Adolescence is a time of great change for a child. It is a time when they begin to explore who they are as individuals and develop their own identity as they approach adulthood. Erik Erikson theorized that in adolescence “the primary task is to develop an identity” and that a healthy identity develops when one tries out alternative identities and reflects on these experiences (Pressley & McCormick, 2007, p.147). Michael Nakkula states that “identity is not the culmination of a key event or series of events, although key events can play an important role in a larger process. Rather, it is the lived experience of an ongoing process: the process of integrating successes, failures, routines, habits, rituals, novelties, emotions, threats, violations, rewards, and frustrations into a coherent and evolving interpretation of who we are. Identity is the embodiment of self-understanding” (Nakkula, 2008, p.11). The experiences that adolescents have daily and over time influence the identity they will ultimately form. Adolescence is a time when children begin to reflect on what they are good at, their relationships with family and friends, questions about sexual orientation, and even religion. There are six areas that influence a teenager's development: personal, social, family, moral and intellectual. I will focus on the social, intellectual and physical areas. Demographics: I interviewed a student at the Millennium Art Academy in the Bronx. Michael is an 11th grade student at Millennium who was actually suspended at the time of the interview. Michael was a little shy and spoke softly. He lives with his mother and younger siblings, two sisters and a brother. He claims he has no responsibility…half of paper…to Michael. He seems like a very social person and his identity revolved around relationships with his friends. His friends were one of the positive influences in his life as they were a source of motivation to do well in school. When asked if his friends kept him from succeeding academically, he revealed that they actually keep him on track in school. Their good made him want to do well and he said his friends always made him "feel good about himself." I believe that building lessons where he can solve problems in a group with his friends would be of great benefit to a student like Michael because working together with friends keeps his motivation high, makes the material more fun for him, and working with friends gives him that investment you want. academic achievement may be required.