescents would emerge from this stage

somewhere between these two extremes (Berger 2005).

Jean Piaget (1896-1980) is another theorist that deals extensively with the

developmental psychology of children, adolescents and adults. He is perhaps best known

for his work with children and for his theory of cognitive development. His theory is

known as the Piagetian Theory (Brown 1970). Piaget describes four stages of

development in a child’s life. These four stages together help describe and explain how

children think, retain knowledge, and adapt to their environment (Brown 1970).

Piaget’s first stage is referred to as the sensorimotor stage. This stage lasts from

birth to approximately age two. In this stage the infant uses senses and motor skills to

understand the world (Boree 2000). The second stage is called the pre-operational period

and lasts from approximately age two to six. During this stage a child learns to use and
Adolescent 4

represent objects by using both words and symbols, using symbolic thinking. Thinking is

still largely egocentric at this stage (Boree 2000). The third stage is referred to as the

concrete operation stage and is from approximately age six to age eleven. In this stage

children can interpret experiences and uses logic and rational thinking (Berger 2005).

The last stage is called the formal operational stage and begins approximately age twelve

and continues through adulthood. Children who attain this stage cannot only think

logically but also abstractly. Also at this stage children begin to reason logically and not

simply based on emotional responses to situations (Berger 2005).

The interview I conducted was with a 13-year-old named Tyler who is the son of

a close friend. His answers to my interview seem to fit well into both Erikson’s and

Piaget’s descriptions of the stage an adolescent would normally be passing through.

Erikson states that at this age the struggle is between identity and role confusion. Tyler’s

three wishes were to meet Lars Ulrich, a famous drummer, to have success with his own

drumming and to be admitted to the school of the arts for drumming, and peace in the

Middle East. He is trying to establish his identity and his role in the world, and at least at

this moment it has a lot to do with his love for drumming.

Tyler also advised in this interview that he would like to learn more about

national politics; an interest perhaps spurred by the upcoming presidential elections. This

desire to learn more about politics as well as peace in the Middle East seems to align with

Piaget’s formal operational stage in that it shows more abstract and hypothetical thinking

about war and politics and things that do not necessarily affect his small every day world,
Adolescent 5

but rather the wider world.

Tyler says he enjoys school and seems to be outgoing. He says he enjoys meeting

new people and the socialization he gets at school functions and after school activities.

He says he does occasionally feel pressure to dress a certain way or not speak too much

in class, but he says he generally dresses the way he wants and is not ashamed to raise his

hand in class. This struggle to both be well liked and to yet not cave into peer pressure or

let your personality get lost to the mainstream speaks to Erikson’s Identity vs. Role

Confusion. Tyler, like the majority of adolescents according to Erikson, is straddling the

line between establishing a really strong identity and being lost in role confusion.

The theories of both Erikson and Piaget do seem to apply well in real world

situations. Adolescence is a time of searching for one’s identity while at the same time

learning to see the big picture and be less egocentric. Tyler seems like he is making

progress in successfully navigating both of these stages as described by Erikson and

Piaget. I look forward to hearing of his progress in year to come. I told him should he

become a famous drummer I could say I “knew him when”.

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References

Berger, Kathleen S. (2005). The Developing Person: Through The Life Span

(6th ed.).

New York: Worth Publishers.

Boeree, D.C.G. (2000). Jean Piaget. Retrieved April 5, 2008 from

http://www.ship.edu/~cgboeree/piaget.html

Boeree, D.C.G. (2006). Erik Erikson. Retrieved April 5, 2008 from

http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/erikson.html

Brown, R. (1970). Cognitive Development in Children. Chicago: Univ. of

Chicago Press.

Erik Erikson. (2008). Wikipedia. Retrieved April 5, 2008 from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_Erikson