Life in Context – The Developmental Analysis of Dwayne Hoover
The most important developmental task adolescents’ face is the formation of a sense of identity (Erickson, 1968). Identity is a powerful construct, it aids in finding life paths and in making decisions (Schwartz et al., 2011) it defines who people are, and is constructed in the context of the environment around them, and their interactions with society (Erickson, 1968; Ibáñez-Alfonso, Sun, & Van Schalkwyk, 2016). However, identity formation does not happen neatly (Marcia, 1966) and the present essay examines the character Dwayne Hoover as his search for identity as his character develops throughout the movie Little Miss Sunshine.
Character Description
Dwayne is an adolescent, …show more content…
These norms guide people’s behaviour and they learn what is expected of them (Mahalik et al, 2003). Outwardly, Dwayne shows a distaste for the society he has developed within and the social norms inflicted on him however, he has not rejected all social norms, the macrosystem in which he is developing has a great deal of influence on his identity (Bronfenbrenner, 1986). The societal norm of success largely influences Dwayne. This norm is epitomised by his stepfather who emphases the culture of achieving individual success. This influences Dwayne’s development and identity search, he wishes to pursue a career flying planes, he has formed his identity around this. He shows incredible dedication to this undertaking his vow of silence and working out continually in an attempt to be successful. The true extent of the influence of this norm on his identity is clear when he discovers he is colour blind, he is devastated as he can no longer be successful in pursuing his chosen career. His identity was embedded in the success of his future employment (Giuntoli et al., 2014), therefore without his career goal Dwayne sees himself as a failure which conflicts with the societal need to succeed. Dwayne also conforms to societal gender norms, the rules that guide masculine behaviour by working out and aspiring to join the army and getting a career (Mahalik et al., 2003). The third social norm evident is beauty. Dwayne …show more content…
He can no longer conform to the norm of success or careers, this leaves him in a second state of identity crisis, he moves from a foreclosed identity to a moratorium state. While in this state he remains dejected, depressed, and searching for another identity (Luyckx et al., 2006). After Dwayne breaks his vow of silence it enables him to communicate more effectively with those in his microsystem. We see that he developed a caring relationship with his sister and his uncle, through this Dwayne builds relationships with his family that are essential for healthy development (Beyers & Goossens, 2008). Dwayne resolves his life stage crisis after a talk with his uncle; his identity resolution is facilitated by this relationship as previous research suggests identity formation is facilitated within the context of relationships (Grotevant & Cooper, 1986; Beyers & Goossens, 2008). Dwayne reaches the ‘achievement’ stage of identity (Marcia, 1966) he vows to find a way to pursue his career achievement results in psychological wellbeing, this can be seen by Dwayne smiling as the family return
The most important developmental task adolescents’ face is the formation of a sense of identity (Erickson, 1968). Identity is a powerful construct, it aids in finding life paths and in making decisions (Schwartz et al., 2011) it defines who people are, and is constructed in the context of the environment around them, and their interactions with society (Erickson, 1968; Ibáñez-Alfonso, Sun, & Van Schalkwyk, 2016). However, identity formation does not happen neatly (Marcia, 1966) and the present essay examines the character Dwayne Hoover as his search for identity as his character develops throughout the movie Little Miss Sunshine.
Character Description
Dwayne is an adolescent, …show more content…
These norms guide people’s behaviour and they learn what is expected of them (Mahalik et al, 2003). Outwardly, Dwayne shows a distaste for the society he has developed within and the social norms inflicted on him however, he has not rejected all social norms, the macrosystem in which he is developing has a great deal of influence on his identity (Bronfenbrenner, 1986). The societal norm of success largely influences Dwayne. This norm is epitomised by his stepfather who emphases the culture of achieving individual success. This influences Dwayne’s development and identity search, he wishes to pursue a career flying planes, he has formed his identity around this. He shows incredible dedication to this undertaking his vow of silence and working out continually in an attempt to be successful. The true extent of the influence of this norm on his identity is clear when he discovers he is colour blind, he is devastated as he can no longer be successful in pursuing his chosen career. His identity was embedded in the success of his future employment (Giuntoli et al., 2014), therefore without his career goal Dwayne sees himself as a failure which conflicts with the societal need to succeed. Dwayne also conforms to societal gender norms, the rules that guide masculine behaviour by working out and aspiring to join the army and getting a career (Mahalik et al., 2003). The third social norm evident is beauty. Dwayne …show more content…
He can no longer conform to the norm of success or careers, this leaves him in a second state of identity crisis, he moves from a foreclosed identity to a moratorium state. While in this state he remains dejected, depressed, and searching for another identity (Luyckx et al., 2006). After Dwayne breaks his vow of silence it enables him to communicate more effectively with those in his microsystem. We see that he developed a caring relationship with his sister and his uncle, through this Dwayne builds relationships with his family that are essential for healthy development (Beyers & Goossens, 2008). Dwayne resolves his life stage crisis after a talk with his uncle; his identity resolution is facilitated by this relationship as previous research suggests identity formation is facilitated within the context of relationships (Grotevant & Cooper, 1986; Beyers & Goossens, 2008). Dwayne reaches the ‘achievement’ stage of identity (Marcia, 1966) he vows to find a way to pursue his career achievement results in psychological wellbeing, this can be seen by Dwayne smiling as the family return