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Erikson's Eight Stages Of Childhood

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The current assignment required an interview with a child between the ages of five and 18. The following are responses to an interview conducted on Sunday, March 15th, 2015 in the early afternoon. The interview was conducted in the home of the interviewed individual, specifically, in the living room/ dining area. During the interview family was in the home although only one family was present throughout the duration of the interview. The adolescent interviewed for this assignment is a 16 year old female (adolescent) and will be referred to as Heather Elizabeth, a pseudonym chosen by the individual. Heather Elizabeth is a16 year old female who currently attends High school as a junior in LA County. Heather Elizabeth is one of four children, …show more content…
The crisis proposed to the adolescent during this stage is identity formation versus identity diffusion. Erikson identified two key areas in which identity forms, crisis or exploration and commitment. Exploration is when the adolescent actively engages in opportunities in life, while evaluating parental choices and possibilities prompted through exploration. Commitment is expressed through the involvement and dedication to goals, values, beliefs and future expectations. During the interview conducted certain questions were asked and with the answers provided I believe Heather Elizabeth is in the process of identity achievement. The following is an example of how I came to this conclusion: When I asked Heather Elizabeth what she would like to be when she grew up, she responded very easily and quickly. “When I grow up I would like to want to go to go culinary school to become a chef and a baker. Eventually I want to open up my own business with a business degree. I’ve wanted to that since I was little.” When asked how she could attain this goal she replied, “My parents have always pushed me to do well in school, not to follow in their footsteps but to follow my own and be better.” As you can see Heather Elizabeth expresses clear commitment to her goals for her future occupation. You can also see she is actively engaged in attaining these goals by staying focused on her education …show more content…
Heather Elizabeth expressed great emphasis on her familial relationships especially within her immediate family in the home. During the interview when prompted about family, Heather Elizabeth said, “In the end family is all you have.” Her answer prompted me to think about Piaget and the driving force behind his theory of cognitive development, maturation. At the age of 16, Heather Elizabeth is in the stage Piaget refers to as formal operational where a more complex thought process is occurring. Although Heather Elizabeth did not elaborate on how she came to that conclusion (possibly through hypothetical-deductive reasoning) at the age of 16 peers become a very influential and significant part of life. One significant peer- familial relationship Heather Elizabeth expressed was with Jennifer (her older sister) because they are very close. Heather Elizabeth said, “Were only a year and six months apart. I think that really helps. We mess around. We kind of do everything together but sometimes we don’t. She’s really hyped. We bonded a lot when we played softball and little league together.” I believe because Heather Elizabeth and her sister are so close in age they do more peer influencing on each other rather than outside peer influences. Furthermore, it led me to conclude Heather Elizabeth has a strong foundation in familial values, beliefs and

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