So I’ve been going more often to church and it’s been amazing getting to know Pastor Jason, the other youth group kids, and stuff. Sometimes we just goof around and have fun but sometimes we get serious too (although it’s hard because people are afraid of getting serious and sharing). I don’t know – I’ve been starting to really like youth group, but it’s been hard too I’ve been reading more books about how Christianity is defensible through history and other arguments. It’s been making me think a lot about when I said I believed before the retreat…I said I was a Christian because I went to church and stuff but did I actually believe in God? Not really. And isn’t that where a lot of people are too? I know I’m liked by a lot of people, mostly because I can beat-box and stuff like I did at the talent show, but I want to be outspoken about my new faith and what I believe. My pastor gave a sermon series called “Heart Motives” and it talked about how people have different motivations for doing things. I realized that I do a lot of things because I want to be popular and liked by a lot of people. It’s not a good thing. Well, I guess if I am outspoken about my faith, I might NOT be liked by a lot of people.
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John’s search for a reasonable explanation or defense of the Christian religion shows that he is in Piaget’s formal operations stage; he is able to logically think about the abstract. John also continues to examine who he is, including his motivations and desires.
John also knows that a lot of people like him. During the interview, he mentioned that he is a pretty unique person – very different from his peers – but also held in high regard by them. He liked being unique, different, and independent. I feel that this signifies that he successfully completed the industry versus inferiority stage in Erikson’s model. In this stage, peers are a key factor for the child to master certain social skills. “If sufficiently industrious, children acquire the social and academic skills to feel self-assured”(Schaffer and Kip, p. 45). This self-assurance is exactly what John displays; it also can be termed as self-esteem. Schaffer and Kip further investigates self-esteem in chapter 12, in which it becomes clear that parents and peers can influence one’s self-esteem. Because John has a high level of self-esteem, John probably has a secure attachment with at least one of his parents. John’s ability to beat-box has also won his peers’ approval.