conflict with personal code of ethics. For example, individuals at this age might participate in a protest march for a cause rather than adhere/ conform to college norm. Adolescents also develop a special kind of egocentrism. According to David Elkind, imaginary audience and personal fable are two components of adolescents’ egocentrism.
Imaginary audience is adolescent’s belief that others are as preoccupied with them as they are about themselves. They imagine that people are always noticing them and are observing each and every behaviour of theirs. Imagine a boy who thinks that all will notice the ink spot on his shirt, or a girl with a pimple feels, all people would think how bad her skin is. It is this imaginary audience, which makes them extremely self-conscious.
The personal fable is part of the adolescents’ egocentrism that involves their sense of uniqueness. Adolescents’ sense of uniqueness makes them think that no one understands them or their feelings. For example, an adolescent girl thinks that none can sense the hurt that she feels because of being betrayed by a friend. It is quite common to hear the adolescent say to the parents; ‘you don’t understand me’.
To retain their sense of personal uniqueness they may weave stories filled with fantasy around them to create a world that is away from reality. Personal fables are often part of adolescent diaries. Forming an Identity : You must have sought answers to questions such as : Who am I? Which subjects should I study?
Do I believe in God? The answers to all these questions involve the quest to define one’s sense of self or the search for identity . Identity is who you are and what your values, commitments and beliefs are . The primary task of adolescence is to establish an identity separate from the parents.
During adolescence a detachment process enables the individual to develop a personalised set of beliefs that are uniquely her or his own. In the process of achieving an identity the adolescent could experience conflict with parents and within herself or himself. Those adolescents who can cope with