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How does the concept of “idealization” contribute to the author’s key argument regarding crushes?
A. The author argues that most crushes are idealized and therefore cannot be considered real love.
B. The author argues that crushes, romantic or identity, involve the projection of idealized traits that a person values and desires onto another person (i.e. the crush).
C. Idealized celebrities and celebrity crushes can give teenagers an unrealistic understanding of individuals; this makes it more difficult for them to accept flaws.
D. Idealized relationships in popular media encourage adolescents and teenagers to seek out romance, causing them to have more frequent crushes.
Answer:
The correct answer is B. The author argues that crushes, romantic or identity, involve the projection of idealized traits that a person values and desires onto another person (i.e. the crush).
Explanation:
The author of "Adolescence and the Teenage Crush", Dr. Carl Pickhardt, describes idealization as the process of projecting valued attributes onto another person. The most common types of crushes when in middle school, romantic or identity, are often nothing more than a result of idealization. As a matter of fact, such crushes reveal more about the person who has the crush than about the person who is the object of the crush. They serve to show what qualities are highly regarded by the person who has the crush, the characteristics that person would like to have and, for that reason, admires in others. Crushes don't last long - especially romantic ones, that tend to fade when the object is better known - but, according to Dr. Pickhardt, must be taken seriously.
