Hannibal 1

Anna Marie Hannibal

Professor Laura L. Robinson
FHS 1500
4 November 2016
Unit 5 Essay
Question:
ADOLESCENCE
Do you think that other factors besides changes in cognitive development may contribute to
adolescent egocentrism? How might the emphasis in TV commercials on appearance affect an
adolescent's concern with self? Can you recall any specific instances from your adolescence
when your thinking underwent a change? How might this change have related to your cognitive
development?

Answer:
Adolescent years can be very challenging to get through. Our world has become quick to
blame hormones, peers, culture, and adolescents brains for the problems they encounter and the
ways they act out to find and show their unique identity (Berger, 2014, p.329). During this stage,
adolescence begin to use lifes experiences and their actions to define whom they are and what
makes them unique. This process is adolescent egocentrism. This causes adolescence to create an
imaginary audience or the belief that everyone is watching their actions and appearance (Berger,
2014, p.330). In such a venerable stage adolescents shift to formal operational thought and make
assumptions that have no necessary relation to reality (Berger, 2014, p.329). Sadly, the
advertising companies have no regard for their wellbeing and take advantage of their venerability
to make money.
In 2000, the average American was exposed to at least three thousand ads every day and
was projected to spend a total of three years of their life watching television commercials
(Kilbourne, 2000, p.58). Cleary, we do not pay direct attention to each of these ads but
advertising companies are aware of this and know that they must affect us at an unconscious
level. Advertising companies are also aware that adolescents are new and inexperienced
consumers, making them an easy target and lifelong costumer. The President of Kids R Us
stated If you own this child at an early age, you can own this child for years to come.
(Kilbourne, 2000, p.44). His statement does not seem problematic because Kids R Us is only
advertising for children to buy toys. The harsh reality is that nearly every company is targeting
their advertisements for products such as tobacco, alcohol, diets, and clothing towards
adolescents to guarantee consumers from their generation. Even worse is the way these
companies are advertising. They use cartoons for products not meant for children, violence,
degrading images, and practically nude photos.
The affect that these advertisements are making on adolescent is tragic, causing eating
disorders, bulling, violence, sexual and gender identity problems, and addiction to toxic
chemicals. Because of all the physical and cognitive changes adolescents go through they are

Hannibal 2
desperate to define who they are. They look at advertisements in hopes to find societies norms,
hoping to fit in. Young woman who are unsure what their changing bodies are supposed to look
like view advertisements with models that are unnaturally underweight or photo shopped to look
so, causing them to have an unrealistic body image. In an attempt to become this weight, they
resort to anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or even drug use. I remember when I was a young
girl reading a Vogue magazine that said that one of their models was 58 and weighed 125lb. At
the time, I remember thinking that I needed to lose weight because I was her height but I weight
about 10 pounds more than her. Thankfully I had a friend that helped me understand that I was
not over weight but that the models were extremely underweight.
Some advertisements promote violence or make it seem that woman should be treated as
objects by portraying unacceptable forms of sex to be normal such as forceful or bondage sex,
sex with an underage partner, or even rape. Some adolescents will act on impulse because formal
operational is slow they resort to mimicking the actions they have viewed in these
advertisements without thinking of the outcome.
Adolescents are so easily persuaded by peer pressure, and are constantly attempting to fit
in that when given the chance to try alcohol or smoking they are likely to try it. In 2000, nighty
percent of all smokers started smoking before they are eighteen years old and 60 percent started
before high school (Kilbourne, 2000, p.181). In 1999, almost eight percent of nine-year-old
children are already drinking beer, fifteen percent of eight-graders and thirty percent of twelfthgraders are binge drinkers (Kilbourne, 2000, p.156). This high number can be partially credited
to the tobacco and alcohol companys advertisements. Tobacco and alcohol companies need to
get kids addicted to insure a fresh group of addicts. Because of this, adolescents are the targeted
audience for their advertisements.

Reference List
Berger, K. S. (2014). Invitation to the life span (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.
Kilbourne, J. (2000). Cant buy my love. New York, NY: Touchstone.