Adolescence
Adolescence
• The years between childhood and adulthood
• Broken into 3 stages:
– Early Adolescence: 10-14
– Middle Adolescence: 14-16
– Late Adolescence: 16-19
Adolescence
• Marked by significant changes:
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Physical
Social
Emotional
Psychological
Cognitive—Intellectual
Moral
Adolescence as a Social
Invention
• A historically new phenomenon
– G. Stanley Hall
• Why?
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Industrialization
Urbanization
Education
Adolescent Employment
Erik Erikson
• Personality (Identity) Development
• A “healthy” identity is acquired through the
resolution of a series of life crises/dilemmas
• 8 stages in life
– 2 stages in adolescence
Erikson—Stage 4
• Industry
– Early Adolescent
– Must “do” or
accomplish things
– Adult role models
become important
• Inferiority
– If NO achievements a
sense of inferiority or
inadequacy develops
Erikson—Stage 5
• Identity vs. Role Confusion
– Questions:
• Who am I?
• What can I be?
• Am I capable?
– Major influence:
• Peers more important than parents
– Dynamic:
• Testing roles in social situations
• Looking for feedback—Am I liked? Can I like?
Stress and Crisis
• Adolescence is a time in a teen’s life that
can be very stressful.
– Expectations—family, friends, parents,
teachers, etc.
– Causes feelings of being overwhelmed and
confused
• Result—Identity Crisis
Identity Crisis
• Definition:
– Situation of emotional and mental stress
requiring significant changes of outlook within
a short period of time.
– Includes personality changes.
• Erikson— “a time of suspended animation”
Identity Crisis
• “Suspended Animation”
• Two Poles:
– Moratorium ( ) on one end
– Impulsive acts/feelings on the other
Role Confusion Influences
• Fidelity– Search or desire for something to be TRUE to.
• person, idea, etc.
• Dynamic– Testing roles in social situations and looking for
feedback.
• Genuineness– of people, models, ideas, tendency to love/hate, right,
wrong.
• Intensive Reactions—or expressions—
– of their fidelity, love, and hate.
Variables in Identity Crises
• Need– peer acceptance in
early adolescence
• Self-indulgence
– preoccupied with
appearance and looks
• Unique
– they think no one else
has their problems
• Important:
– Self esteem
– being “cool”
• Conflict
– with parents, but move
on and become more
independent
• Fear of:
– physical differences
– not fitting in
Results of an Identity Crisis
Positive
• A new self-definition
is integrated into
personality
• The person moves on
(succeeds) with life
• The “Real Me” is
found.
Negative
• Role confusion is not
solved
• There can be feelings of
shame, lack of pride, and
personal alienation.
• It can eventually develop
into a completely negative
identity—gangs,
delinquent behavior
Offer
• Longitudinal Study
• 1975
• Identifies 3 Basic
Styles of Adolescence
Offer’s 3 Styles of
Adolescence:
• Continuous—23%
• Surgent—35%
• Tumultuous—21 %
Offer’s 3 Styles of Adolescence:
35
30
25
20
Percent
15
10
5
0
Continuous
Surgent
Tumultuous
Continuous
•Smooth transition
•Good family relations
•Accept societal roles
•Good interpersonal relations
•“All American Kid”
Example of Continuous
• The Brady Bunch
• Few Problems
• Grew up in “All
American Family”
Examples of Continuous
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Brady Bunch
Happy Days
90210—Brandon
Eric—That 70s Show
Corey—Boy Meets
World
• The Wonder Years—
Kevin
• 7th Heaven
Surgent
•Cycle of “ups and downs”
•Plateau of stability then, another crisis
comes up
•Generally families had divorce, major
crisis or death.
Example of Surgent
• Dawson
• Dawson’s Creek
– Most of the characters
can fit into one of
Offer’s 3 Styles
Surgent Examples
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Party of Five
90210—Kelly, Steve
Others?
Shawn—Boy Meets
World
Tumultuous
•Inner turmoil
•Behavioral problems
•Critical of social environment
•Very introspective and sensitive
•Withdrawal
Tumultuous Examples
• Daria
• Hyde—That 70’s
Show
Elkind
• Imaginary audience- high selfconsciousness, all looks are critical, strong
feelings of being conspicuous.
• Adolescent Egocentricism- follows along
with imaginary audience, they are the center
of attention, either negative or positive.
Imaginary Audience
STURM Und DRANG?!?
• Is Adolescence Sturm
und Drang?
• (storm and stress)