No concentration....

I began this reading as part of a more in depth study of continuity and discontinuity theories about the developmental construction of family (See Santrock, p. 275-276). I am not sure how much I will be able to go into this in my essay but it is important to use this set of theories I think in an examination of the case study, as it looks at the whole idea of separation or individuation, an important step in the construction of an adolescent identity.

Notes on: Adolescents’ theories about the development of their relationships with parents. By Pipp, Shaver, Jennings, Lamborn, Fischer.

• The separation process begins to occur in infancy and early childhood and then continues in adolescence, but the process is different.
• The separation/individuation process takes place in a larger network of relationships. Peer relationships and romantice ties take over in terms of significance during this period. (Erikson,1968)
• Late adolescence is a time where a physical separation may occur which contributes to an increased feeling of independence. (Sullivan & Sullivan, 1980)
• Adolescents retrospectively portray their relationships with parents in respect of the following: age, parent and the self’s or parent’s perspective on the relationship.
• Function of age – decreasing sense of parent’s responsibility, similarity, dominance, independence and size of self with age for the child’s side of the relationship.

That is all I can do for now. I have a HUGE pile of articles sitting in front of me begging me to read them but my mind cannot focus. It is a huge drawback of study that you feel guilt almost all the time...not doing enough. I think I will just wait until the weekend and then find a long stretch of time where I can sit and read and think comprehensively about all the bits and pieces and how they all fit together. At least I read over my assignment and it makes sense...but it is going to be too long and I have to edit, edit and edit some more.

Over and out...