Adolescence: A State of Mind by Karyn Sandlos

Adolescence: A State of Mind

“As with all stages of personality development, adolescence does not start or finish at a particular age, nor does it last for a particular length of time” (Youell, 2006, p. 61). “Educators of adolescents must go beyond merely transmitting curricula if they hope to influence their students’ thinking more deeply; they must share how they themselves think about or make sense of this content. In short, there must be a meeting of the minds if educators are to play an influential role in the development of their adolescent students” (Nakkula and Toshalis, 2006, p. 8). This keyword dictionary of adolescent development was created in Fall 2016 by undergraduate and graduate students in the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Teaching (BFAAE) and Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program in Art Education at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) in the course ARTED 4220/5220: Psychological, Sociological and Phenomenological Approaches to Teaching (with Associate Professor Karyn Sandlos) ksandl@saic.edu To find out more about SAIC’s BFAAE or MAT programs please visit: http://www.saic.edu/academics/departments/arted/ Photo credit, p. 12: Seno, K. (June, 2014). Exuberus Teen Night Green Screen [Art Institute Teens Instagram].

Adolescence: A State of Mind Table of Contents Angst by Matthew Browning Empathy by Gabrielle Thompson Eternally-Transitional by L. Loren Exploring by Cecilia Park Fragile by Emily Silcock-Crowder Interpretation by Kat Seno Mangia! by Rosalia Marzullo Poppet By Janna Nathan Resist by Jordin Hartwig Trial by Marilyn Kim Turbulent by Garrett Leo Augustyn Unite by Kayleigh Weir

Angst

Matthew Browning

Your partner just broke up with you. Your mom took away your phone and grounded you. Your teacher gave you a bad grade. You’re moving. Your parents got divorced. Your grandpa died. You had to get a job. You’re still grounded. Are you a kid or an adult? Nobody can make up their mind. It drives you crazy, until you break. All your emotions are uncontrollably pouring out of you. The anger, the sadness, and the fear, it all overwhelms you. Why do you feel this way? Are you the only one? This is a feeling familiar to many in their adolescent experience. It is a feeling encapsulated by one word: angst. Angst is typically defined as feelings of anxiety, sadness, and anger that are uncontrolled as a result of the confusion of adolescence. Because angst is associated with adolescence, it also has a humorous connotation. Adults look back on teenagers crying about - what seems to the now adult - insignificant things, and laugh. Angst is a time where teenagers often begin pushing boundaries. B.F. Skinner is known for his investigations in behaviorism and specifically the proverb, “the burnt child shuns the flame.” In the state of mind known as angst, teenagers know that the flame will hurt them but come close to it anyway, just to push their limits. Skinner (1968) writes, “What appears to be punishment is sometimes reinforcing; a student misbehaves to annoy his teacher or to be admired by his peers when he takes punishment” (p.182). Often students act out in angst because they want attention; it is a cry for help, in a way; they feel that the whole world is against them and nobody understands. While this all may sound stereotypical, much of it is true to the experience of adolescence, but it is critical not to get too hung up on the pop culture image of angst. Angst is also what drives us to discover things about our world and ourselves, not only in our teenage years, but throughout our whole lives. Nakkula & Toshalis (2006) refer to a continual “becoming”: “[e]ach day and each relationship presents challenges to and confirmations of who we have become, and this is as true of a 55-year-old as it is of a teenager. . . it keeps us aware of the extent to which we are always in the process of becoming” (p. 39). It is easy to see this when angst is compared to travel and exploration. In Stewart Weaver’s book, Exploration: A Very Short Introduction (as cited in Patenaude, 2014, para. 7), he analyzes why humans explore. He hypothesizes that, travel for the sake of discovery and adventure—is it seems a human compulsion, a human obsession even (as the paleontologist Maeve Leakey says); it is a defining element of a distinctly human identity, and it will never rest at any frontier, whether terrestrial or extraterrestrial. Just as teenage kids push their boundaries by exploring and rebelling, adults have been literally pushing the boundaries of what we know about our universe. As Weaver says, adults feel the compulsion of discovery, an urge to push the limits of what we can do. This “adult” exploration is driven by angst. People often explore because they want answers. Humans push science until its limits are discovered, frequently ending in catastrophe. It is as if the world is the parents and everyone on earth are the kids, poking and prodding until they get a reaction. Much like when a kid acts out in angst to be recognized and respected among peers, many adults want to be the “one” to discover something new in order to be revered. Once “angst” is understood outside of its stereotypical depiction, adults and educators who experience “angsty” kids can try to remember how they also want to rebel, in their own way, and then provide kids validation and outlets for those expressions, instead of repression.

