Analysis Of American Teen And Dropout Nation

Introduction: What are the different selves adolescents experience? The selves’ adolescence experience helps their identity development. The documentaries American Teen and Dropout Nation demonstrated how adolescents from different lifestyles deal with their actual self and possible selves in different scenarios. Majority of adolescents from the documentary, American Teen, were middle class who were wealthy or average (Burstein, 2008). The film Dropout Nation consisted of adolescents who lived in poverty (Frontline, 2012). Two adolescents who will be analyzed on their actual and possible selves that they encounter are Marco from Dropout Nation and Hannah from American Teen. In addition, Bronfenbrenner ecological systems will be analyzed to identify if they
Since her mother had manic depression, she found it difficult to live with her, and her father moved to Ohio. Hannah is a senior at Warsaw Highschool. Her actual self was described as being different, expressive, rebellious, unique, and she does not affiliate with any peer group at Warsaw Highschool. She knows she is different from the rest of her peers, and that does not affect her. She behaves freely at school, and she speaks her mind without caring what her peers think of her. Hannah described her ideal self as not living in a conservative state. The adolescent wants to work as a film director in California. She wants her life to have meaning and become someone important. As a result, she has a disagreement with her parents about her future plans. Hannah wanted to move to California, because she feared of having a similar life as her parents. This demonstrated a feared self in Hannah’s identity process. By her moving to California, Hannah was escaping the chances of having the same life as her parents. Instead, it increases her chances of becoming her ideal self. During the documentary, Hannah described California as