Psychology Chapter 9 (Adolescence) pgs. 219-239
Mr. Huffman
1) Adolescence
a) Adolescence is the transitional period between childhood and adulthood, where
you are no longer the one but not quite the other (at least in this society)
b) There are some countries and cultures where adolescence does not exist- you are
either the one or the other
c) Many cultures have some sort of initiation rites/rites of passage that define
adulthood, at least in part, others are less well defined
2) Views of Adolescence
a) How Adults View Adolescence
i) Despite the fact that every adult has lived through this stage in life, it is still
viewed differently by different adults
ii) Many adults admire the young, imitating or adopting their styles, attitudes,
and beliefs
(1) In particular, liberals who support environmental issues and disarmament
tend to admire the idealism of youth
iii) Other adults value teens for their connection to parts of the world that they
would otherwise not experience
iv) Other adults dislike teens, feeling inferior or threatened, either directly or
indirectly
(1) At the same time that teens are maturing into the prime of their lives in
terms of health, older people are starting to feel their bodies decline and
age, and can be both envious and afraid
v) Despite our media obsession with youth and youth culture, teens are also often
portrayed as violent and edgy, sarcastic and cynical
vi) Finally, many adults are concerned when they discover that their kids are
making the same mistakes that they did, and this can cause a great deal of
tension
b) How Adolescents View Themselves
i) For many teens, adolescence is a period of searching, where the teen is trying
to sort out who he or she is, and trying to guess which ideas to believe in or
what job to try for
ii) Due, in part, to this confusion, teens are often susceptible to the labels that
others apply to them, and often internalize and then reflect these labels by
becoming the label
c) Theories of Adolescence
i) There are many theories of adolescence, ranging from those which identify the
adolescent years as stormy and tumultuous to those who see it as a smooth,
transitionary time
ii) G. Stanley Hall, one of the first psychologists to study adolescence, likened
teens to caged animals, who could see the freedom represented by adulthood,
but were restrained and unable to achieve it
iii) Others, like Margaret Mead, an anthropologist working in the 1920s and
1930s, noted that adolescence is quite peaceful in many cultures, and is thus
merely part of a smoothly functioning growth cycle
Psychology Chapter 9 (Adolescence) pgs. 219-239
Mr. Huffman
iv) Many studies have supported Mead, although there are still those who point
out given the many changes going on in the lives of early teens, there is bound
to be some stress for most
v) In general, most modern studies have suggested that adolescent life is much
like life in general: a highly individualistic and varied experience, with highs
and lows and much time in between
3) Personal Development
a) Adolescence assumes the transition from childhood to adulthood, and includes
several developments that occur in most people during this stage
b) Physical Changes
i) Physical Growth
(1) One of the most obvious changes in adolescents is in their physical
development, which includes several different facets
(a) Puberty (sexual maturation) sets in at this time, and hormones set
about making drastic changes in both boys and girls that change their
lives
(b) Both boys and girls experience growth spurts, usually starting with
girls at about age 10 and boys at about age 12
(c) Girls gain fatty tissue and then grow vertically, as well as in the breasts
and hips; boys typically loose the fat and become more lanky for a
time before beginning to fill out, while the voice deepens and the
heart, lungs, and genitals get larger
(d) Sometime between the ages of 10 and 17, and most often between the
ages of 12 and 13, girls will achieve their first menstrual cycle
(menarche) and boys will achieve their first ejaculation (spermarche)
(e) The growth period continues for several years, with those of boys
lasting a little longer
(2) Often this time period is embarrassing, since such rapid growth is often
uneven, and may lead to clumsiness
ii) Reactions to Growth
(1) Due to the fact that most young people are fairly well informed about their
maturation processes, there is less fear and uncertainty than used to be the
case, but there are still many issues that teens struggle with
(2) One of the largest problems is that of body image, and everyone struggles
with it, even though girls tend to be more distressed
(3) Both males and females are generally well aware of their sex's ideal body
type, and are also aware of how well they approximate that type
(4) In both boys and girls (but especially girls), depression is often linked to
being different from the ideal body type, and many problems can result
(5) Growth differences can significantly affect the development of personality
in both boys and girls, and seem to be more influential in boys
(a) Girls who (physically) mature quickly are often teased, and often seek
out the company of older boys who both refrain from teasing and who
find them attractive
(b) Once other girls mature, these girls become the sources of wisdom and
experience for their slower-maturing peers
Psychology Chapter 9 (Adolescence) pgs. 219-239
Mr. Huffman
(c) For boys, those who (physically) mature sooner are often larger and
make more successful athletes, thus winning the admiration of peers
and adults, and gaining more self-confidence and independence
(d) Those who mature late are often teased, and may feel inadequate or
unattractive- many of these rebel or withdraw, becoming marginalized
(6) All of these attitudes may well reflect the self-fulfilling prophesies of
those who feel that either they will surely succeed or that they will surely
fail
c) Changes in Thinking
i) The primary adjustment here is the ability to think in hypothetical terms; what
Piaget calls "formal operational" thinking
