Background Information

Person’s Age: 19

Fictitious Name: Georgia

Location: Online conversation

Brief Description: I interviewed a good friend using video chat and asked her questions about her

adolescent development

Biological Development

Georgia shared with me that she was a late bloomer. Many friends and cousins her same

age began experiencing puberty before she did. She noticed that her peers were developing

breasts and were interested in different things while she was being left behind. Her mother was

able to sit with her and, using educational books and images, explain what she would be

experiencing. “I didn’t know what a naked woman looked like!” Georgia told me. I experienced

the same thing: Young women may not know what a fully matured woman looks like.

“Observable changes begin with nipple growth and a few pubic hairs. Soon the body increases in

height while fat, especially on the breasts and hips, accumulates” (Berger, 2019, pg 312).

Accompanying puberty the body’s circadian rhythms change. Teenagers going through

puberty tend to be more energized at night and choose to sleep in late into the day. Another

influence is blue light. “Many adolescents check email or text friends late at night, which

decreases sleep hormones and causes insomnia and sleep deprivation” (Berger, 2019, 314). Other

consequences include mood disorders, nightmares, and falling asleep while doing other

activities. Georgia received her first item of technology, an ipod, at 13. She had it for a year
before her parents noticed how it was negatively affecting her and took it back. She got a

blackberry, not a smartphone, later. She didn’t experience many of these symptoms after that.

Because of religious beliefs, Georgia abstains from sexual relations, waiting until

marriage. This decision has protected her from a lot of undesired consequences and anxieties

many experience that do have sex in their teen years. Unlike 13yr olds observed who were

sexually active who were “more often depressed, rebellious, and drug abusing-” Georgia didn’t

experience these to a major degree and never used drugs at all (Berger, 2019, pg 324). Her

friends similarly were not sexually active which reinforced her decision to abstain. She did not

suffer from any STIs, sexually transmitted infections, nor did she have to care for a child while

going through high school.

Cognitive Development

In our conversation I asked her if she ever experienced or noticed an imaginary audience,

“other people who, in an adolescent's egocentric belief, are watching and taking note of his or her

appearance, ideas, and behavior” (Berger, 2019, pg 328). Georgia was amazed there was a phrase

for that phenomenon. She described how her imaginary audience was made up of the girls she

wanted to be like, the cute boys she wanted to get attention from, as well as the expectations her

dad had for her. She described how she would wear capris, fulfilling the expectations of her

parents, while her peers would wear short shorts while shopping together. In the back of her

mind her audience made up of peers her age critiqued her as she felt out of place because of the

different clothing.

Another difference she experienced in her education was time in a charter school, home

school, and public high school. We discussed how she felt pressure to conform to her peers'
lifestyles in the public school, and how her social life struggled while in homeschool. Though

she didn’t think high school was a great place to learn social skills or to be prepared for many

real life situations, she got a lot out of the education she received. To prepare students for higher

education, “most U.S. schools require two years of math beyond algebra, two years of laboratory

science, three years of history, four years of english, and two years of a language other than

english” (Berger, 2019, pg 342). Georgia benefited from this greatly as she took an ASL,

american sign language, class in high school to fill the language other than english class. She is

now in college studying deaf studies and learning to be an interpreter.

We discussed practical cognition, which is one thing employers are looking for. Beyond

good test scores (Georgia admitted she didn’t test well, so test scores may not accurately reflect

her intelligence), employers are looking for “those who have practical experience, work well

with others, build strong relationships, and are able to think and do, not just look things up on the

internet” (Berger, 2019, pg 343). Georgia said that her time in charter school and home school

helped her develop the ability to think and do more than her time in high school. In her charter

school she participated in book clubs where ideas were discussed at length, juxtaposed to high

school where she felt disengaged.

Psychosocial Development

Georgia and I discussed her journey with the 4 aspects of identity described by Erikson:

Religious, political, vocational, and Ethnic. She was very confident in her religious and

vocational identities. She described how her family taught her gospel truth and helped her live

those standards through her childhood and teen years by setting rules and expectations. While

many adolescents identify with the religion of their childhood, often their attendance at places of
worship gradually decreases (Berger, 2019, pg 351), but this is not the case with Georgia. She

told me of times she went shopping with those that did not share the same beliefs or standards.

She often felt the imaginary audience and pressure to do what they were doing, but she thought

to herself “My beliefs make me happy”. She lives her beliefs and it brings her great confidence.

She found a passion in high school learning ASL and about deaf culture, and this gave

her vocational confidence as well. She is now planning to study deaf and blind studies as she

pursues higher education. She said many people ask her how she found what she wanted to do.

Not so many people are confident with their choice of career. She said simply she felt a call to do

something where she could care for others and do good, and this line of work called to her.

Like all teenagers, she has had experiences with sadness and depression. A time where

this peaked was when she was 13. She had an instagram account and at the time was suffering

from a health condition. It was a time where she was left ruminating, “Talking about, brooding,

an dmentally replaying past experiences' ' (Berger, 2019, pg 367). This combined with the

egocentric thoughts that came by comparing her life to those seen on social media sent her into a

downward spiral. It wasn’t until after that ipod was taken away that there was a dramatic shift

back to her happier self.

Georgia’s parents have played a big role in her life and have been wonderful influences

for her. Specific aspects of parent child relationships have been identified, namely

communication, support, connectedness, and control. Georgia’s parents had very open

communication with her. Her mother would sit with her and openly discuss topic such a sex and

puberty and close with and invitation to ask her any questions if they came up. It was Georgia’s

mom that suggested she took an ASL class and supported her through it. Her parents have

control over their family, but it does not seem to undermine her independence. Their control
looks like setting expectations and rules for the family that would protect them. Their family

connects and are emotionally close because of the activities they enjoy together, such as religious

worship and watching movies.

References:

Berger, K. S. (2019). Invitation to the life span (4th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.