Young Adult Interview
My interviewee is a young person not much younger than me, but someone I have watched grow up from about age 10. We used to play together, she the girl I made fun of because of "cooties", and I was the boy she used to call "apple head". I chose to interview her because I know her history, and she is someone I have always been meaning to get to know her more now that she is older and this was a good opportunity. She also is a multiracial adolescent much like myself, and I anticipated that this might be beneficial to our conversation because we have that in common. This interview was very conversational, and it really went wherever it liked without needing questions to guide it. I did try and reframe some of my questions in order to stay somewhat on track with my outline for the conversation. Some of my main questions were:
1. What negative things do you remember about your childhood?
2. Negative?
3. Who was most influential for you?
4. Did your parents understand your struggles?
5. Where did you go when you needed understanding?
6. What were your friends like?
Below are some of her thoughts on these.
I often hear my elders and those from earlier generations tell me they are simply astounded at how difficult is has become to be a young person. This statement used to make me wonder what it was about being a young adult these days that makes it so seem so dire, but now having progressed through that stage I believe there are certain elements that are simply "tough". I think that it is important that those who have gone ahead of us, who have raised us, can look upon our journey objectively and see that there are challenges present for us that they never encountered. Drugs and alcohol have been around for a few generations now, but never with the magnitude and presence that it holds today. With that said, both the interviewee and I could relate on many things because of our many similar experiences and our age. Many of the things they said I could instantly
1. What negative things do you remember about your childhood?
2. Negative?
3. Who was most influential for you?
4. Did your parents understand your struggles?
5. Where did you go when you needed understanding?
6. What were your friends like?
Below are some of her thoughts on these.
I often hear my elders and those from earlier generations tell me they are simply astounded at how difficult is has become to be a young person. This statement used to make me wonder what it was about being a young adult these days that makes it so seem so dire, but now having progressed through that stage I believe there are certain elements that are simply "tough". I think that it is important that those who have gone ahead of us, who have raised us, can look upon our journey objectively and see that there are challenges present for us that they never encountered. Drugs and alcohol have been around for a few generations now, but never with the magnitude and presence that it holds today. With that said, both the interviewee and I could relate on many things because of our many similar experiences and our age. Many of the things they said I could instantly
References: 1. Zastrow, C. & Kirst-Ashman,K. (2004) Understanding Human behavior and the Social Environment. California: Brooks/Cole - Thomson Learning