Psychosocial Development In Adolescence

1. Psychosocial Development In Adolescence

2. The Search for Identity • Erikson: Identity Versus Identity Confusion • Three major issues to be resolved • Occupation • Values • Sexual identity • Psychosocial moratorium • Time out period during adolescence

3. The Search for Identity • Marcia: Identity Status– Crisis and Commitment • 4 identity statuses • Identity achievement • Identity foreclosure • Identity moratorium • Identity diffusion

4. The Search for Identity • Gender Differences in Identity Formation • Women • Identity and intimacy develop together • Self-esteem depends more on connections with others • Men • Self-esteem tends to be linked with striving for individual achievement

5. The Search for Identity • Ethnic Factors in Identity Formation • Three aspects of racial/ethnic identity • Connectedness to one’s own racial/ethnic group • Awareness of racism • Embedded achievement • Belief that academic achievement is part of group identity

6. Gilligan and adolescence • Studied female self-esteem • Prior to adolescence, female and male self-esteem is similar • During adolescence, female self-esteem drops • Girls tend to doubt themselves more • May be torn between sexual maturity and being the “nice girl” • Pressure to engage in close cooperative relationships which may reduce autonomy

7. Girls tend to fight the “feminine ideal” – those who are too tall tend to slouch, those who are too short tend to try to look taller. Often become preoccupied with looks and weight. • Girls tend to report a higher incidence of depression, dissatisfaction with their bodies, eating disorders and lower self-esteem • Males tend to have stress at the onset of adolescence and tend to level off by the time they are in their teens

8. Emotional Development • Study of emotional dev. in children is fairly new • Adolescents have become sophisticated at regulated their emotions • Adolescents are adept at interpreting social situation as part of the process of managing emotional displays

9. Emotional Development • Adolescents develop a certain of expectations • Children begin to break emotional ties with parents and develop them with friends • Boys will start to regulate (hide) their emotions. • Adolescents also regulate their emotions because of their sensitivity to other’s evaluations of them

10. Emotional Development • During adolescence (as early as age 10)….children begin to realize emotions aren’t as simple as they thought when they were children • Boys are less likely to display emotions of fear as girls are • Displays of empathy also increase during adolescence

11. Social Development • Begin to form an organized system of personality traits • Self concept-allows them to add new aspects of self-esteem (how they feel about their “self”). • As confidence and self-awareness rises-they begin to form self-identity. • More able to develop friendships that are based on loyalty and intimacy. • These social milestones occur slowly over time.

12. Moral Development • Many factors can stimulate a person’s growth through the levels of moral development. • One most crucial factor is education • Studies indicate that a person’s behavior is influenced by his or her moral perception and moral judgments.

13. ` • Kohlberg’s Moral Development • Level 3 – Postconventional Level – working within one’s own personal code of ethics • Stage 5 – Social Contract Orientation – Morals based on society’s rules, however rules are now questioned and seen as fallible (early adolescence) • Stage 6 – Individual Principles and Conscience Orientation – Morals based on justice, where the person does what they believe is right (adolescence)

14. Early Adolescence(12-14) • Rapid Growth • Confused by changes • Curious about final outcome • Personal interest in their own development • Rebellion against home • Acts in way that looks to be considerable maturity and in the next moment babyishness

15. Early Adolescence(12-14) • Absorption with close friends of same age and gender • Moodiness • Sloppiness and Disorder • Establishment of independence of self: Who am I? • Body-conscious • Strong desire to conform to and be accepted by peer group • Appearance of Sexual Maturity • Skin problems

16. Early Adolescence(12-14) • Constantly hungry (more than in younger years) • Companionship at meals and after school snacks provide dining pleasures) • Sleeps more than during younger years • Sleepy at “getting up” times • Wants to sit up at nights as sign of increasing maturity • Clash between physiology and culture

17. Early Adolescence(12-14)Special Characteristics of Boys • Boisterous • Clumsy • Secretive, “clams up” especially around adults or at home • Aggressive • Dirty-can’t seem to get him near the bathroom • Gain more weight and height than girls • Much talk about sex and girls • Out of house more

18. Early Adolescence (12-14)Special Characteristics of Girls • Vague and diffuse • Crush on older men • Interested in romantic love • Playacting • Talkative, but not communicative • Giggly!

