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Application of selected theory to the main character 

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Application of selected theory to the main character 

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Kayla is an awkward thirteen-year-old girl who worries about fitting in. She attends Miles Grove Middle School in a small town in New York. Her father struggles to connect with her as she encounters mean girls (Kennedy and Steph), boys (Aiden and Riley), and new friends (Olivia and Gabe). In her last week of middle school, a series of events leads her to self-acceptance.

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Adolescence: Crash Course Psychology #20

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1. Erik Erikson is a German-American psychoanalytic theorist. He is the person who coined the phrase identity crisis. He is most known for his theory on the psychosocial development of human beings.

2. The main component of the theory is that each stage of life is associated with a specific psychological struggle. The struggle is then a major aspect of one's personality.

3. There are eight stages of this theory.

They are

Trust vs. Mistrust (Birth to 18 months),

Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt (2 to 3 years)

Initiative vs. Guilt (3 to 5 years)

Industry vs. Inferiority (6 to 11 years)

Identity vs. Confusion (12 to 18 years)

Intimacy vs. Isolation (19 to 40 years)

Generativity vs. Stagnation (40 to 65 years)

Integrity vs. Despair (65 years to death)

4. The critics of this theory are that it is applied more to girls than boys and that it pays more attention to infancy and childhood rather than adult life. That is a problem because the theory is said to be a life-span theory.

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Pomerantz, Andrew M. My Psychology. 3rd ed., Worth Publishers, Macmillan Learning, 2023.

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According to Erik Erikson's theory, throughout the movie Kayla is starting stage #5 called identity and role confusion. This phase suggest that during the ages 12-19, teenagers will experience an internal crisis of who they identify as versus how the world views them. During this stage they decide who they want to be regardless of how society labels them. Kayla has just started this phase of identity and role confusion as she navigates how she views herself versus how she presents herself to others.

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A

It’s safe to say that Erik Eriskon’s theory did in fact do well in portraying Kayla’s development, with a specific look at her journey during stage five of this theory, identity vs. role confusion. By watching this development of her learning. how to accept herself and prioritizing her views and opinions, it made for a strong confidence in Kayla’s ability to move forward into the next stage of her life.

B

Considering there was this evident focus on stage five of Erikson’s theory, in that capacity it would be correct to say that the theory was capable of encompassing all of the experiences Kayla went through during the movie. With the age that she’s at right now, she still has a lot more maturing to do, and everything she went through she overcame in her own way. There was a lot of obvious confusion about herself and who she was meant to be, while at the same time it was almost as if she was aware that she was searching for that answer. More importantly, it was very brave the way she cataloged her thoughts, almost serving as a reminder to herself that it was okay to not always have the answers but to focus on what she could control day by day.

C

Erikson’s theory is a good “fit” when enquiring a psycho-developmental assessment of Kayla, because we’re offered a detailed look into the reasons behind her behavior and psychological thought processes under a predetermined category throughout different stages in her life.

D

Erik Erikson’s theory is a valid theory to utilize on our character because it does not necessarily pertain to a certain gender, race, or sexual identity. The theory as a whole refers to all people or persons, and their individual psychological development throughout their life. There are opinions that this theory should be only closely examined when looking at females, however there is no factual evidence of that finding. With that in mind, because Erikson’s theory does not have a specific criteria that its subject must meet, the information that can be gathered with the help of this theory is endless.

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Eight Grade showed us how development for a teenager can work. It allowed us to see all the emotions like confusion that these teens go through while trying to figure out who they are and what they want to be. While going through these dilemmas they are actively changing and their personalities are developing. Kayla was able to understand that growing up was more than just trying to be cool. It was developing a sense of who you are and creating relationships that will benefit you. She understood that even if you didn't have the greatest experience when you were younger, you can't change the past and you also can't predict the type of person you will become because the experiences we have over time shape who we become.

