Kate James

FHS 1500
Mark Jarvis
2 November, 2015
Adolescence Interview
Bio
During my interview, I asked Kylee about growth spurts because they are usually latent
during middle childhood then pick up in adolescence. In the textbook, a growth spurt is defined
as the relatively sudden and rapid physical growth that occurs during puberty (Berger, 2014 p.
326). The interviewee said that her growth spurts were pretty steady until she hit puberty then
they shot up, which was about age thirteen. She said they came at least once a year beginning in
about fifth or sixth grade and she would be growing so rapidly, her limbs ached and it became a
very painful experience. She said they do not happen as often as they do now, luckily. She also
said she suffered from more acne along with the beginning of puberty and it worsens during her
monthly menstrual cycle.
I also asked questions about her sleep cycle because most teens do not get the amount of
sleep they need to be at their best the next day. She said she gets the average eight to ten hours
of sleep each night, but naps are her killer. She said she takes one to two four hour naps a week
which makes it so she can not fall asleep as well as she usually can that night. Kylees circadian
rhythm becomes all over the place when she takes multiple four hour naps a week. The textbook
defines circadian rhythm as a day-night cycle of biological activity that occurs approximately
every twenty-four hours, (Berger, 2014 p. 322). Kylee said she usually starts feeling tired
around seven at night but does not go to bed until ten or eleven. That is interesting to me
because why would you not sleep? I know I would be but she knows it would screw up her
circadian rhythm if she did go to bed as early as seven.

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Psycho
I have studied that most girls do not do as well in math and science in high school as they
did in elementary school so I asked Kylee if this applies to her. Kylee said that she was better at
picturing things described to her in math and science, but overall she is better at the subjects than
she was in elementary school. I believe the cause to this would be incremental approach to
intelligence which the book defines as an approach to understanding intelligence that holds that
intelligence can be directly increased by effort; those who subscribe to this view believe they can
master whatever they seek to learn if they pay attention, participate in class, study, complete their
homework, and so on, (Berger, 2014 p. 341). She told me that she had a harder time paying
attention when she was younger, but now she wants to succeed and get better grades so she
works hard to discipline herself to do so.
I also asked Kylee about what she thinks about, specifically about imaginary audience.
Berger defines imaginary audience as, the other people who are watching and taking note of
his or her appearance, ideas, and behavior. This belief makes many teenagers very self
conscious, (Berger, 2014 p. 333). When I was in junior high and high school, I would feel like
everyone knew when I had a zit or that I spilled a little bit of chocolate milk on my shirt during
lunch. Kylee felt like people were watching her, but not in the same way. She said she feels like
people are watching her do things, not necessarily when things happen to her.

Social
In Adolescence, there are two types of friend groups. The first is called a crowd which is
defined as, a large group of adolescents who have something in common but who are not
necessarily friends, (Berger, 2014 p. 365). The second is called a clique which is, a group of

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adolescents made up of close friends who are loyal to one another while excluding outsiders,
(Berger, 2014 p. 365). Kylee did not fit into either of these, which was interesting. I asked her if
all her friends were from elementary school or if they were all new people. She told me that she
has a lot of friends from elementary school still, but she likes to branch out and meet new people.
A lot of teens stay within their cliques and do not expand if they do not have to, but this is not the
case for Kylee. Being motivated to make new friends is a very impactful skill that will help her
in the workplace and when she is in other social settings so good for her.
Another thing we talked about was identity achievement, which the textbook defines as,
Eriksons term for the attainment of identity, or the point at which a person understands who he
or she is as a unique individual, in accord with past experiences and future plans, (Berger, 2014
p. 356). Kylee feels she has not discovered herself yet, but she is on the road to getting there.
She has similar choices as her parents, but she does not want to marry as young or have as small
as a family when she becomes an adult.