I found that he refused to label himself in any real manner, such as 'one of the smart kids', and by that he also seemed to understand the advantage he gave himself by working to stay in these higher level courses. The main reason I classify SX in the status of having achieved his idenity is mostly due to the fact that throughout the discussions we had, a constant theme of self-perception kept appearing. SX made it very clear that he was most concerned with how he looked at himself and that he was happy with it. He used a phrase each time he would try to avoid flat out telling me that he felt one way and other people may think differently. He used the phrase, "I could use to- for example he said he could "use to loose a few pounds" and then again he said he could "use to be involved in more school activities." When I noticed him relying on that phrase I began to question as to why he would say things that he did not feel himself. He explained to me that it was because he was happy with who he is, but that there are some things he could do to improve that and there are some that he would consider doing just to make another person happy, such as his parents. I viewed this ability to distinguish between his comfort level and his willingness to understand other perspectives as a sign of a stable and formed identity. .
There are a few special aspects of our adolescents life that seem to have a particular impact on his identity; his family life, his school life, and his social life. While these may seem rather general, we will discuss each in more detail. First of all, SX's family life is not an unusual one, being the first of two children born to a working class family. With both parents working and a younger sister, SX has grown up to a point where he can look more objectively at the way in which his family functions and most importantly why his parents treat him as they do. Our adolescent even at 17 has already come to the conclusion that his parents are not out to make his life difficult, and that they are really only trying to help guide him into a path that keep him safe and healthy.
