Tracy Freeland’s Biological, Psychological and Social Development and Functioning in the Movie “Thirteen”
In the movie, Thirteen [2003], various actors provide insight into the biological, psychological and social development as highlighted in different developmental psychology and sociological theories. Among these is the movie’s protagonist, Tracy Freeland, whose transformation from an innocent young girl to a deviant teenager occurs on a background of a spurt of biological development, a clamor to define her identity, and need to belong to the social groupings of her peers.
Tracy’s biological development is evident as the film progresses. As noted by Zastrow and Kirst-Ashman (2012), the growth spurt of primary and secondary sex characteristics during adolescent presents challenges for teenagers as they seek to understand their new body features (p. 280). Tracy’s biological development is evident from secondary sex characteristics such enlargement of her breasts and hips, which, during one of the social events, even attracts her brother, Mason, who was previously oblivious of such changes. Such changes also attract the attention of other boys in her school, which creates demands on Tracy’s psychological search of self-identity.
Tracy’s psychological development can be traced to Erikson’s depiction of the crisis at adolescence where teenagers seek to define their identity, the failure of which leads to role confusion. For instance, she is unable to reach the state of identity achievement, a period where one has completed active questioning after resolving questions concerning one’s identity and values and beliefs that one espouses, which is argued to be “the most developmentally mature status” during adolescence (Prager, 2001, p. 32). Instead, her development revolves between moratorium (indecisiveness and struggle among alternatives) and identity diffusion (lack of concern with alternatives) (Prager, 2001). Such failure to reach a more mature status predisposes Tracy to influence from various social factors.
In respect to social development, the lack of effective family support exposes Tracy to imitating the behaviors of peers in pursuit of belonging. Absence of effective role models in the family for instance does not allow her to develop strengths and redefine personal values that limit the observations that she imitates (Chavy, 2011). Instead, she becomes prone to adopting any behavior that her friend, Evie, introduces her in order to belong to Evie’s group. As such, she is unable to negotiate the maturity continuum of moving from dependence, to dependence to interdependence, which, as Payne (2005) argues, leads to “a fully functioning adult” (p. 64).
The biological, psychological and social development in the character Tracy in the movie Thirteen reinforces some of the propositions of developmental psychology and sociological theories. Her biological development evident from development of secondary sex characteristics makes her attract the attention of her peers, which she is unable to manage due to the failure to define her identity. Instead, she feels the need to belong to Evie’s group, which demands her to imitate the deviant behaviors that such a group espouses.
References
Chavis, A. M. (2011). Social learning theory and behavioral therapy: Considering human behaviors within the social and cultural context of individuals and families. Social Work in Public Health, 26, 471-481, doi:10.1080/19371918.2011.591629
Levy-Hinte, J., London, M. (Producers) &Harwicke, D. (Director). (2003). Thirteen [Motion picture]. United States: Working Title Films.
Payne, R. (2005). A framework for understanding poverty. Highlands, Tex: AHA process
Prager, K. J. (2001). Identity development, age and college experience in women. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 147(1), 31-36.
Zastrow, C. H., & Kirst-Ashman, K. K. (2012). Understanding human behavior and the social environment (9th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thompson Learning
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