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13-year-old Kayla is in her final week of middle school. She advises on youtube on how to be confident even though she doesn't get many views. Despite her advice, she is shy in school and gets voted most quiet for senior superlatives. After taking pictures for the yearbook, she leaves school and is invited to Kennedy's pool party by Kennedy's mom. She tries to decline the invitation as Kennedy is popular and doesn't acknowledge Kayla, but her dad tells her he's going to drop her off because Kennedy will like Kayla once she gets to know her. At the party, Kayla has a panic attack in the bathroom before she decides to head to the pool. She talks to Kennedy's nerdy cousin Gabe before opening presents with Kennedy and her friends. Kayla gifts Kennedy a card game that she doesn't like, leading her to call her dad to pick her up. While she waits her crush Aiden encourages her to stay longer and play karaoke. Kayla sings and enjoys her time at the party before she leaves. During a school shooting drill a student tells Kayla that Aiden broke up with his last girlfriend because she refused to send him nudes, advising her to stay away. Despite this advice, Kayla talks to Aiden and lies claiming she has a folder of nude pictures and can give "good blowjobs". Later at home, she attempts to look up videos on YouTube on how to give oral sex before trying to practice on a banana. Her father walks in asking her why she was trying to eat bananas when she claimed she hated them, starting an argument. The following day she goes on a field trip to tour her new high school. She is paired with a senior named Olivia who adores Kayla and shares her number. In the evening Kayla has a panic attack on the phone asking Olivia to hang out with her friends in the mall. Olivia says yes and Kayla asks her dad to drop her off. On the car ride home, she gets into an argument with her dad about how he is looking at her in the car. She meets with Olivia and her friends in the mall and they ask her questions about what middle school is like for her with the rise of social media. The friends spot Kayla's dad watching them and Kayla gets upset and tells her dad to go away. Riley drops Olivia home, leaving Kayla and him in the car. He pulls over and sits in the back of the car with Kayla. He starts a game of truth or dare where he takes off his shirt and asks Kayla to do the same. After she refuses he yells at her and claims he was only trying to help her gain some experience before she goes into high school. When she goes home she cries in her room and talks to her father where they hug. She is later seen on YouTube telling her followers that she will no longer make videos because she isn't the confident person she claims to be. She then asks her dad to burn her old time capsule box before making a new one and burying it. At graduation, she confronts Kennedy about how mean she is to her even though she tries to be her friend. Kayla eats dinner at Gabe's house where they have fun and bond over Rick and Morty. The film ends with a video of Kayla talking to her high school self, wondering if she has friends, or a boyfriend, and is excited about leaving for college. Kayla realized that while she was yearning for a change in herself it was coming gradually. The book "My Psychology 3rd Edition", talks about how during this preteen stage from 11-13 we go through a rapid change because of puberty. Kayla's growth was rapid, however, it was not as fast as her peers and she had to learn how to not rush the growth and learn from it.

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Erik Erikson would assess Kayla in stage #5 of his theory. He would see that she is having an identity crisis throughout the film as she tries to change the way others view her. When in reality Kayla isn't comfortable being herself around others because she doesn't know who she wants to be. Erikson would also see that she is someone who is going to experiment with different identities in the future as she navigates through this stage in her life.

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Eighth Grade | Official Trailer HD | A24

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Erikson’s 8 Stages of Psychosocial Development Explained

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Kayla is first seen confronting her identity versus her role in society when she receives her senior superlative as a quietist kid in school. She knows that she can be confident and talkitive like she is in her youtube channel but she struggles to do that during school.

Later in the film, she talks to Aiden during the drill and lies to him about her experience. Kayla is later seen researching oral sex techniques. This shows her identity crisis because she wants to be liked by her crush however, she lies and gives a false narrative of who she is. When she watches videos on youtube she is disgusted at the thought of performing such an act, showing she isn't comfortable with the narrative of herself, she gave to Aiden.

At the end of the film Kayla burns her old box of memorabilia with her father, claiming she is burning all of her hopes and dreams. She burns the items because she hasn't figured out who she wants to be, but she knows who she doesn't want to portray herself as. Kayla is breaking free of both narratives, the one people view her as (quiet and shy) and who she was starting to become(someone who is willing to make herself uncomfortable to please others). Although it is not clear who she plans on being, we do know that she wants to be more confident and stand up for herself. This is shown when she tells Riley no when he pushes her to take off her shirt, and later when she confronts Kennedy of how mean she is at graduation.

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Eighth Grade (2018) - Telling Off the Bullies Scene | Movieclips

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In the end, everything turned out gucci!