19. Early AdolescenceSexuality • Boys express their sexuality through masturbation • Same-gender sexual encounters are relatively common • These occur frequently enough to be considered as a variant of normal sexual development • Questions that adolescents have about erotic feelings or behaviors toward the same sex need to be addressed directly and fully. • It is not helpful…to just say…this is no more then a passing phase.

20. Middle Adolescence (15-16) • Greatest experimental, risk taking time • Drinking, drugs, smoking and sexual experimentation are often highest interest during the 14-16 years olds • Peer groups gradually give way to one-on-one friendships and romances • Peer groups tends to be gender-mixed • Dating begins • Less conformity and more tolerance of individual differences • Omnipotence and Invulnerability are the rule • This results in an inability to link drinking with auto accidents or drinking with pregnancy or STD’s

21. Middle Adolescence (15-16) • Striving for independence and autonomy is greatly increased • Parental conflicts occur which need confrontation and resolution (these are normal and necessary) • Adolescents confide in each other • Sexual development results in unpredictable surges in sexual drive • Often accompanied by sexual fantasies • Sexuality is a MAJOR preoccupation of the middle adolescent

22. Middle Adolescence (15-16) • Sexual activity occurs more frequently among boys than girls • Testosterone increases are found in both boys and girls but much more abundant in boys • Higher testosterone levels in boys may result in greater sexual drives, sexual aggressiveness and more purely physical gratifications • Girls at this age tend to view sexual gratification as secondary to fulfillment of other needs such as love, affection, self-esteem and reassurance

23. Late Adolescence (17-18) • Rebellious • Concerned with personal appearance (can’t get them out of the bathroom) • Moody • Interest in the opposite gender • Establishment of ego identity-”where do I fit into the world” • Growth finally subsided • Full stature almost attained • Sleep requirements approaching adult level

24. Late Adolescence(17-18) • Food requirement approaching adult level • Companionship when eating • Intimate relation with friend fades • Greater interest in opposite gender • Needs acceptance by society, in job and in college • Needs parental respect for opinion and acceptance of maturity

25. Late Adolescence(17-18) • “Whom am I as a vocational being?” • Work opportunities during these years allow exploration of tentative career choices • A choice of vocation reinforces the adolescent’s self-concept and is important to identify formation

26. Late Adolescence (17-18)Factors Influencing vocational choice: • Family values • Social class • Socioeconomic conditions • Need for prestige • Vocational Independence • Special Abilities • Motivation

27. Late Adolescence (17-18)Special Characteristics of Boys • Interest in plans for career • Sexual interest prominent and demanding • Less interested than girls in mate seeking

28. Late Adolescence (17-18)Special Characteristics of Girls • Interest in boys, now directed towards mate seeking • Absorbed in fantasies of romantic love • Less interested than boys in plans for career • Sexual interest less demanding than in boys

29. Sexuality • Sexual Orientation and Identity • Sexual orientation • Heterosexual • Homosexual • Attraction or arousal • Behavior • Identity • Bisexual

30. Sexuality • Sexual Orientation and Identity • Origins of sexual orientation • Partly genetic • Chromosomes 7, 8, and 10 • Non-genetic factors also play a part • Number of times mother had previously given birth to boys seems to be a factor • No association between orientation and emotional or social problems

31. Sexuality • Sexual Orientation and Identity • Homosexual and bisexual identity development • One model proposes the following sequence • 1. Awareness of same-sex attraction (ages 8-11) • 2. Same-sex sexual behaviors (ages 12-15) • 3. Identification as gay or lesbian (ages 15-18) • 4. Disclosure to others (ages 17-19) • 5. Development of same-sex romantic relationships (ages 18-20)

32. Sexuality • Sexual Behavior • 77 percent of young people in the U.S. have had sex by age 20 • Average girl has first sexual intercourse at 17, average boy at 16 • African Americans and Latinos tend to begin sexual activity earlier than white youth • Asian-American youth have a pattern of delayed sexual activity saving sex for marriage or adulthood

