Adolescent Development and Film 13

Coming of age movies offer insight into the prevailing social norms related to gender, sexuality, identity development, and communication. Hardwicke’s (2003) feature film Thirteen earned its actors accolades including Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations, but its salient themes deserve deeper attention from social scientists. The film addresses adolescent and developmental psychology in particular, within a broader sociological and cultural perspective. Protagonist Tracy is at the titular age of 13, pivotal because of puberty and related elements of biological development, as Arnett (2012) discusses in Chapter 2 of Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood.
Interestingly, sexuality takes a back seat to other elements of adolescent cognitive and social development in Hardwicke’s (2003) film. As Arnett (2012) points out throughout the text, adolescence is marked by dramatic cognitive shifts as the young person develops a stronger moral conscience. Early in Thirteen, Tracy witnesses her friends shoplifting, feeling palpably uncomfortable. Piaget’s theory of cognitive development demonstrates the types of complex thinking (p. 63) and reflective judgment (p. 68) that Tracy is being increasingly challenged to develop as she navigates the tricky world of being a teenage girl.
Ultimately, Tracy’s desire to fit in overwhelms her moral compass, showing, as Arnett does, that adolescents may still be unable to make fully competent decisions and which is also why most scientific research supports a separate judicial system for teens (p. 75). Tracy and her friends exhibit classic forms of adolescent egocentrism (Arnett, 2012, p. 78). Chapter Four of the Arnett (2012) text covers issues related to cultural beliefs and socialization, major themes of Thirteen because of Tracy’s longing to fit in. Chapter 8 of the Arnett (2012) text delves even deeper into some of the issues that Tracy deals with as she forms friendships with Evie and, to a lesser degree, Astrid.
The film Thirteen is at its darkest and most disturbing when it dives into the ways Tracy copes with her conflicted identity and sense of self. Tracy is a cutter, a self-destructive behavior that Arnett (2012) only tacitly talks about in sections like Chapter 13 on Problems and Resilience. In fact, cutting is a major problem that does seem to impact teenage girls even more so than boys. Cutting is not the only one of Tracy’s risk-taking behaviors featured in Thirteen. In addition to cutting, Tracy experiments with drugs. These behaviors are known as externalizing behaviors, because they represent her acting out on her feelings. When Tracy realizes that her behaviors have been causing her so much trouble that she might get held back in school, she experiences a wake-up call and becomes more resolved to change her behaviors. Watching her world crumble around her, Tracy cultivates a deeper sense of self and a stronger sense of self-esteem, particularly as her mother shows her unconditional love.
Family dynamics, parental abuse and neglect are also major themes of Thirteen. Hardwicke is sure to show that both Evie and Tracy act out as they do because their parents give them inadequate support at times, or at least have experienced broken marriages. Tracy’s mom is a recovering alcoholic; Evie’s parents are abusive. However, Tracy’s mom ends up being one of her staunchest allies, helping Tracy to eventually come to terms with herself. Tracy opens up to her mom, revealing her cutting scars and confessing about her negative feelings. The themes related to choosing friends are also important in the film, as Tracy begins to perceive ways she can distinguish her own identity from those of her even more dysfunctional friends. Chapter 6 of the Arnett (2012) text addresses different themes related to the adolescent self and self-development, touching upon all the themes that Hardwicke (2003) flushes out in Thirteen, such as abstract and complex self-concepts, self-esteem, and the metacognitive aspects of identity construction.




References

Arnett, J.J. (2012). Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood A Cultural Approach. Pearson.
Hardwicke, C. (2003). Thirteen. [Feature Film].