Chapter 2 Context Mapping

Context mapping: Method used to uncover valuable key information in areas such as work, school, home, etc. In the reading Mitch asked Julian for a list of the various spaces and relationships he must negotiate each day. Julian was able to create a context map about home, school, and all the people he interacts with throughout the day.

My context map:

I wasn’t sure how to make mine to look like the examples online, or like the examples provided, so I made them into a list…

RIC: YDEV, Theta Phi Alpha, Internship, school friends, professors, students.

Home: Family (Mom, Dad, Mike), Puppy (Rocco), childhood friends (Neighbors, friends)

Work: Co-workers, customers

The four different identities are:

   1)   Foreclosed identity: When an individual has committed to a life direction or way of being without exploring it carefully, or experimenting all alternatives.

   2)   Diffuse Identity: State in which there has been little exploration or consideration of a particular identity and no psychological commitment to one. Individuals are influenced by others and often change beliefs.

   3)   Identity moratorium: Development state which ones explores roles and beliefs, behaviors and relationships, but refrains from making any commitments. This causes a great deal of anxiety due to the demands.

   4)   Achieved Identity: When identity crisis is resolved and the commitment to the selected identity is high. Result of high exploration and experimentation.

Nakkulat Chapter One

I enjoyed Nakkulat Toshalis first chapter in The Construction of Adolescence. Having a story between Antwon and Ms. Petersen made the reading easier to read then past articles. The relationship between the two is based of what they imagine from past experiences, and how they interpret the theories. This section of the chapter I found to be very interesting.  Nakkulat goes on to say Antwon’s behavior and self-understanding are being coauthored by Ms. Petersen’s actions toward him.  Antwon acts differently towards Ms. Petersen, because of the contributions and co-authorization she gives him.  This also made me think back to while I was in school and my teachers who had my brother already had a preconceived idea of me as a student. They based this on the experiences they had with my brother as a student, and used that as a theory of how I would be in class. Ms. Petersen does the same thing as I have seen done to me or other students, and places preconceived judgment onto Antwon.

            As a youth worker it is important that we put aside these preconceived ideas, and focus on the individual. In Ms. Petersen’s case she should not have had her personal feelings towards African Americans effect her approach while working with Antwon. No matter the students attitudes or behaviors it is important not to disengage or resist. As youth workers we have to be able to work with everyone and not base any prior experiences or impressions on the youth we work with. We have to remember that not everyone is alike, and we can't assume that everyone is the same. Each person deserves to be treated without prior assumptions or judgements. 

YIA response

The discussion we had in class with YIA was interesting. I was given a yellow star in the beginning of class, and was considered the less fortunate group. Once the egg drop happened I noticed how other groups had more resources. I noticed some eggs were in boxes; some eggs were protected with marshmallows, and some groups with multiple eggs.  After in class we learned groups were separated by what was considered rich and poor communities. The poorer community had little resources, and the rich community had a lot of resources. 

I thought the argument in class was unfair. People in the rich group were overwhelmed with the amount of resources, while we had very few. I understood the big picture of this assignment but I felt the discussion in class was not productive. The students from providence where getting mad that other places have more resources. They were automatically assuming that places like Bristol, or East Greenwich were superior. I felt a lot of stereotyping going on during the conversation.  I think the students who are considered in the poorer groups have to take advantage of the few resources they do have. Students need to worry more about themselves and their personal community, instead of worrying about what they could have. When our group first saw our resources we thought we had a good amount to work with. We didn’t realize our lack of resources until seeing the other groups. If schools didn’t constantly compare each other, and focus more on themselves this problem wouldn’t exist.