ii) This also allows the ability to contemplate more abstract ideas, which allows
the study of higher-level mathematics, science, and social sciences
iii) This latter ability is what causes so many adolescents to be so idealistic- they
can see what could be achieved if all were operating as it should, and are often
frustrated that it has not yet been achieved
iv) In many cases, this leads to hostility against adults, who are seen as lazy and
complacent
d) Moral Development
i) For many, moral development peaks with the notion of whether some activity
is sanctioned by authorities or not (Kohlberg's Stage 4 thinker)
ii) However, for many adolescents, their teenage years are the time when they
can expand their horizons and explore more sophisticated ideas, and many
form more sophisticated models of moral development (stages 5 & 6, in which
morals are either based on the fairness of laws or upon absolute ethical
principles)
iii) These higher levels are only achieved through perceiving the world as others
might, and having the freedom to explore the possibilities which this opens up
e) Personality Changes and Identity Formation
i) Erikson's Theory of Identity Crisis
(1) Erikson says that the task of forming an identity is unique to adolescents,
since children go by what others think of them, and adults work from the
identity established as adolescents
(2) Adolescents begin to view the future as a coming reality rather than
merely as a game, and start to worry about how they will fit in, and what
they will do
(3) This leads to an identity crisis for teens, as they try and discover their
places in the universe
(4) It is a crisis because they are torn by the opposite urges to fit in and to be
unique
(5) James Marcia supports Erikson's work, and has suggested that we can
differentiate between four different adolescent personality types
depending on how teens adapt to the demands of the identity crisis
ii) Criticism of Erikson's Theory
Psychology Chapter 9 (Adolescence) pgs. 219-239
Mr. Huffman
(1) Several psychologists criticize Erikson on the grounds that his assumption
of a near-universal struggle with this period is misrepresentative, and that
many teens "make it" relatively unscathed
(2) It is also true that much of Erikson's research came from his experience
with and study of disturbed adolescents that came seeking help
iii) Other Viewpoints
(1) Some psychologists have suggested that other factors are more important,
however, such as family crises like divorce or a death
(2) Others have focused on the social aspects of the experience, noting that
how adolescence is received can make quite a difference in the experience
of it-- in many cultures, adolescence is a smooth part of the overall life
cycle
f) Sexuality: Attitudes and Roles
i) Sexual Attitudes
(1) Sexual attitudes are your feelings about certain aspects of sexual behavior,
such as what you feel is acceptable, and under what circumstances
(2) This can include such issues as pre-marital sex, pornography, many
various sexual practices, abortion, and others
(3) In the United States, which has evolved out of a puritanical, religiously
conservative past, we tend to view sex and the body as sinful, although
this view is being challenged more and more by people who wish to have
sex recreationally instead of just procreationally
ii) Sex Roles
(1) Sex roles are those behaviors in which people of a given sex are supposed
to engage, such as women being supportive and nurturing while men are
aggressive and competitive
(2) These roles define what is masculine and feminine within a given society
(3) These roles are often different across cultures, and can change within
cultures if given enough time
(4) Our modern culture is, even now, undergoing change, so that we are
becoming more androgynous, with most activities and careers pursuable
by persons of either sex
(5) Studies have shown that those people who are more androgynous in their
attitudes are more flexible in life, and better able to adjust to changing
needs
4) Teenage Depression and Suicide
a)
5) Social Development
a) Part of adolescent development also includes the various relationships in a teen's
life, including family, friends, and others
b) The Family
i) Families are different in many ways, but adolescents have to learn to escape
them eventually in order to move into an independent, adult life
ii) This is a difficult issue in this culture, where there are few clear boundaries to
cross before one "officially" becomes an adult
Psychology Chapter 9 (Adolescence) pgs. 219-239
Mr. Huffman
c) Parenting Styles
i) Parenting styles obviously have some impact on the personalities of children,
and three major styles seem to exist
ii) Authoritarian
(1) In authoritarian families, the parents issue the orders and the children
comply, often with little or no explanation offered
iii) Democratic/Authoritative
(1) In democratic/authoritative families, there is more discussion and
negotiation, with teens and parents both arguing in support of their
"cases," although the adults usually reserve the right to have final "veto"
authority
iv) Permissive/Laissez-Faire
(1) In permissive/laissez-faire families, there is little attempt to regulate
children's behavior, and adolescents are allowed to have the final say in
their own affairs
(2) This may be done out of laziness, or out of the desire to foster
independence
(3) In many studies, it has been shown that those teens that grow up in
democratic households are the most successful and confident in their own
abilities
(4) This success seems to come from both a gradual assumption of personal
responsibility, the establishment of parental limits on behavior, and the
support of the parents
d) The Peer Group
i) Peer groups are also important, since peers tend to treat each other as equals,
not inferiors
ii) Peer groups are often formed into sets, or cliques, where people are part of
differing and distinguishable groups within the environment
iii) Peer groups generally push conformity, and exclude those members who fail
to comply
6) Difficulties in the Transition from Late Adolescence to Early Adulthood
a)
7)