Nakkula, M. J., & Toshalis, E. (2006). Understanding Youth: Adolescent Development for Educators. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

Skinner, B. F. (1968). The Technology of Teaching. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.

Patenaude, M. (2015). What Drives Humans to Explore the Unknown? Retrieved from http://www.rochester.edu/newscenter /journeys-into-the-unknown-91212/

Empathy: |ˈempəTHē|

Gabrielle Thompson

noun The ability to understand and share the feelings of another.

As adolescents leave the latency stage behind, and develop a capacity for abstract thinking, they begin to better understand the effect they can have on other people. Despite this new insight, however, many adolescents seem to reject the knowledge that comes with the development of empathy for others, and become openly hostile to many people around them. Perhaps this is simply the adolescent lashing out against their own perceived negative traits that they see more predominantly in others. Often, it is a way of testing the reactions those around them have when it comes to those specific traits. Youell (2006) writes, The need to belong leads teenagers to come together in homogeneous groups, sharing interests, clothing, language. The need to exclude others leads groups to behave as gangs, projecting all the unwanted aspects of their personalities into other groups, who are ridiculed and sometimes actively attacked. (p. 62) Adolescence is a time in one’s development when, instead of trying to relate other people and their actions to themselves, adolescents are trying to relate themselves to others and understand their place in the world. This is largely due to the fact that adolescents are testing out their identities. Nakkula & Toshalis (2006) write, “Youth do not enter particular identity statuses alone, nor do they negotiate them independently… Development from our perspective is promoted interactively within all the relational and opportunity contexts within which we exist” (p. 39). When it comes to interpersonal relationships, teenagers are very likely to form many groups, and they tend to shift between these groups as their development progresses. During the latency stage of human development, groups tend to be formed arbitrarily. Youell (2006) writes, “…cliques or groups are based on gender, age, or neighborhood, or on particular hobbies or activities” (p. 49). Adolescents are more likely to form and shift between groups for different social reasons. The forming of groups can still stem from the more arbitrary things that latency age groups are based on, but adolescent groups are more distinctly shaped by interpersonal relationships. It is the adolescent’s interpersonal relationships, and thus their ability to empathize and be empathized with, that truly shape this stage of development within one’s life. It is a time in which the adolescent is learning their relation to the world and seeing that they are no longer, or never were, the center of it. Once adolescents come to this realization they begin their departure from the solely egocentric way of thinking and truly enter the beginning stages of adolescence. Nakkula, M.J. & Toshalis, E. (2006). Understanding Youth: Adolescent Development for Educators. Harvard Education Press.

Youell, B. (2006). The Learning Relationship: Psychoanalytic Thinking in Education. London: Karnac.

Eternally-Transitional

L. Loren

According to dictionary.com, eternally is an adverb defined as “a way that continues or lasts forever or permanently.” Transitional is an adjective defined as “relating to or characteristic of a process or period of transition.” This leads to defining the root of this word, which is transition. Transition is a noun that is most notably defined as a movement, passage, or change from one position, state, stage, subject, concept, etc., to another. It is a change. Separately, these are two different words, but once combined they create an entirely new word that defines adolescence. Adolescence can generally be defined as a transitional phase of development. Adolescence is a period of time that sits between childhood and adulthood, usually between the ages of 13 and 18 or 19. This definition certainly fits with the definition of transitional as a noun, but transitional goes beyond this. Youell (2006) argues that “adolescence does not start or finish at a particular age, nor does it last for a particular length of time” (p. 61). In short, this process of adolescent development may not manifest exactly the same in everyone or at the same time. Also, there is also no set time when the adolescent transitional phase is set to end. Youell (2006) writes that adolescents have “emotional tasks involved in moving from latency, when curiosity about oneself and about sexual relationships is put on hold, to adulthood, where the expectation is that one knows oneself, has separated to a large extent from one’s family, has established ways of making relationships and is able to tolerate uncertainty and ambivalence” (pp. 61-62). Adolescents are trying to reach adulthood and in this process, they weave in between groups, relationships, and family dynamics in order to discover and transition into the “adult” person that they were meant to be. Adolescents discover and rediscover themselves over and over again by “experimenting with possible selves, and by shifting back and forth between potential identities in different contexts” (Nakkula & Toshalis, pp. 20-21). Yet, even with this continuous development, this sought after “adult” person is unattainable and thus this transition from adolescence to adulthood is actually never ending. Adults are always changing in personality and transitioning from who they were to who they are becoming. This is especially so for artists, who are continuously finding themselves in this cycle of rediscovery. An artist’s identity, and thus their subsequent work, is a representation or part of themselves integrating their own ideas of self image and personal ideologies in a whole. This is the definition of “identity formation” as described by Nakkula & Toshalis (p. 20). This same concept of being eternally transitional can be applied to students, educators, and to people undergoing major events. Another example can be found in the 2004 film Saving Face, where a young medical student must discover herself and her sexuality transitioning from a scared quiet youth to a someone more able to have a same sex relationship. There is also a second example from this film in the form the main character’s mother. She is a middle-aged widow living with her parents, with no means to support herself when she becomes pregnant. Her transition is from a quiet woman who is dependent on her parents to that of an independent person. Adolescence may be the time when this process begins but the eternally transitional emotional cycle that defines adolescents never ends, even after they are considered adults.

