I chose my MVP from “Who Am I? The Social, Emotional and Identity Trials of Young Adolescence” particularly because it made me wonder even more about the factors leading to Tylor Clementi’s suicide.

“The young adolescents’ world has changed: new lifestyle and new ways of thinking, values, and ideas are continually presented. The peer group is the primary source of new standards and models of behavior. Being part of the group helps young adolescents develop different points of view and try out new ideas. “

While reading Parker’s recount of Clementi’s suicide, I kept grieving the groupthink, bystander effect, and ignorance that were contributing to Clementi’s bullying. Had a follower of Dharun’s twitter feed confronted him about this bullying, perhaps Clementi and Dharun’s freshman year would’ve looked differently. While being part of a group can help adolescents develop their sense of identity, in this example, the anonymity and freedom Dharun felt with his peers on twitter helped escalate into the harassment of Clementi. These articles made the think about how, as teachers or adolescents, we need to promote safe spaces where adolescents can express their developing points of view and try out new ideas.