Chapter 6: The Adolescent in Society
Section 1- Adolescence in our Society (120-126)
Intro
 Caught between two worlds…no longer children but not yet adults
 Adolescence as a distinct life stage is a modern, industrial age concept.
 Blurred beginning and end dates…12-19years old
Concept of adolescence
 Preindustrial..young people went from childhood to adulthood…formal
ceremonies, puberty rites around 13-14…take on adult roles
 In US ‘adolescence’ didn’t exist until after the civil war…young people prior
were treated as small adults
 Three factors…education, work, court system
o Laws make education mandatory to a certain age…those who attend
college are there until 20’s. Education extends period of adolescence
because students remain dependent…esp. for financial support.
o Child-labor laws prevent people from working until 15-16. When they
do start, most lack skills for jobs other than routine…most do not have
a full-time job…most work part-time while also attending school
o Development of the juvenile-justice system…distinguishes between
juvenile and adult offenders…created separate legal status for young
people.
Characteristics of Adolescence
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Biological growth and development
o Puberty is universal…biological
o Growth spurts, increased hormones during adolescence
Undefined status
o Clear expectations for children and adults
o Adolescent expectations vague in comparison…some adults treat
adolescents as children, and others treat them as adults
o Different people have different attitudes…some are youth oriented,
others more critical
o EX: some states allow young people to marry (with parental consent)
at 16…have to be 18 to vote…
o EX: some adults adopt popular styles of dress…others are more
critical of dress, music and behavior
Increased decision making
o Young children have most decisions made for them
o Adolescents are asked to make many of their own decisions…some
with long term importance/consequence
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o Courses, participation in sports/clubs, consider college, what career?
Etc. etc.
Increased pressures
o Have to find a balance between parental expectations and peer
pressures
o Pressure from school
o Greatest pressure from peers…want to be accepted..pressured to
follow fads, trends, fashion
o Billions of dollars spent creating/marketing clothes, makeup, sports
apparel, movies, music for teenagers
o Ads attempt to utilize peer pressure
o Pressure to establish relationships
o Job-related pressures…finding a job…balancing activities
o Various different roles
Search for self
o Mature enough to think about themselves and what they want
o Most can sort through values and decide what is important
o Establish norms, set priorities
o Anticipatory socialization…learning rights, obligations, and
expectations to prepare for future roles
 Ex…playing house to prep for adult family roles
 During adolescence…part-time job, clubs, dating are common
forms
*five general characteristics…individual experiences may vary
Section 2- Teenagers and Dating (127-134)
Intro
 Dating is not a universal thing found everywhere…found in societies where
individuals are allowed to choose their own marriage partners
 Dating as a recent phenomenon…after WWI
Courtship and Dating
 Prior to rise of dating interaction was restricted to courtship…express
purpose is eventual marriage…opposed to dating where the main purpose is
entertainment…casually…may lead to marriage
 Casual dating…steady dating, engagement and eventually to marriage
 As people move through the continuum commitment to the relationship
increases…in modern dating the interaction may stop or skip stages
 Courtship was not flexible…strict roles…before courting the man would have
to meet and gain permission from parents. Intentions were expected to be
honorable and marriage minded
 Courtship usually happened in the woman’s home with a group…rarely left
alone
Emergence of Dating
 Rise of industrialization contributed to dating
 Prior to industrial revolution economy was based on agriculture…marriage
revolved around the time a man reached an age and acquired property…with
family property involved the parents had control over marriage choices
 Industrial revolution…people moved away from farms…young people less
depended on parents…economic freedom reduced parental control over
courtship
 Free public education also helped…coed…young men and women spend most
of the day with one another
 After WWI technological developments such as the telephone and car cave
more freedom
 1920s also gave to increased equality for women…women entered the
workforce…took roles in the community…interaction with men increased
 Willard Waller studied dating habits in 20’s-30’s of University students and
Penn State…concluded dating was a form of entertainment and had little to
do with marriage selection…at the center of dating was status and
excitement…partners chosen for looks, clothes and popularity…contrast with
courtship where the most desirable traits were dependability and
honesty…dating at penn state was almost entirely limited to sororities and
fraternities…people dated people of similar rank*homogamy- tendency to
marry people of similar social characteristics…object to be seen with the
‘right’ people
 Later research challenged Waller….status and entertainment seen as part of
the picture, but character and personality also seen as
important…similarities between qualities someone looks for in a casual date
and who they may want to marry
Why Date?
 Entertainment…for fun
 Form of socialization…helps people learn role behaviors and define
themselves
 Fulfills needs like conversation, companionship and understanding
 Helps individuals attain status…people judges in part by who you date
 Not all these functions are present at every stage of dating…may be more
entertainment and status at first as with casual dating…more socialization
and companionship later
Dating Patterns
 Traditional Dating Patterns…still found in small towns and rural areas but
more common in 40’s-50’s…men set up dates, picked up girls,
paid…ritualized…defined rules of conduct…pressure to conform to certain
behavior EX: dates for Saturday were set by Wednesday..if asked after you
may be rejected…dating tied to social status…dates to movies,
sports…progress to ‘steady’ dating…also followed set of formal expectations
and commitments…pin or class ring, bracelet or letterman jacket
 Contemporary Dating Patterns…changed since the 1960’s…no set stages to
dating…greater equality…both men and women initiate dates…acceptable for
either or both to pay
 Traditional dating interactions was more formal and centered on the
couple…today it is more on friendship and the group
 Amish…dating around age of 16…amish men have their own courting
buggy...courting happens during formal events; picnics, weddings…or Sunday
singings…socialize after…some pair off and men escort women home in
buggy or by foot…see eachother every week to two weeks…kept private until
they decide to marry…amish do not recognize divorce.