Dictionary.com - The world's favorite online dictionary! (2016). Dictionary.com. Retrieved from http://dictionary.com Nakkula, M. J., & Toshalis, E. (2006). Understanding Youth: Adolescent Development for Educators. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press. Saving Face. (2004). USA. Youell, B. (2006). The Learning Relationship: Psychoanalytic Thinking in Education. London: Karnac.

Exploring

Cecilia Park

a gerund or present participle of the verb ‘explore’ To traverse or range over (a region, area, etc.) for the purpose of discovery; to look into closely; scrutinize; examine; to search for.

Youell (2006) writes, “the adolescent is seen as subject to a massive resurgence of curiosity… and a constantly changing set of interests and allegiances” (p. 62). Adolescence is a path for exploring and making many discoveries. For example, it is a time to find identity. Adolescence is a time when youth search for identity and experience different versions of identity development to grow into their independence as a young adult. Adolescents, as explorers, begin to question and see critically the world they live in; they look around their worlds to seek truth and find their place in society. According to Nakkula & Toshalis (2006), “Erikson posits that adolescents must experience a crisis of sorts.” For example, the 1985 film The Breakfast Club depicts five very different personalities of adolescents, who are safe but also insecure in their identities. An example of Erikson’s theory on identity vs. role confusion, when all five are put into detention and confined into a space where interaction with one another is inevitable, they face ‘crisis’. In the process of interacting with one another, each character explores and experiments with different aspects of themselves, and juggles between the tensions of different personalities while trying to find “self”. Adolescents go through a large spectrum of change where they discover and adopt new traits and behaviors. This is where they face the ‘crisis’ that comes with exploring and experience. Nakkula & Toshalis state that adolescents “ask the question, ‘Who am I?’ (p. 18), because they are going through a time where they attempt “to find ‘the real me’ by playing many roles, by experimenting with possible selves, and by shifting back and forth between potential identities in different contexts” (p. 21). The beauty of adolescence is that these explorations and discoveries mold adolescents into their future selves. By exploring and adjusting, adolescents are emerging into adulthood. Adults and educators who want to support adolescent development can consider the word exploring because it suggests a process and a journey. We can be there for adolescents by promoting growth and exploration of identity development, and by being supportive and providing space to explore in the adolescent’s everyday life (p. 17). Hughes, J. (Director). (1985). The Breakfast Club. [Motion picture]. USA. Nakkula, M.J. & Toshalis, E. (2006). Understanding youth: Adolescent development for educators. Harvard Education Press. Youell, B. (2006). The learning relationship: Psychoanalytic thinking in education. London: Karnac. http://www.dictionary.com/browse/explore http://www.dictionary.com/browse/adolescence

