Physical and Social Development in Adolescence: A Time of Growth and Identity Formation

1. Chapter 11 Adolescence

2. 1. Physical Development • Modern society requires more time/maturation before placing young people in adult roles • Early – 11-14 • Middle – 15-18 • Late – 18-21 • Adolescents develop physical/mentally/emotionally at different rates

3. Adolescent Growth Spurt • Lasts two to three years • Grow 8-12 inches on average • Girls tend to grow earlier in adolescence • Boys catch up in mid-adolescence and pass girls • Growth spurts can be awkward, body parts can grow disproportionate to rest of body • Ex. Rick

4. Sexual Development • Puberty – developmental changes that lead to ability to reproduce • Primary sex characteristics – directly involved in reproduction • Secondary sex characteristics – not directly involved in reproduction • Ex: hair growth, deepening voice • Changes linked to new hormone levels

5. Changes in Males • Pituitary gland causes increase in testosterone • Creates male physical characteristics

6. Changes in Females • Pituitary gland causes increase in estrogen • Creates female physical characteristics, menstruation

7. Differences in Maturation Rates • Boys who mature earlier have some advantages, sports, popularity, self-esteem • Early physical development does not necessarily reflect emotional/cognitive maturity • Early maturation in females can be more difficult, height and size can be uncomfortable

8. 2. Social Development • Can be a time of stress, conflict, identity confusion • Adolescence both a physical and psychological concept • Psychological adolescence ends when individual put in role of adult responsibility

9. Relationships with Parents • Conflict during adolescence with parents exists, but is often exaggerated • Conflicts often derive from adolescent drive for increased independence, autonomous choice • Older adolescence tend to spend more time outside the home, not with parents • Most parents/adolescents share values, beliefs (religious, political, social) • Most adolescents interact more with mother than father, more likely to be close to mother

10. Relationships with Peers • Become more important during adolescence • By 7th grade, peers become primary source of support for social/emotional issues

11. Adolescent Friendships • Friends provide support and understanding during difficult time of transition • provide self-esteem • Closest friends typically similar in age, attitudes, interests, tend to be same sex

12. Cliques/Crowds • Cliques – peer groups of 5-10 people, spend great deal of time together • Adolescents join to find identity, stability, sense of belonging • Crowds – larger groups, do not spend great deal of time together but share attitudes, group identity

13. Peer Influences • Peers actually more likely to encourage positive behaviors (good grades, enroll in college) than negative ones (drugs, etc.) • Adolescents dress, speech most influenced by peers, but… • Values, morals, most influenced by parents • Peer pressure peaks around age 15, dissipates around 17, could be due to growth in identity, self-esteem, individualism

14. Dating • Happens in stages • Join events where interaction with opposite sex will happen • Group dating • Paired dating

15. 3. Identity Formation • Erikson – primary task of adolescence is forming identity • learning what one stands for, who they are, what they believe, what their goals are, etc.

16. Identity Development • Erikson – establishing identity accomplished mainly by choosing commitment to a particular role or occupation • Adolescents may experiment with different values, beliefs, roles (selves) • “You don’t have to keep this one!” • Identity Crisis – turning point, one examines his/her values, makes or changes a decision about life role

17. Identity Status • Marcia, found four categories of adolescent identity status, or reaction patterns and processes • Move in and out of categories • Four categories are Identity moratorium, foreclosure, diffusion and achievement

18. Identity Statuses • Identity Moratorium - Teens who delay making decisions about important questions • Explore different alternatives, identities • Identity Foreclosure - Make commitments which close out other identities, based on others suggestions, not their own choices • Identity Diffusion – constantly searching for meaning and identity, have not committed to one • Identity Achievement – have explored alternatives and made own choice about identity, course of life, future goals

19. Gender and Identity Formation • Erikson’s view of identity formation (career oriented) historically applied primarily to boys • Today, more female adolescents likely to fit this view, due to change in gender roles, more women focusing on careers • Female adolescents voice more concern over balancing work and family

20. Ethnicity and Identity Formation • I.F. often more complicated for minority groups • May be faced with conflicting cultural values • May face discrimination

21. 4. Challenges of Adolescence • Stress can lead to: • Eating disorders • Drug, alcohol abuse • Suicide

22. Anorexia Nervosa • Self-starvation • Majority female • Weigh less than 85% of healthy weight • Girls need 2200 calories, boys 3000 per day • Most young, white, upper class • Often have distorted body image, see fat that is not there • May obsess about food, prepare it, give it away to others

23. Bulimia Nervosa • Binge eating followed by vomiting, other methods of food elimination • Majority female

24. Origins of Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa • Often women • Attempt to attain ideal body image • Feminine ideal growing thinner (models of 50s vs. today) • Parents of eating disorder sufferers more likely to have problems with eating, think daughters should lose weight, view daughters as unattractive • Runs in families. Possible causes include perfectionist personality.

25. Substance Abuse • Experimentation often begins in adolescence • Causes: rebellion, curiosity, peer pressure, excitement seeking, etc. • Serious health dangers • Cigarettes, dopamine, feelings of happiness

26. Sexuality • Hormonal changes during adolescence • Media, belief from teens that peers are more sexually active than reality • 10% of girls 15-19 become pregnant annually • Cognitive development, realization of consequences, how life changes limited • Factors (teen pregnancy): poor relationships w/ parents, lack of goals, emotional issues, peer pressure, lack of knowledge about reproduction)

27. Juvenile Delinquency • Illegal activities committed by children or adolescents • Low income not a factor • 25-30% of serious crimes in US committed by someone under 18 • Factors: low self-esteem, parental issues, lack of education/goals, peer pressure, relatives convicted of criminal behavior, etc.