UNIT FIVE ESSAY: OPTION A: ADOLESCENCE

QUESTION: Do you think that other factors besides changes in cognitive

development may contribute to adolescent egocentrism?
ANSWER: Adolescent egocentrism is a natural aspect of growth and aging when
between the ages of eleven and fifteen, people develop their identity as well as increase
their awareness of themselves. These changes can make someone focus more on
themselves at the exclusion of others and while adolescent egocentrism is primarily
caused by natural cognitive progression, there are other factors. I think environmental
factors might impact this development and would make an adolescent feel like the views
of their parents are the same as everyone else. For example, if you think your parents
thought of you as unintelligent, then adolescent egocentrism can make it feel like
everyone thinks of you as unintelligent.
As shown in the textbook, maturation of the brain tends to heighten selfconsciousness around adolescence and make you think and worry about what others think
of you. (Berger, 2014, p.333). Another factor of adolescent egocentrism is transitioning
from one place to another because entering a new peer group or attending a new school
can lead an adolescent to think of themselves as more significant than they really are.
Thus, there are many factors of adolescent egocentrism and because a major cause is
cognitive development, its inevitable and will lead to adolescents having a larger ego
than they did before.

QUESTION: How might the emphasis in TV commercials on appearance affect an

adolescent's concern with self?
ANSWER: I think the emphasis on appearance in TV commercials could make an
adolescent feel self-conscious about their body. For instance, TV commercials are
generally used to sell a product and its easier to sell something if it shows that you are
inferior unless you are attractive. If youre attractive or not, commercials can make you
feel obligated to buy new makeup, clothing, or even diet pills if they could improve your
appearance. Thus, due to adolescents already being more worried about their appearance,
TV commercials affect them more and can make them feel like they are less of a person
and should improve themselves.

QUESTION: Can you recall any specific instances from your adolescence when
your thinking underwent a change?
ANSWER: A specific instance when my thinking underwent a change during
adolescence would be three years ago when I was 12. Thats when I began to worry more
about what others thought of me and I felt far more self-conscious than I ever did
previously. Aside from being in a crowd of others who didnt even notice me half of the
time, my actual friends and I were always stuck in the counselors office because of their
actions. This often occurred because two adolescents in the group would always get in
petty arguments, or according to the textbook bicker, at one other every recess. (Berger,
2014, p.361). This would make me feel like it was my fault they were arguing. Three
years later I still tend to apologize for things that I didnt have anything to do with,
however I am now making better choices as well as friends.

QUESTION: How might this change have related to your cognitive development?
ANSWER: This change could be related to my cognitive development because I
developed adolescent egocentrism and would think everything that happened was my
fault. Additionally, I was only 12, so I overthought and worried about everything. I would
even feel like one persons opinion of myself was everyone elses opinion. While this
change occurred when I had a stressful social life, I look back and realize it wasnt as
stressful as I thought it was. The main reason my mind changed was cognitive
development. However, after those experiences, I began to form an identity or at least
more of one than I ever did before those occurrences.

Reference list
Berger, K. S. (2014). Invitation to The Life Span (2nd ed). New York, NY: Worth
publishers.