Fragile

Emily Silcock-Crowder

As an adolescent, everything can feel like it will fall apart at any given moment. You are walking on a thin sheet of ice that in any second could break and leave you struggling in the knife-like water unable to gasp for air. One minute you have a best friend, the next you have an enemy. One second you are in middle school, the next you are in high school, where what you are going to do in this world is based a piece of paper. Fragile is typically defined as being easily damaged or broken, vulnerable and delicate. This is how the adolescent can view the world and themselves in the world, but also how the world can view the adolescent. When adults think of adolescents, they may think of hormones and rapid mood changes. Any little thing may set them off. Every single subject may be sensitive to the adolescent and any way that the adult approaches it is wrong. Apparently, adolescents do not just seem fragile, but are literally fragile. The 2014 New York Times article, “Why Teenagers Act Crazy,” discusses a study that showed an increased fear reaction in adolescents. Richard A. Friedman writes “In one study using brain M.R.I., researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College and Stanford University found that when adolescents were shown fearful faces, they had exaggerated responses in the amygdala compared with children and adults.” This study both challenges and reinforces the idea that adolescents can be more over the top than they should be. Adolescents may have a heightened fear response, however this does not have to be thought of as a truth for every single person. When you are an adolescent, you are in constant fear of being judged. Your whole world could fall apart at any minute because you are wearing the wrong type of shoe or you did not watch the television show that everybody else is watching. Peer evaluation can be good for students; however, as Youell (2006) suggests, “it is impossible for those involved to be entirely free of being judged” (p. 152). When the adolescent is judged, an overwhelming amount of fear may wash over them. “There may not be any external repercussions,” writes Youell, “but there are likely to be internal ones. Such encounters can never be entirely free from competitiveness and envy, and the accompanying fear of retaliation or feelings of guilt” (p. 152). Adolescents do feel fragile - they are also seen as fragile by adults. During adolescence time moves a lot faster and everything can change so easily. The amount of responsibility has increased dramatically and fear of failure can be overwhelming. However, adults must remember that the adolescent brain is still developing. Adolescents can have a heightened fear reaction and are not just overreacting, and also, this not the truth for every single young person. Yes, as an adolescent everything may seem as though it is falling apart. Adolescence may feel like walking on a thin sheet of ice that may break at any moment. The feeling of fragility is fragile itself, it will not remain. If things do break and fall apart it is important for the adolescent remember that we can pick up the pieces, that all is not lost. For adults and educators, it is also important to keep in mind that even though adolescents can feel as though they are fragile and adults can think of them as being fragile, they can be strong and they can be powerful.

Friedman, Richard A. (2014, June 28). Why Teenagers Act Crazy. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/29/opinion/sunday/why-teenagers-act-crazy.html?_r=0 Youell, B. (2006). The Learning Relationship: Psychoanalytic Thinking in Education. London: Karnac.

Interpretation

Kat Seno

Adolescent development is made sense of through the process of interpretation. Interpretation is the key to theorizing how humans grow physically, intellectually, socially, and morally from birth until death. It is important to develop the capacity to hold multiple interpretations of adolescent development in spite of the temptation to gravitate toward a singular answer for our own comfort as adults (Nakkula & Toshalis, 2006, p. 18). The meanings of adolescence are not fixed in time; adolescence can mean different things to different people. This is particularly true of people throughout their different stages of maturation. Nakkula & Toshalis write, “… the core meaning of adolescent development lies fundamentally in the interpretation adolescents make of themselves and their worlds” (p. xi). The ability to anticipate and reflect upon something is gained prior to adolescence, but early adolescents tend to be egocentric and may be unable to understand that other people see the world differently than they do. If asked to define adolescent development their interpretation would be made entirely in reference to themselves. This is not without value because there is not a single correct interpretation of adolescence. Nakkula & Toshalis interpret adolescent development through the ego crisis that Erik Erikson termed, “Identity vs. Role Confusion” (p. 20). This is a time when youth test their self-image against the identity that is socially imposed upon them. Nakkula & Toshalis broaden adolescent development to include the fact that youth grow alongside adults. While it may be difficult for adults to put themselves in the shoes of adolescents or remember exactly what it was like to be an adolescent, the interaction that adolescents and adults have informs their interpretation of life’s seasons. Age is not the only thing that affects how we interpret adolescent development. Like a mirror, the meanings of adolescence reflect the perception of the viewer. Essentially, it is subjective. There are many evolving and contributing factors that come into play when formulating an explanation. Interpretation itself is a culmination of experience, motivation, prior knowledge, prejudices, cultural perspective, and place in history (Seno, 2010). Change any one of these factors and the interpretation of adolescent development is subject to change also. For example, there are boundaries around how adolescence would have been defined throughout most of documented human history. Stichele and Pyper (2012) write, The differences between adult beliefs about children and childhood in the ancient world and today are highly significant for interpretation. In the modern Western world, child labor is forbidden, keeping children decidedly separate from adults in the cultural imagination as well as in the lived reality. Although often assumed to be normative, this kind of division between childhood and adult life is both culturally specific and relatively recent. (pp. 13-14) There are many interpretations of adolescence, but they are not all of equal value. Terry Barrett (2003) wrote that communities of interpreters are self-correcting (p. xvii). This means that they refine, inform, and improve each other’s perception. It is important that we continue the research into what adolescent development is because it amounts to a better understanding of human potential for growth. A better interpretation means that we, as a society, can offer adolescents a more positive and rewarding experience into adulthood.

