Chris Moa

FHS 1500
Essay 5
Question:
ADOLESCENCE
Do you think that other factors besides changes in cognitive development may contribute to
adolescent egocentrism? How might the emphasis in TV commercials on appearance affect an
adolescent's concern with self? Can you recall any specific instances from your adolescence
when your thinking underwent a change? How might this change have related to your cognitive
development?

Answer:
Adolescent teenage years can be rough for everyone. Theyre going through so many
changes physically, mentally, and emotionally. This can make them vulnerable and susceptible to
egocentrism. During these vulnerable stages teenagers can start to start to feel lonely, and model
what they see from their friends or the cool kids in school. This can be an unhealthy factor that
attributes to the alteration in their cognitive development.
In todays age where so much of our daily routines involve some sort of technology, its
proven to play a big role in our lives. For teenagers these days most of them have a cellphone,
tablet, iPod, or all of the above, (and if they dont they know how to navigate using one of these
devices or a computer). All of these devices are handheld portals that instantly connect them to
all types of social media. What they see on these social sites and even TV commercials of what is
considered good looking or hot can have a major impact of how they see themselves and what
they think they should do and look like. These advertisements and social medias are giving
teenagers the impressions that they have to look a certain way to be accepted by society. Already
being in an unstable stage, they may be more likely to change who they are through extreme
measures to fit in and feel like they belong. They are doing more damage to their bodies that are
still in developing stages to appeal more to the opposite of sex and what others girls and the
media deem as socially acceptable. Girls diet because they want to be thinner, partly because
boys tend to prefer thin girls (Halpern et al.,2005). These girls are depriving themselves of
nutrients and vitamins that their bodies need to fully mature, just to get the confirmation from
their peers.
When I was a teenager I remember being of those people that felt they needed to fit in. It
was such a big deal to me to have the confirmation from my friends and peers that I belonged.
Growing up all through elementary, middle school, and high school as a minority I wanted to fit
and not stick out any more than I already had. I remember dressing a certain way and only
wearing certain brands that the other kids wore to feel accepted. I would get involved in sports
and working out at an early stage to be like the other boys my age that were sought after. This

stuck out to me in the text as it stated that both sexes and in adolescents of all ethnicities undergo
dissatisfaction with their body image. (van den Berg et al., 2010).
One thing that I regret most would have to be putting my family and time with them on
the back burner to spend more time with friends. This changed my cognitive development and
whole way of reasoning with putting my friends before my family. I felt that in order to get their
approval that I needed to be present and seen at hangouts/parties and other activities to remain
relevant. It wasnt until my freshman year that I realized how hard it was constantly seeking
others approval and how much time I not only wasted, but also lost with my family. It was then
that I finally decided that I needed to be happy with who I am, before making others happy and
to not let their opinion of me influence or change who I was. And if it meant losing friends to
keep my sense of self healthy, then that was a sacrifice I was and still am willing to make. We
should never have to change ourselves for others and to keep their company.

The worst loneliness is to not be comfortable with yourself.-Mark Twain

References

Berger, K. S. (2014). Invitation to the life span (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Worth
Publishers.