The Life of Ron Kovic

I. Ron Kovic's autobiography, Born on the Fourth of July (New York: Pocket Books, 1977), divides his life into two periods. Time 1, the pro-war, period, includes his youth and his service in Vietnam. A working class boy who loved baseball and John Wayne, Kovic was good at sports. His greatest desire was to play for the Yankees. He also believed American propaganda about communists infiltrating America. Enlisting in the armed forces seemed to be the most honorable thing he could do. On his second tour in Vietnam, Kovic reached a crisis when he unintentionally killed an American corporal in a panic. He was then badly wounded, losing the use of his legs. In Time 2, the anti-war period, Kovic, shocked by conditions in Veterans hospitals and by people's indifference to Vietnam, overcame his isolation and engaged in many protest activities.

II. In Erikson's theory of identity development the individual passes through 8 stages. At each age-related stage the person must develop a particular virtue which will aid him/her in combating the opposite problem that occurs at that stage, and facilitate the acquisition of another stage-appropriate strength. Each stage is antecedent to the next and must be completed in order to pass on to the next, and repetition is necessary if the person does not manage it. The acquisition of one's psychosocial identity is usually precipitated by an identity crisis, during which the individual may experience identity diffusion or role confusion.

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Category: Psychology - T