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2.1 Typical Maturation
Summer before my 5th grade, right around when I was 11, was when my body got attacked by puberty. I believe that my typcial maturation was consistent with the textbook with my height spurt, breast growth, and growth of pubic hair. My menarche also was on time according to the textbook. If I matured earlier or later, I believe I would have been more embarassed about the changes to my body. I would have probably tried to work harder at hiding it while I could. -
1.1 Entering Adolescence
The day I became an adolescence was when I was 11 years old and understood the changes my body was going through, puberty. I had mood swings, sexual maturation, growth spurt and felt a sense of independence because I was embarrassed by my changes and did not want help from other people. I feel that my transitions match of those mentioned on pages 17-18 in the textbook although I did not have dramatic mood swings but I did have some. -
2.2 Niche-Picking
My niche-picking experience would be the time where I asked to be signed up for an art class. I could do sports and I loved reading but I wanted to do something different that I never really done before. I have to believe that being an artist in my family is genetic or a part of our genotype! Once I took the art class, I fit in so quick and was complimented alot by the teacher herself for my ability, especially considering it was my first time. My family started asking me to draw for them. -
3.3 Self-Consciousness
I was very self-conscious of myself. Being deaf I think made it more obvious than others because I knew I was different and would be treated differentlly because of it. I had some hearing friends and whenever I felt out of place about something and thougth it was because of me, I'd as my hearing friends questions to make sure it's not me but something else so I wouldn't feel so self-conscious in the situation where I felt like it. I would ask to make sure so I feel like I fit in still. -
7.1 Transition to High School
My transition was very ROUGH! The text mentions that it is difficult and stressful for many students due to many changes in the individual, family, and school all occuring simultaneously. I agree, wholeheartedly, with the statement. I moved across the country just about two months before I started my freshman year, from one state to another. I knew nobody and had no friends. My family was struggling to fit in which made it worse for me. I was the new girl and struggled alot the first year of HS. -
4.1 Gender-typed Behavior
The text talks about reading and writing skills differences between males and females. Females show performance of outperforming the males in reading and writing. Growing up, my test scores always went through the roof and was always a few grades ahead of the actual grade I was in. They say that the proficiency of writing and reading score was reached more by females than males. I was one of the few that was beyond the proficiency scoring. -
3.2 Differentiation
At this time of my life, I would describe myself with different characteristics based on who I was around at the time. With my family I would say I was shy, sweet, kind, and respectful. While with friends I would say I was wild, rude, stupid and reckless. I felt like my friend's influenced me alot and I didn't want my parents to know so when I was around them I'd behave a different way and to keep my friends I'd behave the way they expect me to. It went back and forth for quite a while. -
7.3 Intrinsic Motivation
My intrisic motivation came from my parents. I had wanted to be independent and make my own decisions for a long time. One day, at school, my teacher was talking about how when we do our chores and do things that make our parents happy and learn to trust us, they will start allowing some freedom and allow us to make some choices on our own that we wouldn't be able to do so if we were younger. I started to do everything I knew they would wnt me to do and my homework and it showed them. -
6.1 Parent-Adolescent conflict
I was 15 years old at this time. I was very awkward with how I wanted to look because I wasn't very girly in how I dressed and I never took extra time to do something special with my hair. One day I did, my parents asked me, "Why did you do your hair like that?" I was hoping they would say it looks nice instead of asking me that so I replied saying, "Because I have two hands that are capable of doing such thing." Later on they said it looks nice and apologized and I felt bad with my reaction. -
4.2 Non-gender-typed Behavior
Boys are typically more aggressive than girls when it comes to physcial differences. However, because I had two brothers and alot of unlces in my family, I wanted to always be out playing wth them and had to learn to suck it up and not cry if I got hurt. It led to me being aggressive in anything I would do whether I was playing with girls of boys. Sometimes the girls would remind me to take a notch down whereas the boys would pick me first to be on their team knowing that I would baby about it. -
3.1 Personal Fable
Being hearing impared has affected me to be more personal fable than imaginary audience. I felt like no one could undersand the way I would feel becuase I was unique in my family since I was one of two deaf people besides my younger brother. I would tell my parents that they don't understand how I feel about any situation even if I knew hearing people would go through the same situation such as a break up. I was determined my heart was broken and that they wouldnt understand any part of it. -
6.2 Companionship
I have had my group of friends growing up. However, there was one friend that I came to consider as a sister from another mother because if a parent had us both, they wouldn't be able to handle us. She was more thana friendship and more like a sister who was willing to spend itme with me and join me in activities. You would always see us together. If you saw us apart, you would ask, "Where's your pea in the pod?" We did everything together unless something came up and we couldn't do it together. -
8.1 Rite of Passage
Looking back, my rite of passage I can think of is the "golden birthday" of turning into sweet 16. It was a time of turning into somewhat of an adult. It was so special that I got my nails done, my hair, picked out a dress, picked my favorite resturant and we all dressed up and went. Then at home friends came over dressed up and we had a BIG celebration. -
6.3 Social Comparison
In my group of friends, we would always have information about someone else in hour group or of others around us so if someone wants to know what's going on, they could fill in the gaps of lack of information about that person. Someone always knew something and it helped us to know what was going on and what was going to happen. It helped keep us close together so we could all help each other in a way and part of it was sharing information to keep everyone in the loop. -
1.2 Emerging Adulthood
The day I emerged into adulthood is the day I discovered I was pregnant in high school at the age of 16. The reason I picked this event is because this event gave me the opportunity to grow up and see life as an adult and get married and focus on my future to be the best for my child. It matches the transition mentioned in the book as to becoming more independent, taking my conflict and working through it, and feeling more like a woman than a child. -
7.2 Transition to College
My transition from high school to college was a much different experience. The text also again talks about possible stress and changes affecting the student. For me, it was a life changing experience where I felt more free than I ever had in my entire life. I went through a seperation with my ex husband and filed for divorce and started college at the same time and I admit that it did not affect me the same way for high school but I felt so independent and grown up and I really enjoyed it.