33. Sexuality • Sexual Behavior • Where do teenagers get information about sex? • Friends • Parents • Sex education in school • Media • Gives a distorted view, associating sex with fun, excitement, competition, danger, or violence

34. Relationships with Family and Peers • Is Adolescent Rebellion a Myth? • Only 1 in 5 teenagers fits the pattern • Emotional turmoil • Conflict within the family • Alienation from adult society • Reckless behavior • Rejection of adult values

35. Relationships with Family and Peers • G. Stanley Hall (1904/1916) • Period of “storm and stress” • Efforts to adjust to their changing bodies and demands of adulthood • Sigmund Freud (1935/1953) and Anna Freud (1946) • Universal and inevitable rebellion, growing out of a resurgence of early sexual drives toward the parents

36. Relationships with Family and Peers • Margaret Mead (1928/1935) • Concluded that when a culture provides a gradual, serene transition into adulthood, “storm and stress” is not typical • Most young people feel close to and share similar opinions with their parents, and value their parents’ approval

37. Relationships with Family and Peers • Is Adolescent Rebellion a Myth? • Adolescence can be a difficult time for young people and their parents • Family conflict • Depression • Risky behavior • Mood swings

38. Relationships with Family and Peers • Changing Time Use and Changing Relationships • Disengagement is not rejection but response to developmental needs • Cultural variations reflect varying • Needs • Values • Practices

39. Relationships with Family and Peers • Adolescents and Parents • Parents feel mixed emotions about the need to let go and the desire for their children to be independent • Tensions can lead to family conflict • Parenting styles influence outcome

40. Relationships with Family and Peers • Adolescents and Parents • Family conflict and individuation • Arguments are usually about mundane personal matters • Chores • Schoolwork • Dress • Money • Curfews • Dating and friends

41. Relationships with Family and Peers • Adolescents and Parents • Individuation • Adolescent struggle for autonomy and differentiation, or personal identity • Family conflict is most frequent during early adolescence, but most intense during midadolescence

42. Relationships with Family and Peers • Adolescents and Siblings • Adolescents spend more time with peers than siblings • Sibling relationships become more equal as they approach high school • Younger siblings still tend to look up to older ones

43. Relationships with Family and Peers • Peers and Friends • Influence of peers peaks at ages 12 or 13 • Declines during middle and late adolescence • Cliques • Structures groups of friends who do things together • Crowds • Social construction based on reputation, image, or identity

44. Relationships with Family and Peers • Peers and Friends • Friendships • Become more reciprocal, equal, and stable • Tend to be chosen by • Gender • Race/ethnicity • Have similar academic attitudes and similar levels of drug use

45. Relationships with Family and Peers • Romantic Relationships • Central part of most adolescents’ social worlds • Contribute to development of intimacy and identity • Can entail risks of pregnancy, STDs, and sometimes sexual victimization

46. Antisocial Behavior and Juvenile Delinquency • Becoming a Delinquent: Genetic and Neurological Factors • Genes influence 40 to 50 percent of variation in antisocial behavior • Parents shape prosocial or antisocial behavior through their responses to basic emotional needs • Authoritative parenting can help young people internalize positive standards

47. Antisocial Behavior and Juvenile Delinquency • Becoming a Delinquent: How Family, Peer, and Community Influences Interact • Family economic circumstances influence the development of antisocial behavior • Weak neighborhood social organization in a disadvantaged community can influence delinquency • Cognitive efficacy

48. Antisocial Behavior and Juvenile Delinquency • Long-Term Prospects • Delinquency peaks at age 15 then declines • Teenagers who do not see positive alternatives are likely to adopt a permanently antisocial lifestyle • Developmental psychologists want to see rehabilitation for juvenile offenders, not incarceration

49. Antisocial Behavior and Juvenile Delinquency • Preventing and Treating Delinquency • High-quality day care or education • Offering families assistance geared to adolescents’ needs • Structured adult-monitored or school-based activities when not in school • Constructive activities or job skills programs • Extracurricular school activities

50. Emerging Adulthood • Markers of Adulthood • Internal indicators • Sense of autonomy • Self-control • Personal responsibility • More a state of mind than external factors