Section 3- Challenges of Adolescence (135-143)
Intro
 Caught between safety of childhood and independence of adulthood…faced
with important developmental tasks.
 Create an identity, plan for future, become independent, develop close
relationships
 For many this period can be overwhelming…research focused on issues
including sexual behavior, drug abuse, and suicide.
Teenage Sexual Behavior
 Norms governing sexual behavior varies among societies…some allow sex
before marriage…others have strict norms against premarital sex.
 Traditional sexual values was widely accepted in United States up until the
1960s…in principle
 1960s-70s…development of birth control pill, youth countercultures and
feminist movement led to ‘sexual revolution’…norms governing sexual
behavior change…openly discussed…sexuality is a familiar feature in our
culture now…sexual themes common in shows, movies, etc. …advertisers use
sex to sell items…also see an increase in adolescent sexual behavior
 Rate of Teenage Sexual Activity…29% of unmarried women 15-19 were
sexually active in 1970…increased to 50% in 1995…similar pattern for teen
pregnancies…birthrate among american teens is higher than other
industrialized countries…national objectives set by CDC to address
issue…education and birth control…seen a decline in sexual activity and
pregnancy rates
 Influences on Early Sexual Activity…social and economic factors…familyincome level, parents’ marital status, and religion…influenced by subgroup
norms…early sexual behavior also associated with other risk-taking
behaviors such as drug use and delinquency.
 Consequence of Early Sexual Activity…less than 1/3 of teen girls who are
sexually active use birth-control methods regularly…about 1 million teens
become pregnant
o Babies born to teenage mothers have lower birth weights
o Teenagers who become mothers and fathers are less likely to finish
school/college…esp. teen mothers
o Lower lifetime earnings
o Children of teen parents experiencing more difficulties than those
older parents
o Children of teen parents have increased risk of becoming parents
themselves
o Teen mothers face significant emotional stress.
…increased risk of STDs…4 million American teenagers contract a STD each
year…1/4 of new cases occur to 15-19 year olds…some teens aware of
dangers of AIDs…few think they are personally at risk of AIDS of other STDs
Teenage Drug Use
 Drug Violence…crimes committed by addicts searching for drug money
becoming more common…violence related to drug trafficking…gang
related…increase in juvenile arrests
 The Rate of Teenage Drug Use…usage patterns vary by type of drug…even
with decline the US has highest rate of adolescent drug use among
industrialized countries
 Influences on Teenage Drug Use…having friends who use, having trouble
adjusting, hotile/rejecting family settings
 Teenage Attitudes Toward Drug Use…changing attitudes toward cigarette
smoking…attitudes toward the danger of alcohol remain low (with exception
of heavy daily drinking)…disapproval of regular marijuana usage??...negative
attitudes toward regular use of drugs such as lsd, cocaine, heroin,
amphetamines, and barbituates
Teenage Suicide
 Rate of suicide among young people in the US has more than doubled in the
past three decades….”every 2 hours…12 times a day, 84 times a week…over
4,000 times a year”…third leading cause of death among people ages 1524…fourth among 10-14 year olds…misreported as accidents or
undetermined…much more serious problem among the elderly…twice as
high for people aged 75-84
 Sociological View of Suicide…Emile Durkheim- variations in suicide rates
explained by the level of social integration in a group or society
Social Integration…degree of attachment people have to social groups or to
society as a whole…increased rates in societies/groups with both high and
low integration…high levels- put needs of others before your own…low
levels-social disorganization, social change…war, disaster, economic troubles
 Predictors of Teenage Suicide…teens faced with new freedoms as well as
restrictions…friends have more influence over beliefs and actions…increased
responsibility for own actions…changes can cause confusion and selfdoubt…can be blown out of proportion…teens focus on the present
o Suicide effects all social categories…certain factors appear to affect
the rate
 Alcohol or drug use…low levels of self-control…easily
frustrated…more likely to act impulsively under the influence
 Triggering events…fear of punishment, loss of or rejection,
unwanted pregnancy, family crisis, poor school performance,
fights with friends or parents
 Age…increases with age…rates higher with older teens and
adults
 Sex…females 3x more likely to attempt…males more likely to
succeed (use of guns)
 Population density…underpopulated areas have higher rates
Family relations…families where violence, intense conflict,
recent loss through divorce or death…families who show
hostility or rejection toward children.
 Cluster effect…teen suicide sometimes results in other
suicides…”copycat” attemps…200 a year as the result
Teenage suicide rates influenced by many factors…social isolation and weak
social bonds…many programs and services geared to helping
teens…important for teens to know they are not alone…teens who suffer
from isolation or frustration should be encouraged to seek help
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