Write a brief introduction describing human development and the importance of theories and research in this field.

David Elkind believed that the teenage years are marked by adolescent egocentrism
which takes two forms as follows.
a) Imaginary Audience: A common belief among adolescents that they are or will be the
focus of attention in social situations and that others will be as critical or approving as they
are of themselves.
b) Personal Fable: An exaggerated sense of personal uniqueness and indestructibility,
which may be the basis of the risk taking that is common during adolescence.
Topic: How do these two concepts play out in the modern context with social media
and apps dominating many teens’ lives?

A. Introduction (1 page)
Write a brief introduction describing human development and the importance of theories and
research in this field.
At the end of the introduction, you should state your hypothesis (i.e., prediction) about your
topic of interest. This prediction should logically spring from the theory you have chosen, and it
should be something that you are able to test. Your hypothesis or thesis statement should clearly
identify an argument or state your opinion.

B. Body (2 -3 pages)
1. Part 1 (Literature Review)
In this section, you will describe in detail the theory you have chosen. You would describe
the theory so the average reader could understand it and how it works. Next, you will cite some
academic sources (at least two academic journal articles, reputable websites, or books, in
addition to the textbook), which provide evidence for this theory. All sources that are used in
the literature review should be cited within the text (as in-text citations after every quote or
paraphrase) and listed in the references section of your paper.
You have access to major academic databases, such as PsychArticles and EBSCO. You may
also use Google Scholar from any computer, which help you to locate journal articles and
book chapters of interest.

2. Part 2
This is the main part of your essay where you present your thoughts and evidence about
the chosen topic. Each paragraph introduces a new idea, for example if you have
developed three ideas in your thesis statement you should present three paragraphs in
this section.
Each paragraph should include supporting evidence to back up your idea. In the body
section of the essay you should show that you have researched your topic and that your
all arguments are reasonable and reliable. All sources that are used in this section should
be cited within the text.

C. Conclusion (0.5 page)
Try to tie the theory and your ideas together in one paragraph. Restate and paraphrase your
thesis.

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