Barrett, T. (2003). Interpreting Art: Reflecting, Wondering, and Responding. New York: The McGraw-Hill Company, Inc. Nakkula, M. & Toshalis, E. (2006). Understanding youth: Adolescent development for educators. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press. Seno, K. (2010). The Art Museum and the Construction of Meaning(s) (master’s thesis). Providence, RI: Rhode Island School of Design. Stichele, C. V., & Pyper, H. S. (2012). Text, Image, & Otherness in Children's Bibles. Atlanta, GA: Society of Biblical Literature.

Mangia!

Rosalia Marzullo

man·gia MAHN-jyuh!

My grandfather only spoke Sicilian, but he could ask me one thing: Did you eat? He would bring arancini, cookies, cannoli with one simple instruction: Mangia! Mangia! is the Italian command to eat. Eating is how bodies obtain nourishment, and it also provides opportunity to experience culture, and interact socially. Typically food provides calories and energy. But we eat more than just food. We ingest experiences. Eating occurs with eyes, hands, feet, and ears. In adolescence a hunger is present and must be fed and further developed in order to make this developmental stage conducive to creating a seasoned palate in preparation for life’s endless menu. Mangia! can be incorporated into the everyday language and behavior of an adolescent and those present during another’s’ adolescence in several ways. For example, when faced with new experiences use the word “Mangia!” as a mantra in order to cut into the situation. Approach these happenings with curiosity. “What might this taste like,” ”What are the ingredients?” For those present in the lives of the developing adolescent the word “Mangia!” is a reminder that the adolescent is entitled to experience this time of consumption and digestion, and that their own interactions are a new taste. (Nakkula & Toshalis, 2006, p. 4) There are experiences an adolescent has yet to taste. Nakkula & Toshalis (2006) use “tested knowledge” (p. 3) to address how adolescents test different behaviors and attitudes socially. Mangia! addresses a “tasted knowledge”, metaphorically consuming and digesting a situation, encounter, person, place, or thing in order to allow the body to react and reflect. Tasted knowledge does not promote over-indulgence. Although my grandfather could care less if I ate a five-course meal prior to his arrival, I still had to eat a cannoli…or two, which resulted in a food baby in my stomach. This discomfort is typical in adolescence. Sometimes the adolescent indulges in a behavior, friend, and or action and may later dislike the taste (Youell, 2006, p. 62). At times a bad taste will be left in the mouth. The adolescent is now aware and may be able to avoid the taste again. Mangia! will allow the adolescent to prepare for their future. Lawrence Lewars (2015) in A TedX talk, expresses how students only gravitated towards jobs known to them by the approval of social norms, e.g., lawyer, doctor. By embracing Mangia! students will be able to use this time to ‘taste’ other occupations. This experimentation needs support from adults present in the adolescent’s life. Educators especially should be preparing the buffet table of possibilities. Practicing Mangia! during the time of adolescence allows for the palate to be become seasoned with experience, strategy, awareness and knowledge for their future. Be prepared with cutlery, use your hands, feet, ears and eyes to consume digest. Most importantly, Did you eat?

Lewars, L. (2015, June). Questions Every Teenager Needs to be Asked: Laurence Lewars [Video file]. Retrieved from http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/Questions-Every-Teenager-Needs Nakkula, M.J. & Toshalis, E. (2006). Understanding Youth: Adolescent development for educators. Cambridge, MA : Harvard Education Press. Youell, B. (2006). The Learning Relationship: Psychoanalytic Thinking in Education. London: Karnac.

