Assol 2 assignments

ARTICULATING AND TESTING A HYPOTHESIS 1

Articulating and Testing a Hypothesis

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Articulating and Testing a Hypothesis

In my quest for more about the development stages of teenagers, I met Steve Herman. He fits Erikson's development stages, especially the fifth stage, identity vs role confusion. Students or children of her age have various challenges in gaining identity and recognition in their groupings through identity. They also believe that all is well in future regardless of current mistakes, which they never want to be pinpointed by anyone.

I predict that Herman will demonstrate behaviors that resemble adolescents in Erikson's stage of identity vs role confusion. He might explain how he is searching for his space or identity among his peers by participating in different school activities in school, e.g., such as music, club, action and dramas, sports, etc. Herman might portray the picture of the adolescent patterns as described in our coursebook, such as the personable fable and illusion of vulnerability. I will confirm whether he will fit into all these theories and descriptions of who he is supposed to be in his stage of life.

Some of the questions that I will ask Herman regarding this are: Which co-curricular activity do you enjoy most in school? How often do you fail to complete your classwork assignments? Why do you prefer that gaming activity from others? What do you think about schooling? Do you think abandoning school and doing all that you want will harm your future life?

I expect various answers for the many questions above regarding Erikson's fifth stage, identity vs role confusion. I expect him to tell me that he is an ardent supporter and basketball or baseball or football player in school that a team cannot be complete without him. The entitlement they have as discussed in the coursebook under personal fable and in Erikson’s theory at that stage. I expect an answer that he doesn't complete most of his homework in time, and there is nothing wrong with that personal fable. I expect an answer that he prefers baseball as a game in school since baseball players are highly respected and handled well all over the institutions, Erikson’s identity and role confusion. I expect him to tell me that it is okay not to go through school to the end after being famous and earning money from other sources. Also, that abandoning school would neither affect his future or current life since most people live well that way, an illusion of vulnerability.

My participant is a male adolescent in his teens, a sixteen-year-old teenager, Steve Herman, currently in his high school. I have known him long enough as a neighbor though we have not been so close. His mother and my parents are so close; therefore, I could access and assess him easily and develop a good rapport in a short while to aid my research. At that age, I had to seek permission from his only parent to be free in my research with him at the comfort of their home, where I thought will be the most suitable location to get his sincere feelings.

Our interaction took around two hours since I had to drive him closer to me in thoughts and to feel relaxed. The interaction was in their compound, so he had no problems with the environment and other distractions that could make him fail to comply. He was alone at home; his mother had gone to work, but they expected me to be in their compound on a fateful day.

Our interaction was the best; I would describe it as a fruitful and friendly one with no challenges. Herman opened up to me and could not hide anything from me; I got all the information I wanted. I asked him the questions I had intended to, and before that, I gave him an intelligence test aimed at knowing whether he would give me the correct answers. Herman performed well in the test, and I become sure that I was dealing with the right person. I asked him his favorite game and why that, and he said that he plays football and wants to be the team head sooner; the team could not play without him. This proves his importance in the team and the personal fable described in the textbook. I asked him about his preference between playing and education. He said that he prefers sports, and if given a little latitude of making a decision, they would go for sports and ditch classwork as a team, proof of textbook description of the illusion of invulnerability. I also asked about his idea of abandoning school, and I got what I expected as an answer. When I wanted to know why he chose to be a footballer, he told me a story of "Ronaldo of Brazil" and his accomplishments. I realized a role confusion and identity in his narration that supported Erikson's allegations.

When I went to their place that day, I found him waiting for me under a shade within the homestead dressed in football jerseys with his ball beside him; I never expected this. I never expected that he would create this show of pro-football for me. He also answered my questions intelligently with examples that I almost got convinced. In my interaction with him, the whole data I obtained supported my hypothesis and proved the development stage of Erikson and the textbooks description of teenagers’ development perceptions and behaviors. All my questions answered correctly beyond my expectations and in concordance with my hypothesis.

The most exciting information that I discovered in him covered in the text is the teenagers’ ideas of relating most of their discussions, especially with someone like me, around their sexual feelings and body changes. Sometimes he could talk of his girlfriend and give more examples relating to boy-girl relationships. It is evident that at his stagehewant to expose that he hassome opposite gender who love him. I also realized that he enjoyed relationship stories than any other story in his life; whenever I tried to side and talk of the same in getting his versions, he enjoyed and had many questions on that topic. This was so interestinSg in our interaction.