Personal and Social Identity-Media Analysis
With reference to the film “Puberty Blues”, a recent film of your own choice concerning adolescent themes and your micro world experiences, explain continuities and changes in the adolescent experience through time.
Adolescence is a social construct, a term given meaning by a particular society; generally speaking, the ‘westernised’ societies like the United States, Great Britain and Australia. Adolescence is a transitional period from childhood to adulthood, where developmental changes are occurring. It is a time of physical, social, emotional, sexual, spiritual and moral change. The adolescent experience is different for all individuals, a sense of self identity and belief is instilled and not one person is the same, nonetheless, everyone goes through this stage. However, over time, generations have experienced a change in social values but also continuities have remained in this transitional process.
The socialisation process is integral in becoming a member of society. Socialisation refers to the lifelong process of learning to become an accepted member of society. It involves internalising the values and norms of society, and making possible the transmission of culture from one generation to the next. This process begins from birth with our primary socialisation agents as our family but as we develop and get older, our peers become the focus of our socialisation. Although through our life changes requiring alternate needs, peers cannot replace family. An apparent example of the importance of family in our lives, especially during young adolescence when your identity and beliefs are being shaped, is the film “Stepmom”. The basic plot of “Stepmom” is it follows the relationship between a divorced husband with his new wife and his ex-wife and their...