pop·pet | ˈpäpət/ noun | historical a small figure

Janna Nathan

In the face of adolescence, the character on stage becomes self-aware across a period of time. We watch them find a genre, develop a script, handle an identity that feels to be dangling from strings, masking anxieties and acting out fears in a fit of angst. The adolescent can feel like a poppet, babied to oblivion by the adults watching over them. Adults tug at their strings to structure their program and hang heavy curtains around them, to act as their stage in exploring identity and community. of a human being The poppet is judged against the human standard to be “not-yet-fully-human, not-yetdeveloped, adults-to-be” (Benzaquen, 2001, p. 33.) Adolescents are reduced to their possibility, their projected future, their adult options, not as the humans they are currently. Instead, the plot is always progressing. We watch, intrigued, as the adolescent discovers their passions and unfolds new problems while following a strict script. The curtains pull closed, the adolescent becomes an adult. used in sorcery But the audience can take an intermission to dwell on the character simply as a human, unwavered by the number of years behind them and the numbers ahead. I, Claudia (2004) features an actor experiencing adulthood, but taking time to get intimate with life as a fiancée, a grandfather, an immigrant man, and an adolescent. Every stage and every actor is given a spotlight in their everchanging definition of self. Being in adolescence and watching adolescence are both so much about expectations. In general, the adolescent is expected to complete a long-term to-do list to be deemed successful. School, university, work, payroll, marriage, children – these are things we are taught to need, to want to be content. So when adolescents are watched on stage, they are being watched for stumbles, for trips, for falls when they miss a step. The audience holds on to their seats to see what could happen next, what rating the play deserves. and witchcraft Nakkula & Toshalis (2006) write, “Adolescents are in a near-constant state of constructing their lives. Far from assuming or growing into a particular stage of development, or simply adapting to an environment that determines developmental possibilities for them, adolescents are actively creating development itself.” But in living, we fall when we go off script and take risks. Those moments sometimes define a life more than the end goal - adulthood, in this case. Adults in the audience and backstage, rather than gripping their seats or yanking at the poppet’s strings when they trip, should offer gentle nudges or thought-provoking and encouraging oooh’s and aaah’s from the front row. Every move is a rising action, a climax, and a resolution. We’re not here for a standing ovation at the end. We’re here for each line. Benzaquen, A. (2001). On Childhood, wildness and freedom. Public, 21, 33-41. Nakkula, M.J. & Toshalis, E. (2006). Understanding Youth: Adolescent Development for Educators. Harvard Education Press.

Resist

Jordin Hartwig

verb | re·sist | from the Latin resistere meaning, “to take a stand” 1 : to exert oneself so as to counteract or defeat (something) 2 : to withstand the force or effect of (something) synonyms – oppose; withstand/antonyms – submit; surrender “I can resist everything except temptation.” - Oscar Wilde

With change often comes resistance, and adolescence is a time of change. Adolescence exists between the dependency of childhood and the independence of adulthood (Nakkula & Toshalis, 2006, p. 20). This in between-ness functions as an identity limbo in which the adolescent is seeking a resolution to the repetitive question: Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? This in between period is described by Erik Erikson as the “psychosocial moratorium,” a period in which “the adolescent attempts to find ‘the real me’ by playing many roles, by experimenting with possible selves, and by shifting back and forth between potential identities in different contexts” (Nakkula & Toshalis, p. 21). During the psychosocial moratorium there is often a tendency to resist authority, social normalcies, and peers who exhibit characteristics different than one’s self or group. Adults often see resistance, especially in regards to authority, as a hindrance to an adolescent’s development. This raises an important question: When an adolescent resists authority, social normalcies, or peers different from themselves, are they obstructing their development? It would be helpful for adults to consider that resistance might be a crucial part of an adolescent’s resolution of self. In the latency years and before, we tend to assume the beliefs of those around us as well as the characteristics society deems “normal”. However, adolescents may begin to resist these assumed beliefs and social normalcies. This resistance can actually allow adolescents to determine why they believe something, and why is crucial to resolving who in the repetitive question: Who am I? Who am I? “stargirl” by Jerry Spinelli (2000) demonstrates this kind of beneficial resistance. The novel’s main character, Leo, unintentionally falls in love with Susan Caraway, a quirky girl who is unaware of the “unkind words, [and] nasty stares” that befall her due to her resistance to social normalcies (p. 52). As the novel progresses, Stargirl attempts to be Susan, for Leo’s sake, but she eventually discovers that the only thing she achieved by trying to conform to social normalcies was the loss of her resolution of self. Through her resistance of social normalcies Stargirl resolves who in the repetitive question: Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? This notion of beneficial resistance is important for adults to consider because, as Alex Coren explains, “Rebelling against something is infinitely safer than rebelling against nothing” (qtd. in Youell, 2006, p. 63). If resistance is in fact beneficial to an adolescent’s development, perhaps it’s the responsibility of the adults to construct something, such as authority or social normalcies, which the adolescent can resist.

Nakkula, M. & Toshalis, E. (2006). Understanding Youth: Adolescent Development for Educators. Massachusetts: Harvard Education Press. Spinelli, J. (2000). stargirl. New York: Scholastic Inc. Youell, B. (2006). The Learning Relationship: Psychoanalytic Thinking in Education. London: Karnac Books.

