Tracy Freeland of Thirteen: A Case Study

Thirteen is a 2003 movie that was inspired by an autobiography of Nikki Reed during the twelfth and thirteenth years of her life. Reed was also one of the film’s co-stars along with Evan Rachel Wood and Holly Hunter. Set in Los Angeles, the movie involves Tracy Freeland, a thirteen-year-old who experiments with sex, drugs, alcohol, and self-mutilation in order to fit in with the popular crowd and deal with her parents’ divorce. According to Erik Erikson's theory of development, Tracy is going through the Fidelity Stage: Identity vs. Role Confusion.

Adolescence is an important transition from child to adult. During this time, a person simply wants to fit in, be independent, and make decisions about their future and relationships. Adolescence is also a crucial stage when a child must discover the roles that they will take on as adults.

A teen is searching to find out who they are, but it actually is not as simple as it sounds. They are dealing with finding out their identities in society as well as their sexual identities. Erikson says that during adolescence, “two identities are involved: the sexual and the occupational” (McLeod, 2008). Not only is Tracy Freeland from Thirteen trying to work through her social development, but she is also figuring out her sex role amidst body changes. This is evident in her experimentations with oral sex and boys.

According to Erikson, teens need to grown into their changing body before they can accept the changes. When a teen does this, it will lead to fidelity, which means that they will be able to commit themselves to others, accept themselves, and see-through differences. Tracy desperately wants to be accepted by the popular crowd, but because she hasn’t achieved the virtue of fidelity, she is unable to accept herself. This is one of the reasons why she resorts to cutting herself in the movie. She is unsure of her place in school and with her family, and this why she begins to experiment with drugs, drinking, sex, and piercings.

In Identity vs. Role Confusion, teens can go down the wrong path and be rebellious when they are not pointed in the right direction. Tracy’s mother Melanie is a recovering alcoholic who does not pay as much attention to her daughter as she should. She is too worried about her own boyfriend, whom Tracy despises. This is why Tracy rebels and steals, abuse drugs, and cuts herself.

As Tracy attempts to transform herself, the tension builds between her and her mother. Tracy rebels against her mother’s boyfriend Brady, who is a recovering drug addict. The role confusion is apparent in the scene when Tracy and her mother get into an argument, and Tracy yells at her mother as if the roles have been reversed. She yells, “Why are you doing this to yourself?” The irony is that her mother is the one who should be saying that to Tracy for her stealing, promiscuity, and cutting.

Another hallmark of the Fidelity Stage: Identity vs. Role Confusion is the establishment of a negative identity in order to cope with stressful family and school lives. Tracy attempts to use sexuality in order to feel better about herself and to lessen her emotional pain. She also takes up smoking and oral sex with teenage boys. This is all in an attempt to use a negative identity to deal with the emotional pain of coming from a broken home with a mother who doesn’t seem to care.

Tracy does not have much choice in her life when it comes to her family. She must deal with her mother and Brady because she has no choice but to do so. This is why she reacts the way that she does. She is still so young and does not understand how to deal with her social and family life along with her changing body. Melanie even wants Tracy to live with her father so that she won’t have to worry about her anymore, but he decides to take custody of her brother instead. Her father does this in order to protect him from Tracy’s behavior, which is ironic.

Tracy is willing to go very far in order to deal with her feelings of helplessness. The viewer knows this because they witness her destructive behavior which includes self-mutilation. She resorts to cutting her wrists in order to gain some sense of control in her confusing life. Tracy is willing to hurt herself in order to deal with the overwhelming issues in her life. Tracy needs acceptance and control, and all of her actions show that she is craving these things as a teenager.

Emotions can change frequently during periods of stress such as parents divorcing. Teens can feel angry, frustrated, afraid, and abandoned during a divorce. According to kidshealth.org, “these feelings are very typical and talking about them with a friend, family member, or trusted adult can really help” ("TeensHealth."). Communication is one effective way to deal with the overwhelming circumstances of divorce and other life changes.

I think that every teenager does things against their better judgment just to be accepted by other teens. Just like Tracy in Thirteen, I rebelled as a teenager. While I did not go to the lengths that Tracy does, I wanted boys to like me and for girls accept me as a friend. Sometimes, I was faced with the choice of bad behavior, and sometimes I would make the right decision. But sometimes I would make the wrong decision. I wasn’t perfect.

One instance I can recall involved a male friend who tried to kiss me even though he knew I had a boyfriend. My boyfriend flipped out when I told him about the incident, and he threatened to beat him up. I did not object, and I even stood there and watched him get beat up. I felt terrible while it was happening, but my friends were there. I wanted to avoid looking like a loser in front of everyone at my friend’s painful expense.

It is very difficult to stay true to your beliefs when they are challenged by friends and family, especially for young and impressionable teenagers. Sometimes, it is necessary to compromise your beliefs in order to fit in. One example is in the workplace. A person may not celebrate Christmas, but the majority of their co-workers probably celebrate the holiday. They might feel as if they must conform to the activities associated with Christmas, such as parties, decorating, and gift-giving.

Change is definitely inevitable, and it is also situational. Getting used to the change is all psychological, and this is actually a transition. Lifestyles must be looked at in a new way when major transitions take place. Transitions can be challenging, and they can sometimes make us concentrate on the present moment. If people keep this in mind during times of change, they will probably be able to handle the transition with more ease.

I experienced a change as a teenager when my parents moved to another city. I had to change schools and make new friends. The transition was very difficult, and it was at an awkward time in my life when I was unsure of my identity. The change was a good thing in the long run, but at the time I did not understand or even care about the reasons for the move.

In analyzing Tracy from Thirteen along with Erikson’s stages, I understand my place within Erickson’s particular stages. As I move on to the next stage, I will be capable of intimacy, have a developed sense of identity, and be ready for a committed relationship. I will also learn to form close relationships and share with others if they have achieved a sense of identity.

Works Cited

McLeod, Saul. "Erik Erikson." Simply Psychology. N.p., 2008. Web. 4 Dec. 2013. <http://www.http://www.simplypsychology.org/Erik-Erikson.html#identity.org/Erik-Erikson.html#identity>.

"TeensHealth." Dealing With Divorce. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Dec. 2013. <http://kidshealth.org/teen/stress_coping_center/stress_situations/divorce.html#cat2086>.

Thirteen. Dir. Catherine Hardwicke. Perf. Holly Hunter, Evan Rachel Wood. Twentieth Century Fox home entertainment, 2004. Film.