Adolescence is often seen as a stage where risk taking and experimentation are
common. The need to feel a part of one’s peer group, to be valued as an individual
and to overcome physical and emotional changes are all part of this developmental
stage. This research examines the link between Elkind’s theory of Egocentrism and
risk taking in female adolescents. Risk taking and its links to the Personal Fable and
the Imaginary Audience were the main focus of the research. This study used a
qualitative research design to obtain an in-depth understanding of risk taking among
a sample group of ten female adolescents. A focus group from a different school
was used to help analyse and discuss the data obtained. The results of this study
show that Elkind’s theory of adolescent Egocentrism (both the Personal Fable and
the Imaginary Audience) are, indeed, influencing factors in female adolescent risk
taking.
Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:wits/oai:wiredspace.wits.ac.za:10539/6074 |
Date | 12 February 2009 |
Creators | Grant, Juliette |
Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
Language | English |
Detected Language | English |
Type | Thesis |
Format | application/pdf |
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