Who Am I?

This is our first discussion and it ends 11:59pm Sunday night, February 16th. In order to avoid having 20 points deducted from your discussion grade, please make sure that you submit your first post by 11:59pm Thursday night.

Please read pages 104-106 for Kohlberg and Gilligan, then pages 98-101 for Erikson’s psychosocial tasks at different stages of life, and finally pages 465-466 for readings on suicide.

Most of us have asked ourselves the question “Who am I?” at one point or another in our lives. Coon, Mitterer, and Martini (2019) discuss the difficulties teenagers face in establishing their own identity: “Many problems stem from the unclear standards about the role adolescents should play within society” (p. 110). Our text also explains that teenagers experience ambiguity, or unclear interpretations when defining their roles. This adds to their confusion of a clear and solid sense of self.

More and more often we are seeing cases presented in the media about teens who have taken their own lives as a result of bullying and cyber-bullying (Wang, 2016). Coon, Mitterer, and Martini (2019) have argued that adolescence is a tumultuous time. However, Karen Horney’s theory explains that basic anxiety occurs because we live in a hostile world. An example is Wang’s report of a suicide by a 13-year-old girl in response to racial and social prejudice against perceived sexual orientation.

How much does emotional turbulence versus social hostility count as an explanation for teen suicide? Or is it a combination of the two?

Drawing upon Kohlberg’s theory of stages of moral development, Gilligan’s theory of caring, and Erikson’s psychosocial stages theory, discuss reasons why an adolescent might turn to suicide. Then, using one of these theories, suggest how to help a teen who has been a victim of bullying.

References

• Coon, D., Mitterer, J.O., & Martini, T. (2019). Introduction to psychology: Gateways to mind and behavior (15th ed.). Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning.
• Wang, Y. (2016). After years of alleged bullying, an Ohio teen killed herself. Is her school district responsible? The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com

IMPORTANT:

1.) 3 posts per discussion
2.) First post must be at least 200 words
3.) Second post must be at least 150 words
4.) Third post must be at least 150 words
5.) First post must be submitted by 11:59pm Thursday

6.) First post must contain at least one source