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The 2002 “Spiderman” film directed by Sam Raini notably depicts an example of a coming-of-age film. The main character Peter Parker (played by Toby Maguire) who lives in Queens, New York lives with his Aunt May and Uncle Ben since the death of his parents. He is shown as your typical smart four-eyed high school nerd. While on a tour with his fellow classmates at a genetic laboratory, a radioactive spider escapes from its domain and bites Peter. Other than shock and a small sting, Peter felt no reaction to the nip. However, when he got home, he began to feel dizzy and passed out in his room. Once he woke up, his body went through drastic changes. His sight became clear (he no longer needed glasses), his physique was muscular, he had an enormous amount of strength, etc. And of course, he could produce webs from his wrists.

Granted, all of these things were pleasant changes to have as a teenage boy but, they also came with challenges. When having a slip-up and accidentally slammed a plate of food into Flash's face (his bully), a fight broke out. Due to Peter's new powers, he won the fight and got noticed by Flash's girlfriend. Also known as his crush, Mary Jane. To impress her, he tried to purchase a car but, he was broke. Using his new accustomed powers, he began participating in fights for money. When the owner of the fight club wouldn't give Peter all of his money, a thief suddenly came to rob them. Instead of stopping the thief, Peter lets him go as revenge on the owner. Little did he know, the thief later killed Uncle Ben (Peter's uncle) as he was out searching for Peter himself. Buried in guilt, Peter decided to become a superhero and fight against injustice in the city.

Norman Osborn, who is the father of Peter's friend Harry Osborn, had his own company where he experimented on various objects. On a particular observation, he wanted permission from the military to start human experiments. Since they didn't allow it, he chose to have the experiment done on him. As a result, he developed a split personality and became psychotic. Then, he became a villain named Green Goblin and fought Spiderman on multiple occasions until he finally died. Norman made Peter promise not to tell Harry about his evil identity and brought his body back to his home. Soon after placing Norman down, Harry walks in and believed his father died at the hands of Spiderman. He then vowed to avenge him and eventually kill Spiderman.

The main themes I believe were portrayed throughout the film are maturity and responsibility. Most superheroes like Iron Man or Thor start their story/film already as adults. Peter, on the other hand, started his superhero life as a kid. Although he was incredibly intelligent and different from most teenagers his age, he was still very young. In a way, taking the identity of Spiderman pushed Peter to mature. Putting on his suit gave him a sense of freedom that adulthood would provide. Nonetheless, his maturity also came with responsibility. Not only did that go for others, but for himself as well. Before the death of his uncle Ben, he told Peter that "With great power comes great responsibility". This quote spoke a lot of truth about Peter's life. Having the powers that he did, he had to save the lives of many and any people who needed his help. The realization that growing up wasn't all it seemed to be when young.

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Erik Erikson is a German-American developmental psychologist & psychoanalyst. He is best known for his main theory of the eight stages of psychosocial development. He believed that personality evolves in order through eight stages of development from infancy to adulthood. An individual endures a psychosocial crisis that could have a positive or negative impact on their personality. According to Erik's theory, if each stage completes successfully, it results in a healthy character and the acquisition of essential virtues. If the stage fails to complete successfully, more of an unhealthy personality and sense of self develops (Mcleod, 2023).

Stage 1: Basic Trust vs. Mistrust (Ages 1-2)
During this first stage, infants begin to wonder what's safe and what/who to trust. Learning to trust an individual, such as a mother at that age, will allow us to trust others in the future. If the baby receives consistent care that's reliable, they'll be able to feel secure even when threatened. If the baby experiences fear and unmet needs, they begin to establish mistrust, doubt, and even anxiety. Overall, the influence of our development is our mother.

Stage 2: Autonomy vs. Shame & Doubt (Ages 2-4)
In this second stage, children are focused on retaining a sense of personal control over physical skills and a sense of independence (Mcleod, 2023). If we are permitted to discover ourselves, we then gain self-confidence. However, if we don't get that opportunity and get criticized/over-controlled, we develop shame and self-doubt. This is the point where both parents share a major part.

Stage 3: Initiative vs. Guilt (Ages 4-5)
At this point in time, children learn to uphold themselves through social interaction and direct playing. The exploration of trying new things and learning basic principles causes us to ask if the things we do are okay or not. If we are encouraged, and get a sense of reassurance, we continue to follow our interests. If we become discouraged or held back, we sustain a feeling of guilt and self-doubt. This is the stage where you learn from your entire family.

Stage 4: Industry vs. Inferiority (Ages 5-12)
During this stage, we start to discover our own interests and learn that we're different from everyone else. If we receive recognition and compliments from our teachers/peers, our self-esteem and perception of pride increase. Allowing us to become industrious. If we receive negative feedback, we start to feel inferior and lose motivation (Sprouts, 2017).

