Reflecting on my own adolescent experience (1)

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ADOLESCENT EXPERIENCE 1 Reflecting on my own adolescent experience M. Ed. Program Scholar University of the People EDUC 5420 Sushma Murthy 22/11/2023 Part 1: A Discussion of Your Personal Experience During Adolescence.

ADOLESCENT EXPERIENCE 1 During my adolescent years, my life (like so many others), was characterized by a tumultuous journey of self-discovery. The central struggle was around my growing understanding of sexuality, as I realized that I was not attracted to the opposite sex. I had a lot of internal conflict as I went through periods of self-despise and a deep need for self-acceptance. I experienced an extreme loneliness which stemmed from a lack of guidance and people I trusted to confide in; which was not made easier by the fact that I had a fear to share my feelings with anyone. In terms of family dynamics, the relationship I had with my mother was complex; we often had arguments and had a difficult time understanding one another. I found comfort in the relationships I had with my father and younger brother. The bond I had with my brother was special, no words could do it justice and I never understood I lucky I was until I didn’t have it anymore. Concerning peer relationships, I had a small group of friends that I spent a great amount of time with outside of school. The school environment was not as pleasant as I felt like an outsider, in a primarily Christian, straight and cisgendered group. The isolation I felt because of that exacerbated my struggles with my identity. I can acknowledge that my attitude during this trying time led to me being quite difficult to deal with at home. I was angry all the time, with frequent emotional outbursts and often it was directed at my mother. At school I was able to control my emotions better as I wanted to avoid being seen as different, since I already struggled with that internally. I had a strong desire to obtain academic success, by getting accepted to study Sport Science at university. At the same time, I was fully committed to the Gauteng women’s cricket team since I had a dream of eventually playing for the South Africa side. I was also trying to

ADOLESCENT EXPERIENCE 1 maintain my long-distance relationship that had the common challenges of a teenage romance whilst going through puberty. As with most other teenagers, there were a range of factors influencing my overall experience during my adolescents; ranging from my gender, sexuality and the strained relationships I had with my family. Not getting into university and trying to make a relationship work were also huge stressors in my life. These challenges were all noticeable during my adolescent years and was the start of my path to true self-discovery. Part 2: A Discussion Connecting Your Personal Experiences to Theory Erik Erikson’s fifth stage in his psychosocial theory is identity vs role confusion, which occurs during the ages of 12-18. During this stage individuals explore their identity, social roles, morals and beliefs in terms of relationships and social presumptions. If an individual can successfully resolve the internal conflict it can lead to a clearly defined identity (Mcleod, 2023). My adolescence was marked by an inability to accept my sexuality and not understanding where I belonged which is what Erikson described as identity formation during the identity vs role confusion stage. Urie identified four interconnected systems that influence how an individual develops: 1. Microsystem: The immediate environment an individual lives in; which includes their family, school, peers and direct interactions someone might encounter. 2. Mesosystem: This includes the connections that occur between parties in the microsystem; e.g., the relationship between an individual’s school and their family. 3. Exosystem: These involve all the external factors that indirectly influence a person’s development; e.g., a parent’s workplace can influence their child’s development.

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ADOLESCENT EXPERIENCE 1 4. Macrosystem: These involve a community's social values, traditions and laws. This system directly influences other systems (Rose & Tudge, 2013). During my adolescence all these systems came into play and affected my family relationships, friendships and societal (assumed) expectations. The confusion I had surrounding my identity and self-acceptance were by-products from these systems interacting with one another. Part 3: A Discussion of Educational Implications By connecting my personal experience to Erikson’s psychosocial theory and Bronfenbrenner's bioecological theory it increases my understanding of the adolescent experience; allowing me to contextualize specific student struggles and developmental challenges. An awareness of the foundational psychological processes, social dynamics and environmental impacts is acquired once an individual links personal experiences to a theory. The knowledge gained from linking personal experiences to known theories can be invaluable to teachers, counsellors and support staff at school working with adolescents. I can implement the following strategies at my school with the information I have acquired: • Personalize support strategies: By comprehending the theories and the challenges in particular developmental changes I will know more precisely what an individual needs navigating that stage. E.g., students in the identity vs role confusion stage might require further support in self-discovery and self-acceptance. • Fostering an inclusive environment: By acknowledging how different systems (bioecological theory) can influence a student, I can create a safe and inclusive environment that will hopefully make students feel welcomed and accepted to be who they are.

ADOLESCENT EXPERIENCE 1 • Provide support and resources: By making sure I understand the psychosocial and bioecological influences on an adolescent's development I will be in a better position to provide personalized support. In my classroom I will encourage open and honest conversations around identity, offer counselling or inform students where they can get the necessary help and information they need. References Mcleod, S. (2023). Erik Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development. Simply Psychology . https://www.simplypsychology.org/erik-erikson.html Rosa, E.M., & Tudge, J. (2013). Urie Bronfenbrenner's theory of human development: Its evolution from ecology to bioecology. Journal of Family Theory and Review, 5 , 243- 258. https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Urie-Bronfenbrenner%27s-Theory-of- Human-Development%3A-Rosa- Tudge/5ad78d042a25ab1c40f7ad12f034e7f019951c62

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