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Running Head: ADOLESCENT PAPER
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Adolescent
Mieshay Haynes
Wayne State University SW 3510
ADOLESCENT PAPER
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Abstract
In this paper, you will explore the development of my Adolescent childhood, and the experiences
I had growing into a young lady. Adolescence represents the journey of discovery, our society
affect people every day in many circumstances. Some key aspects of adolescence as a
developmental stage are that young people become concerned of their well being, appearance,
puberty, opportunities, and identity. I been through changes and have faced obstacles through a
journey of some distress difficulties as I grew thus far.
Introduction
Growing up wasn’t as easy as it may have seem to everyone else, who thought I was
living the good life, because I had the car or the clothes or the technology. I am the oldest of six
children, so I have five siblings and being the oldest has its advantages as well as its
disadvantages. My mom was a single parent throughout my childhood, so I had to step up and
help with the responsibilities around the household as well as be a role model for my young
sisters and brothers. The experience for me has been a tremendous fulfillment with extreme
challenges. I continued with responsibilities, as I got older reaching adolescent age, I had to get a
job to help with food, clothing, and bills. It was hard for me because I was just a young girl
myself, taking upon big responsibilities before my time. I had the support of other family
members and friends, who was there with me while mom was out working, so that made it little
bit more manageable for me.
Middle Childhood
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My dad was a drug user throughout my adolescent time, so that had an impact on me and
my family. My dad was in and out of jail, in and out of a job, and in and out of our lives.
Sometimes my mom had to work two jobs to support our household, she left running the house
up to me; I had to keep things in order anytime she was out. I was the type that didn’t allow
many friends in our home, so any time my siblings want to play with friends; they had to go
outside and visit them. I was very concerned about the well being of my siblings and the well
being of our home. My dad, being a drug user played major parts with the things I seen and went
through growing up. The violence that took place in our household made it difficult for me to
understand trust. I am the oldest, so the toll of having that responsibility had an impact of the
things I experienced at adolescent stage. With my dad on drugs, with no job that affected my
mom in so many ways, that it affected us as her children as well.
We are children that grew up almost getting everything we wanted and needed, my
mother provided for us to the best of her ability. She was always was working or getting
assistance to help secure our wants and needs. Me being the oldest I got, a more advantage of
things, because my mom needed me. My dad at one point was stealing from his own family, just
to have drugs and get high. He would try and take money from my mom and she would come
give it to me, to hide from him. That was something I never understood at the time, but as it
continued I knew he sick out his mind. My mom at times had to go and get her furniture from
the drug dealer’s house, because my dad was trying to sell it, for drugs. I witness things like that
growing up. Mom and Dad fighting and crying all at the same time, dad was so sick from drug
use, we had to call the police on our own dad at times. Now that was hard, because when he
wasn’t using drugs, things were fine in our home.
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We were well disciplined children; my mom did not play any games when it came to
school, and doing what we were told. My mom made sure we had study time every day, and if
she wasn’t around to insure that, I was next to make sure it got done. My mom gave us anything
we wanted as long as we were doing well in school and looked out for one another. At times my
dad would buy us things, but we would never get to enjoy it, because he would come ask for it
back, whatever it may have been. From money to clothes, my dad would steal from his own
children. That experience right there, have led to selfishness within myself. Growing up, a part of
me was selfish in many ways. Every time I got something new or different, I didn’t want to share
it with my sisters sometimes. So they would sneak and wear my things, if I said no. I wanted to
hold on to the nice things I got for myself, or from others, just because my dad took from us.
Middle Adolescence
As I got older, pass the Adolescent stage, I became a stronger better person with my
selfishness and resentment. I started being a little more open minded to situations, and started to
meet people, that at one point had my best interest at the time, but turned out to be no good for
my life direction. My potential outreach experiences have giving me determination throughout
my years of striving, striving to the next steps in my life. I’m thankful for the opportunities and
experiences that I had being the oldest, because it showed me how to persevere even while
dealing with the demands of life. I’ve lost and it only made me stronger, I’ve experienced and it
only made me wiser. All my life, I had the insight of an adult, even before my time. I had to get a
car at the age of fifthteen, to drive my siblings around as well as myself. I had to cook, clean and
prepare my siblings for a better tomorrow.
