Adolescent Interview Teenage years can be a challenging time for many individuals. Beginning at the age of 11 through 20, adolescence is defined as a “transitional period in the human life span, linking childhood and adulthood” (Santrock 2009). At this point, the person is no longer a child, but not yet an adult. This makes it a very critical and sensitive time frame for identity formation. According to Erik Erikson, adolescence is marked by the child’s questioning his or her identity during what he refers to as the identity versus identity confusion developmental stage. During this phase, the adolescent becomes mindful of his or her identity and seeks his or her purpose in life, as well as the answer to the eternal question, “who
In this way, they all believe that their culture has influenced their adolescence greatly. By giving them some freedom, their parents are creating an environment in which they can explore different roles and identities. Eventually, I think this will help them develop a sense of self, one that they would be comfortable with and is acceptable. I noticed that their attire consisted of Nike, Ecko, Addidas and clothes that show off Filipino pride and Manny Pacquiao’s clothing. Their style changes with each new fashion trend, and is similar to their friends’ styles of clothing. They all still speak Tagalog, their native tongue, and enjoy traditional Filipino activities and foods. It is nice that they are able to have a bicultural identity, where they are able to identify with their Filipino culture in some ways, and with the American culture in other ways. It seems like they are still in the process of finding an identity, as evident by their constantly changing clothing styles. Now, they seem to conform to the current styles of fashion that is popular among their peers, and has yet to develop their own taste in clothing. In terms of friendships, it amazes me that they all consider at least 15 to 20 of his peers to be their close friends. They believe that they have established a trusting relationship with these individuals. When getting together, their close