HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND THE ENVIRONMENT 3
HumanBehavior and the Environment
HumanBehavior and the Environment
Accordingto Erik Erikson, role confusion occurs when a teenager who isundergoing psychosocial changes is denied the opportunity by theparents or guardians to experiment with his or her desired roles andmake life decisions (Slee,2012). In the case of Laura, it is clear that there is roleconfusion. Whereas her entire family is religious, Laura wants tolead a different lifestyle. However, her parents do not approve ofher life decisions and this makes her to make the wrong decisionssuch as selecting bad friends. She engages in reckless sexualactivity, abuses alcohol and she is often involved in conflicts withthe police. Her parents are forcing her into doing what she does notwant to do. It is clear from the case that she indeed contemplatesdoing what her parents want such as going back to high school andgetting a good job.
Itis clear that Laura’s friends are having a huge effect on herdecisions about what she wants to do with her life. She has indulgedin various behaviors with her friends and she is finding it difficultto stop. It is evident that she fears being rejected by her friendsif she ends her friendship with them. Furthermore, she enjoyspartying, which is a behavior that her parents do not approve. She istorn between following her friends and obeying her parents and thisdemonstrates how her friends are influencing her decision.
Thereare numerous risks that Laura is and can indeed be exposed to as aresult of her life choices. Firstly, her decision to live a life ofpartying and alcohol abuse, as well as, reckless sexual behavior willexpose her to conflicts with the law enforcers. Secondly, consideringthat she might continue having sex with multiple partners, she islikely to be infected with a sexually transmitted disease such as HIVand Aids. She is also likely to fall out with her parents and lead amiserable life.
Reference
Slee,P. T. (2012). Child,adolescent, and family development.New York: Cambridge University Press.