Image and Identity: Becoming the Person You Are

by L. Kris Gowen, Molly McKenna

Overview

Psychologists and educators believe that the primary task of adolescence is forming one's identity. Even if teens don't know the whole answer to the question of who they are, perhaps they will have a better understanding of all the things that might make up that answer and feel more comfortable becoming who they will be with the information and guidance this book offers. The authors describe a huge range of aspects many people think of as key to their identity: the role of family, culture and ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, body modifications (tattoos, piercings, brandings, plastic surgery), steroids and supplements, eating disorders, chronic illness, and physical disabilities, clubs, cliques, and friends, school, work, hobbies, beliefs, aspirations, and experiences. With the help of this book, teens will come that much closer to achieving self-actualization.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780810849099
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	07/15/2005
Series:	It Happened to Me Series , #12
Pages:	264
Product dimensions:	7.12(w) x 10.28(h) x 0.94(d)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

L. Kris Gowen, Ph.D., Ed.M., teaches in the Department of Community Health at Portland State University. She has facilitated online message boards and advice columns where teens ask questions about sex and relationships, and has helped develop several health curricula for high school students.Molly C. McKenna, Ph.D., is a psychologist in private practice in Portland, Oregon, specializing in assessment and treatment of adults and adolescents. She has written and served as a consulting expert for numerous articles on vocational assessment, health psychology, stress management, wellness, and general mental health.

Table of Contents

Part 1 Introduction: Image and Identity Chapter 2 1 Who Are You? Chapter 3 2 Your Body Chapter 4 3 Who You Hang Out With Chapter 5 4 The Things You Do Chapter 6 5 What You Believe Chapter 7 6 The Influences Around You Chapter 8 7 How You See Yourself Part 9 Conclusion: Your Image, Yourself Part 10 Index Part 11 About the Authors

Editorial Reviews

This guide for teenagers provides tools for exploring their developing identities. Some of the aspects of identity covered include family, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, friends, school interests, work, and aspirations. A number of health- and body-related issues are also discussed, including tattoos, plastic surgery, eating disorders, physical disabilities, and steroids. Gowen teaches community health at Portland State U., and McKenna is a psychologist in private practice.

Reference and Research Book News

...useful information for research topics...

Sherry Thompson

...appropriate for adults who work with teens, affording them some insight into young adult lives. The book's aim is to help teens 'figure out who you are.' Chapters cover such broad topics as 'Who You Hang Out With,' 'You Body,' 'The Things You Do,' and 'The Influences Around You.' The authors do not talk down to teens, but they lay out facts plainly and fairly. A section about alcohol explains why some people drink (cultural tradition) and what some of the detrimental affects of drinking are ('people who drink don't just do stupid things, sometimes they do dangerous things'). The authors also try to show a teen's viewpoint, such as pointing out positive peer pressure ('you probably already knew your friends can be good for you')....

VOYA

Gr 7 Up-In this scattershot installment in the series, the authors cast a wide net, trying to cover too many issues instead of simply focusing in on a few key areas. Chapter titles include: "Who Are You?" "Your Body," "Who You Hang Out With," "The Things You Do," "What You Believe," "The Influences around You," and "How You See Yourself." Many topics are not sufficiently explored, and much of the book's useful information is lost in the dry text. Black-and-white photos and text boxes do little to create an appealing design. Maurene J. Hinds's Focus on Body Image: How You Feel about How You Look (Enslow, 2002) and Kimberly Kirberger's No Body's Perfect: Stories by Teens about Body Image, Self-Acceptance, and the Search for Identity (Scholastic, 2003) are superior treatments.-Michelle Roberts, Nassau County Library System, Merrick, NY Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

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