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With me also having brothers and my dad not stable, I think that had an affect on my
brothers as they got older, knowing that they needed a male influence to teach them. When my
brothers started to approach their adolescent stage, they were getting into trouble in the streets,
with violence, and drugs, and girls. So at that point a male influence could have changed some
things my brothers faced. My brothers were mad at my dad for a long time, because he was
around, but didn’t take the time to get help for his drug use until it was too late.
I lost a little brother due to fighting and gun violence in 2006, that experience totally put a
hurting on my family, and changed our lives forever. I don’t think any of us really handled that
situation; I still have issues concerning that incident, which I still haven’t faced within myself.
Losing my little brother was like losing a child to me, I helped my mother take care of him, and I
helped groom him into a better man at the time. The lost of my little brother sparked up so many
emotions, of suicide, revenge and wanting to give up. I had to turn to prayer for strength, and
support.
As time went on growing up, reaching into my Twenties, I’ve encountered peer pressure
with friends and in my environment. I started to hang out more, drinking all most every other
day, and started to seek another way of dealing with the pain, due to the lost of my brother. My
cognitive development at my adolescent stage was a period where I was able to think logical and
uncover my intellectual dimensions. Socially, I was aware of the choices that I made, but I could
have made better decisions, and took other directions. As an adolescent with advantages from
being the oldest, we must adjust to cognitive changes that have to occur. Our reasoning will be
tested, through formal operational thinking.
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Piaget’s cognitive development theory emphasizes a universal understanding of our
thoughts, it is important to recognize our variations that occur at the adolescent time of
development. Along with the improvement in my thinking process, I was able to communicate
with anyone directly in any environment. In general, I wasn’t really competitive, or never really
compared myself with people in the community, because we all were a victim of society’s
obstacles.
My personality has developed through the changes I’ve been through. I am an outgoing
individual at times, and socially I like to interact and have a nice time. Me being an individual of
observations, I’ve learned very well through observing my environments and the people in it. It
did not take a lot for me to recognize the things that occurred around me. I always paid close
attention to the roles that people portrayed around me. Growing up, I was told to always pay
attention to my environment.
According to social learning theory, personality development is a principle of
observational learning. Learning can occur by observing others without direct involvement in
the learning experience. The social learning theory combines learning principles with cognitive
processes, and the effect of observational learning. My involvement with certain friends also
shaped me into who I am. I have been around individuals that were always older than me; rather
it was male or female. I’ve learned from socializing with the right and wrong people, I was
influenced by individuals who wanted the best for me and my future, as well as the ones who
wanted to bring me down. I never been the type to give up easily on myself, I always wanted to
follow through with my own self-efficacy.
Conclusion
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My relations with so many individuals helped me build confidence within myself, it
helped me recognize the type of person, I did not want to become. The perceptions I got, from
the individuals in my environment taught me to be on guard with my feelings and emotions.
People can bring out the worst and the best in you; it’s up to you to figure out who has your best
interest. I had the opportunity to develop cognitively early in life, I made decisions in life based
on what was best for me at the time. I’ve dealt with a lot growing; I witnessed hurt and felt pain.
With all the situations I came across, and all the experience I faced in some factors, I turned out
carrying morals and values to into my adult life, with self respect for myself and others.
Discovering yourself is a part of growing up, biological and socially, a human function in any
behavior is to achieve desired ends.
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Citations
1. Ashford B. Jose, Lecroy Craig. Human Behavior in the Social Environment ,
Multidimensional Perspective, fifth edition, (2013,2010)
2. Oswalt Angela, MSW, edited by Mark Dumbeck, PHD. Update: June 9 th (2010) Cognitive
Development: Piaget’s Concrete Operations. Retrieved at
http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=37677&cn=1272
3. Both Environment and Genetic Makeup Influence Behavior By: Michael D.
Breed (Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado at
Boulder) & Leticia Sanchez (Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University
of Colorado at Boulder) © 2012 Nature Education
Retrieved at:
http://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/both-environment-andgenetic-makeup-influence-behavior