Stage 5: Identity vs. Role Confusion (Ages 13-19)
In this stage of adolescence, we learn that we have different social roles. We become more independent, get new opportunities, and undergo several changes to our minds and bodies. If our parents allow us to go and explore, we can find an identity. If we aren't allowed to go out, we can face confusion and insecurity.

Stage 6: Intimacy vs. Isolation (Ages 20-40)
Moving into early adulthood, major conflict can arise as we try to form relationships/commitments with others outside of our families. We question if we can love and make long-term commitments to others. Positive outcomes result in a healthy and happy relationship that's secure. Negative outcomes result in feelings of isolation and loneliness.

Stage 7: Generativity vs. Stagnation (Ages 40-65)
This is the stage where we reach our forties and begin to feel comfortable. We start to use our free time more wisely (becoming productive) and contribute to others. If we have the mindset that we can lead the next generation, we become happy. However, if we can't resolve some issues we become pessimistic and disconnected from the world we live in.

Stage 8: Ego Integrity vs. Despair (Ages 65-Death)
In this final stage, we start to slow down and look back at the life we had. It allows us to reflect and spend time overlooking our accomplishments. If we believe we did well, we get feelings of integrity and peace. If we don't, we can feel despair and even bitterness.

Critique
Although some agree with Erikson's theory of the eight stages of psychosocial development, many others find fault in the theory. Many have criticized Erikson for, "focusing so heavily on stages and assuming that the completion of one stage is prerequisite for the next crisis of development" (Baird, 2019). Additionally, some believe that his theory may apply to some cultures, but not all. Making it not applicable to every individual.

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Spiderman (2002): Peter crying to Uncle Ben's death

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Considering that the first original Spiderman movie doesn't display Peter's entire life, there are some of Erikson's stages that correlate to events that occurred in the movie. Peter specifically experienced stage five (Identity vs. Role Confusion) since he's in the age bracket between 12-18. As a result of Peter having the freedom to go out and discover himself, he was able to become confident in who he was, as Peter Parker and Spiderman. I believe that Erik Erikson would evaluate Peter as successful within stage five. Although Peter went through trials that challenged him, he didn't allow them to weaken him but to make him better. For instance, an event that impacted Peter's life is his Uncle passing away. It was essentially his fault for his uncle's death since he let the thief get away so, he realized that he needed to be responsible with his powers and use them for good.

Another example is having to kill his best friend's father. Technically, Peter didn't kill Norman himself but, Norman's attempt to kill Peter backfired on him. However, it still pained him to see the father of his best friend died because of their battle against each other. Finally, since Harry saw Spiderman "kill" his father, it will cause Peter to lie. Despite the fact that Harry doesn't know Spiderman's true identity, Peter tries to avoid him finding out at all costs in the second movie.

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I do believe that Erikson's theory of psychosocial development did do well in explaining my character's development. Since Spiderman does take place in high school, which is when an individual goes through stage five, it perfectly illustrates and captures the development of Peter's identity and who he became once he was a superhero and even when he wasn't. Furthermore, there are two more original Spiderman movies that display Peter going through stage six while he's in college and going through adulthood. Even in Tom Holland's third Spiderman movie, Toby Maguire's Peter Parker appears and seems to be middle-aged, placing him to be in stage seven (Generativity vs. Stagnation). Although in this multiverse film, Peter was confused at first, he still decided to help and contribute however he could to the world.

I believe that this theory was a good fit when choosing and making an assessment of the main character. Nonetheless, since Spiderman does not show all of Peter Parker's life from start to finish, there may be another theory out there that does fit the character's life. Concluding, I do believe that this theory is valid to use according to Peter's identity. Other than being from New York, Peter Parker has no known ethnicity, culture, or religion that's shown. Therefore, nothing would really interfere in the theory being applied to his life.

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Mcleod, S. (2023, February 24). Erik Erikson's 8 stages of Psychosocial Development. Simply Psychology. Retrieved March 22, 2023, from https://simplypsychology.org/Erik-Erikson.html

O'Neil, A., & Baird, A. (2019, September 9). Psychosocial theory. Always Developing. Retrieved March 22, 2023, from https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/alwaysdeveloping/chapter/psychosocial-theory/#:~:text=Erikson's%20theory%20has%20been%20criticized,cultures%2C%20but%20not%20in%20all.

YouTube. (2017, April 23). 8 stages of development by Erik Erikson. YouTube. Retrieved March 22, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYCBdZLCDBQ&t=2s