chapter 2 Chapter 2

Especially after the pandemic, high school was the opportunity for both twins to learn how to maintain balance in their lives.

According to psychologist Abraham Maslow, the human hierarchy of needs, from top to bottom, includes: self-actualization, esteem needs, love and belonging, safety needs, and physiological needs. It is especially hard for high schoolers to differentiate between esteem needs and self-actualization. In fact, Maslow divided esteem into two subcategories: “The esteem a person has for themselves, or selfesteem, and the respect they desire from others.” Self-actualization, on the other hand, comprises “A person knowing themselves, understanding their full potential, and reaching it.” (West)

There are many specific instances throughout the course of adolescence where these two concepts become intertwined with one another. In Julie and Luc’s lives the confusion of both concepts appears more often when both are under pressure. During the first semester of school, Luc wakes up early in the morning and makes his way just down the street to class. Right after the last bell rings, and sometimes before, he rushes straight to soccer practice or a game which lasts until about 7pm. Finally, after a long day, he begins his homework. Additionally during the second semester Luc juggles track practice after school which lasts until about 5:30pm, and club soccer practice. Finally Luc arrives home around 8. On the flip side, Julie drives to school around 8 or that characterized us evolutionarily, but for a need (Sreenivasan and Weinberger).

9am and is home close to 4:45pm where she works on homework for a small amount of time before heading off to practice. She returns home around 8pm, to finish up some details on her assignments. Clearly, both students have a lot on their plate, and this can lead to causing both to overextend their schedules. Julie spends her time attacking a pile of homework or trying to fit in friends as a secondary priority. Luc comes home exhausted after a two sport combo and tries not to fall asleep in order to meet a deadline. Both find equal amounts of relief after completion of homework/practice and both like to have the same feeling when their friends laugh at their jokes. For these twins they can have the best of both worlds, but at what cost does it become too much to handle?

During our interview I asked Luc about pressure to perform that can be felt from sports, friends, and school. His response left me wondering how many young student athletes feel this way behind closed doors. He shares “At least my parents, probably other people’s parents [too], go to time management” as being a key reason why it’s difficult to finish tasks. Luc elucidates his side of the story. He explains that “I just don’t think that even with really good time management if you still have sports for four hours after school, both club soccer and track for me” (L. Bortolato). His statement shows that good time management isn’t enough. Overall exhaustion requires a break that time management can’t fix.