Emotional and Social Development Observation - Essay Example

I chose club as the location to conduct my observation out of the recognition that this is a place that teenagers visit. My observation centered on two young girls progressing through early adolescence. This emanates from the fact that adolescent undergoes through dramatic changes. My core focus centered on social (psychosocial) changes including a shift in allegiance, pre-occupation with themselves, and yearning to be accepted.A healthy and stable self-image is essential for healthy adolescent development and problems that may manifest during the formation of a positive sense of self indicates considerable correlation with disturbed family and peer relationships; incidence of mood instability and depression; risky sexual; crime, and substance abuse.

Characteristics of early adolescence years include physical changes; social changes; emotional changes; and, cognitive. In terms of group alignment and social belonging, early adolescent stage is largely about identity formation, as well as group cohesion.The observed psychosocial changes included erratic and inconsistent behavior, and increased anxiety, which may be real or imagined. The subjects also manifested a strong preference towards active, rather than passive, learning activities and interacting with peers.

Most importantly, the teens demonstrated an increased sense of grandiosity and invulnerability highlighted complete disregard or anticipation of danger or foresee negative consequences that may emanate from risky sexual behaviors.# 4 Interpretation of the observed behaviorThe cognitive changes that manifest at adolescent years include curiosity and exhibition of a strong willingness to learn they are useful. The teens demonstrated a strong motivation to “push the limits” and “push their bodies and rules” encapsulated by feelings of larger than life.

The exhibited behaviors indicated that the two teens were encountering challenges in discovering who they are as they cease to defining self by their peers. Identity formation in adolescence is pertinent since this is the first time in which physical development, social expectations, and cognitive skills coincide to allow young people to synthesize their childhood identifications and construct a viable pathway into adulthood (Bjorklund, 2012).# 5 Theoretical Explanations for the BehaviorThe observed behavior can be explained by psychosocial theory.

The model posits that emotional development goes through a series of crises within which individuals must complete conflicting tasks so as to sustain a developmental trajectory. The theory outlines eight stages that individuals must pass through in order to develop healthily, from infancy to late adulthood. In every stage, individuals confronts, and, in successful, masters new challenges. Every stage depends on the successful completion of earlier stages, failure to which problem may reappear in the future (Taubenheim, 1979).

The identity process does not essentially start or end with adolescence, but rather starts with the self-object differentiation at infancy and