Chapter 16 Adolescence: Social and Emotional Development

1. Chapter 16Adolescence:Social and Emotional Development

2. Development of Identity and the Self-Concept “Who Am I?” (And Who Else?)

3. What Does Erikson Have to Say About the Development of Identity During Adolescence? • Identity versus Identity diffusion • Primary task: develop ego integrity • Psychological moratorium • Experimental period • Identity Crisis • Successful resolution is understanding who you are and what you stand for

4. What Are Marcia’s “Identity Statuses”? • Four statues based on two dimensions • Exploration – active questioning alternatives in search of goals • Commitment – stable investment in goals • Identity diffusion • Low exploration and commitment • Foreclosure • Low exploration; high commitment • Moratorium • High exploration; low commitment • Identity achievement • High exploration and commitment

5. Ethnicity and Development of Identity • Development of self-identity is more complex for ethnic minorities • Need to assimilate two sets of values – dominant and minority • Prejudice and discrimination • Scarcity of role models • Stages of ethnic identity development • Unexamined ethnic identity (foreclosed state) • Ethnic identity search (moratorium state) • Achieved ethnic identity

6. Gender Roles and Development of Identity • Erikson concluded • Career matters were more important to men • Relationships were more important to women • As a result men developed identity before intimacy while women developed intimacy before identity • Research contradicts this and suggests men and women are equally concerned about career • Women continue to integrate family and career plans

7. How Does Self-Concept Develop During Adolescence? • Self-descriptions • As children, focus on physical characteristics and actions • As adolescence, incorporate distinct and enduring personality traits • Self-descriptions become more differentiated • With formal-operational skills, able to integrate contradictory elements

8. What Happens to Self-Esteem During Adolescence? • In early adolescence, self-esteem declines • Disparity between ideal and real self • From age 13, self-esteem gradually improves • May adjust ideas about ideal self • May become less self-critical • Emotional support from family and peers is important • Initially, family support more important • By late adolescence, peer support more important

9. Relationships with Parents and Peers

10. How Do Relationships With One’s Parents and Peers Change During the Course of the Teenage Years? • Relationship with parents • Time spent with family decreases during adolescence • Boys tend to spend more time alone • Girls tend to spend more time with friends • More time spent with mother • More conflicts but also more support • Remaining close to family • More self-reliant and independence, higher self-esteem and better school performance • Conflicts are more frequent • Based on issues of control

11. How Do Relationships With One’s Parents and Peers Change During the Course of the Teenage Years? • Parenting Styles • Authoritative parenting • Teens show more competent behavior than other groups • More self-reliant, do better in school • Better mental health, lowest incidence of problems and misconduct

12. How Do Relationships With One’s Parents and Peers Change During the Course of the Teenage Years? • Relationship with peers • Role of peers increases throughout adolescence • Friendships • More friends than younger children • One of two “best friends” • Based on acceptance, intimate self-disclosure and mutual understanding • Typically same age, race, and sex • Friendship contributes to • Positive self-concept and psychological adjustment

13. Ethnicity, Sex and Adolescent Friendships • Children choose friends from their ethnic group • European American female teens report support from friends • African American, male and female, both report support from friends • Ethnic stressors may push minority teens to seek support • Intimacy and closeness more central to girls’ friendships • Adolescent girls report friendships as more important than boys do • Girls’ friendship networks are smaller and more exclusive • Girls tend to participate in unstructured activities • Boys engage in organized group activities

14. What Kind of Adolescent Peer Groups Are There? • Cliques • 5 to 10 people who hang around together • Shared activities and confidences • Crowds • Larger groups who do not spend much time together • Defined by activity or attitude of group • Adolescent peer groups • Spend considerable time together • Function with little or no adult control • May include teens of other sex

15. When Do Romantic Relationships Develop? • Begin in early to middle adolescence • Sequence of dating • Putting oneself in situations with peers of other sex • Group activities that include peers of other sex • Group dating • Two-person dating • Dating in early adolescence • Casual and short-lived • Dating in later adolescence • More stable and committed

16. How Much Influence Do Peers Have On Each Other? • Peer pressure peaks during mid-adolescence • Peers provide standard for behaviors • Peers provide support • Adolescents are influenced by both parents and peers • Peer influence styles and taste • Parent influence moral principles and future goals

17. What Are Some Patterns of Sexual Behavior in Adolescence? • Masturbation • Most common sexual outlet for teens • Nearly universal among male teens, less among female teens • Sexual Orientation • Sexually attracted to, and interested in forming a relationship • with people of other sex – Heterosexual • with people of same sex – Homosexual • with people of either sex – Bisexual • One may engage in sexual activity outside of sexual orientation

18. Homosexual Sexual Orientation • Stages of sexual identity for gay and lesbians • Attraction to members of same sex • Self-labeling as gay or lesbian • Sexual contact with members of same sex • Disclosure of sexual orientation to others/coming out • Depression and suicide - higher among gay youth

19. Why Do Some Teenagers Initiate Sexual Activity at an Early Age, While Others Wait Until Later? • High school students • Since 90’s, gradual decline in %age engage in sexual intercourse • Males more likely than girls to be sexually active • Effects of puberty • Early onset puberty – earlier sexual activity • Parental influences • Close relationship with parents – less early sexual activity • Peer influences • Predictor of sexual activity • Sexual activity of best friend

20. Figure 16.1 Percentage of Students in Grades 9-12 Who Report Ever Having Had Sexual Intercourse

21. In This Cultural Setting, Why Do Teenage Girls Become Pregnant? • Receive little advice about sexuality • Failure to use contraception • Use pregnancy to achieve intimacy, demonstrate rebellion • Uneducated about reproduction and contraception • Half of pregnant teens will get an abortion • Most teen moms will be single moms

22. Figure 16.2 Percentage of Sexually Active Students in Grades 9-12 Who Report Using a Condom the Last Time They Had Sexual Intercourse

23. Figure 16.3 Trends in Pregnancy and Birthrates Among Women, Age 15-19, in the United States and Other Developed Nations

24. What Are the Consequences of Teenage Pregnancy? • Consequences for pregnant teen • More likely to experience medical complications • Less likely to complete education • Lower salaries • Consequences for teen father • Lower grades in school than peers • Enter workforce at earlier age • Consequences for children of teen mom • Lower cognitive functions • More behavioral, emotional problems • More likely to become teen parent

25. Preventing Teenage Pregnancy • Sex education programs • Successful programs • