Using personal experience, I can say that more than my mind and my anatomy, the things going on around me from 11-16 were paramount in developing who I am today. If there were empirical evidence for going in between elementary and middle school, and then middle school to high school, this study would be almost leak proof. The differences in the culture, just within a new school, are enough to throw the whole idea of self-worth and self-esteem for a curve. Organized sports are introduced at this age, older students are always around at this point in schooling, and girls are finally being cured of their horrible bout with cooties for all those years. Moreover, all the people you know, around your age, are going through the same thing, so you can’t act weird and not conform, that wouldn’t be “cool dude.” When I was in third grade the highest accolade you could receive was fastest kids on the playground, when I was in middle school it was about having a girlfriend even if that meant having her mom drop you off at the movie theater, and finally when I got into high school the story was who had what party and who slept with that girl. As you can tell from my personal timeline, the importance of the awards never changed (if anything they got dumber with age), but the pressure and seriousness did. So naturally kids that care about who is fastest on the playground won’t care tomorrow, but a high school girl that gets called “fat” or “ugly” or just thinks she is, won’t wake up the next morning and forget. Self-awareness isn’t important to adolescents because the pressure involved with being eight and being the speediest kid in the school only lasts from right after lunch until the teacher calls you in from recess, whereas the pressure involved with looking beautiful for your boyfriend/girlfriend, being the best on the sports team, and getting voted Prom Queen, last from the
Using personal experience, I can say that more than my mind and my anatomy, the things going on around me from 11-16 were paramount in developing who I am today. If there were empirical evidence for going in between elementary and middle school, and then middle school to high school, this study would be almost leak proof. The differences in the culture, just within a new school, are enough to throw the whole idea of self-worth and self-esteem for a curve. Organized sports are introduced at this age, older students are always around at this point in schooling, and girls are finally being cured of their horrible bout with cooties for all those years. Moreover, all the people you know, around your age, are going through the same thing, so you can’t act weird and not conform, that wouldn’t be “cool dude.” When I was in third grade the highest accolade you could receive was fastest kids on the playground, when I was in middle school it was about having a girlfriend even if that meant having her mom drop you off at the movie theater, and finally when I got into high school the story was who had what party and who slept with that girl. As you can tell from my personal timeline, the importance of the awards never changed (if anything they got dumber with age), but the pressure and seriousness did. So naturally kids that care about who is fastest on the playground won’t care tomorrow, but a high school girl that gets called “fat” or “ugly” or just thinks she is, won’t wake up the next morning and forget. Self-awareness isn’t important to adolescents because the pressure involved with being eight and being the speediest kid in the school only lasts from right after lunch until the teacher calls you in from recess, whereas the pressure involved with looking beautiful for your boyfriend/girlfriend, being the best on the sports team, and getting voted Prom Queen, last from the