Mr. Goldberg, a high school teacher, approaches you (a brilliant adolescent psychologist) regarding two of his students. He is concerned about their behavior and hopes you can explain what is going on. One student, Sharon, occasionally engages in unprotected sex. The other student, Michael, constantly wears pants instead of shorts to hide what he believes are skinny legs. Using the theory of adolescent egocentrism, how would you characterize Sharon's behavior? How would you characterize Michael's behavior? Be sure to justify your answer.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

These two phenomena result from the theory of adolescent egocentrism, which results in two distinct problems in thinking. Sharon's behavior is a classic example of what is called the personal fable. She believes that what she does and what happens to her is unique. She believes that nothing will happen to her if she occasionally engages in unprotected sex. Michael's behavior is related to what is called the imaginary audience. He believes that everyone's thoughts are about him and that they are constantly looking at him (as if he were on stage). In reality, few people will notice or care about what Michael's legs look like.

Key Points:

a) Adolescent egocentrism results in two distinct problems of thinking.

b) Sharon's behavior is most likely an example of a personal fable.

c) Michael's behavior is an example of the imaginary audience phenomenon.