Trial

Marilyn Kim

The word trial is complex, but it generally refers to the effort of testing. The trial is commonly associated with the law and court: “the examination before a judicial tribunal of the facts put in issue in a cause, often including issues of law as well as those of fact” (Dictionary.Com). Other definitions of trial include “the act of trying, testing, or putting to the proof,” “an attempt or effort to do something,” “a tentative or experimental action in order to ascertain results,” “the state or position of a person or thing being tried or tested,” and “subjection to suffering or grievous experiences; a distressed or painful state” (Dictionary.com). In the case of the latter meanings, trial also involves a test. Adolescence is a stage of life, which tests human endurance in every aspect, transforming a child into an adult. In a trial, an individual must prove himself or herself before others by displaying his or her knowledge, identities, and capabilities. High school is a major backdrop for an adolescent life, as well as the manifestation of adolescent abilities. There, science experiments often use trials to test possibilities, all with varying results. Likewise, an adolescent goes through many experiences, or trials, all with mixed results. Every adolescent faces many trials that are necessary to prepare for adulthood, such as the search for independence, self-identity, and responsibility. While forming their own identities, adolescents must “adjust to a changing body, develop abstract thought, acquire more complex interpersonal skills, negotiate new relationships with caretakers and significant others, reformulate a value system, and set goals for future achievement” (Nakkula & Toshalis, 2006, p. 18). The adolescent can also struggle with forming his or her own identity due to outside influences and pressures such as high expectations of parents or peers. One of the eight stages established by Erik Erikson’s theory, Identity vs. Role Confusion, is defined as “building on the experiences of late childhood, the adolescent task of organizing skills, interests, and values into a core sense of self and applying it to present and future pursuits” (ibid, p. 20). The trial contains hardships an adolescent must face in order to reach his or her full potential. During this stage, an adolescent is constantly commanded to renounce childish tendencies and may suffer in order to become a full-fledged adult, physically and mentally. Also, the adolescent truly realizes the harsh realities of the world. Youell (2006) writes “Separation, loss, and change may be painful but are absolutely essential experiences that link with growth, development, and internal strength” (p. 71). One of the popular subjects of pop culture involves an adolescent who must face certain tasks or situations in order to reach his or her goal or growth. One such example is the film, I, Claudia, which tells the story of the title character, a 12-year old girl who struggles with the divorce of her parents. Through this trial, Claudia learns to come to terms with her father’s remarriage. The adolescent must constantly adapt, assimilate, and accommodate their own habits in order to suit all of their obligations and responsibilities, such as chores, schools, and part-time jobs. As a result, they struggle to reach equilibrium in their lives. Through many trials and errors, the adolescent learns and therefore becomes stronger and wiser. According to Youell (2006), “The tasks laid out for the adolescent in psychoanalytic theory point to a degree of psychic struggle and pain” (p. 62). For the adolescent, the trial is a lifetime-changing test full of opportunities as well as burdens.

Nakkula & Toshalis. (2006). Understanding Youth: Adolescent Development for Educators. Cambridge: Harvard Education Press. Trial. (n.d.). Dictionary.Com. Retrieved from http://www.dictionary.com/browse/trial. Youell, B. (2006). The Learning Relationship: Psychoanalytic Thinking in Education. London: Karnac Books.

Turbulent

Garrett Leo Augustyn

The key word I chose to redefine in relation to adolescence is turbulent. I chose a word that could bring forward a conversation about the stereotypical, factual, mythical, and academic meanings of adolescence. Oxford Dictionaries defines turbulent as, “characterized by conflict, disorder, or confusion; not stable or calm.” It is important to make note of the word “characterized.” There is no standard form of adolescent growth to be observed because all people go through experiences unique to them that help shape their growth. As educators and theorists, we can examine the commonality that adolescence, as a whole, shares by looking at what can be observed and recorded. These observations can focus on the habits, tendencies, interests, and overall characteristics of a specific age group that fits into the category of adolescence. Water that is described as turbulent moves unsteadily. As adolescents continue their quest for knowledge, they do not all travel one linear path. Thinking about something as turbulent, as both and educator and as an artist, I think of something that is striving towards an intended outcome without any guidance. Being turbulent is equivalent to fending for yourself emotionally, mentally, and intellectually. Learning from experiences, interpretations and critiques of the systems they come into contact with, the turbulent adolescent begins to understand their own purpose for existence. Nakkula & Toshalis (2006) discuss adolescent identity development using a concept of personal narrative. In the construction of adolescence, humans are actively creating development itself: “Developmental psychologists often refer to adolescent thought as theoretical thinking, it is thought rooted in assumptions about the way things work” (p. 2). Learning through questioning and testing is the foundation for being an adolescent. As they become more interested in learning how their world works, adolescents set the boundaries for the relationships they build. Their interactions with authority figures can shape how they interpret the world and what they grow up believing to be either a part of reality, or something that they can manipulate. Nakkula & Toshalis write, “The accumulation of such tested knowledge comes to define adolescents’ beliefs about how the world works and how they should position themselves within it” (p. 3). Students and teachers should consider turbulent as a quality of adolescence because of its’ relationship to the unknown. Adolescents are often stereotyped as uninformed, irrational, confused beings based on observation of their habits and actions. However, looking beyond that we can see that adolescent observation shows an advanced form of theoretical thinking that the turbulent adolescent may not even know they’re activating within themselves. To be turbulent is to expand past your existence in a predetermined system, often in a manner that is perceived as unsteady or violent. In my life now, I am in a turbulent state of unknowing but I am trying to find a proper place for existence. I am a student becoming a teacher, learning through my observations, relationships, and testing of systematic academia. Youell states, “one of the most important discoveries is who you are” (p. 54). Early in our adolescence we begin to question our purpose and who we are. This ongoing selfinvestigation will change our thoughts for our entire life. Turbulent addresses the changes that we will experience over time, and reinforces the idea that we will go on being. (Youell, 2006, p. 72). As we question the world around us, and our role in it, we continue to be turbulent.

Nakkula, M. J., & Toshalis, E. (2006). Understanding Youth: Adolescent Development for Educators. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press. Oxford Dictionary, Turbulent - definition of turbulent in English | Oxford Dictionaries. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/turbulent Youell, B. (2006). The Learning Relationship: Psychoanalytic Thinking in Education. London: Karnac.

Unite

Kayleigh Weir

/yo͞oˈnīt/ verb: come or bring together for a common purpose or action. synonyms: unify, join, link, join together, join forces, combine, band together, ally, cooperate, collaborate, work together, pull together, team up

I leaned on my friends a lot in adolescence. When parents didn’t understand, it was my friends who were there for me. I had a really strong friend group throughout high school and afterwards. Looking back, I reflect on my own adolescence as affected by the turmoil with my parents, on the verge of divorce and eventually splitting for good. After going through that experience, I see that I responded to it with acts of rebellion, which usually involved meeting up with friends. I rarely felt truly alone throughout high school. A quote from Youell’s The Learning Relationship (2006) that stands out in connection with my definition of unite reads, “As human beings, we belong to groups that identify us, such as our gender or ethnicity. We belong to family units, and we are predisposed to seek out membership in other groups that help to define and give meaning to our lives.” Using the word unite in relation to adolescence calls attention to the importance of linking up with friends as a teenager. When going through a rough time it felt better to feel like crap and hate the world together. Friends can really shape and influence an adolescent as they are learning about themselves and forming an identity. This may happen for some more than others. Although adolescence can sometimes be a time of isolation, it seems that the isolation is usually from the parents. The adolescent copes by drawing closer to and relying more on peers and friends. It is important for a teen to feel they have a solid and supportive friend group to get through the bumpy road of life. It is also important to have a good relationship with parents, but this seems harder to achieve at this stage of development. It seems to be all about connecting with others while learning about oneself through experimentation and experiences. I recall my friends and I withdrawing, rebelling, and having each other’s backs for the most part. Most of us desired to have more support from our families, which resulted in seeking support in our friendships and relationships. Adolescents seem to have an “all about me” attitude, yet they are so often influenced by what peers, friends, and family members think about them. Carl E. Pickhardt (2011), in “How Communication Becomes More Complicated in Adolescence” asserts, “still family centered, the child values the closeness with parents which talking with one another can create. More peer-centered, the adolescent wants more social independence which distance from parents can help establish” (p. 1). Sometimes this uniting factor can be seen in the formation of gangs. Youell (2006) explains, “a gang is anti-thought, anti-parents, and anti-life” (p. 118). Youell suggests how gang members unite against these things and lean on each other in ways that can be harmful. Adolescence is a time to form a balance between friends, family, and the adolescent’s own identity. Nakkula & Toshalis (2006) explain, “we are forever facing incongruities between our internally defined selves and those selves that are defined, confirmed, or denied by others.” Adults and educators interested in facilitating adolescent development can think about how the containing relationship of the peer group can help or hurt the adolescent, while carrying them into adulthood.

Nakkula, M. J., & Toshalis, E. (2006). Understanding Youth: Adolescent Development for Educators. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press. Pickhardt, C. E., (2011, August 08). How Communication Becomes More Complicated in Adolescence. Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/surviving-your-childsadolescence/201108/how-communication-becomes-more-complicated-in Youell, B. (2006). The Learning Relationship: Psychoanalytic Thinking in Education. London: Karnac.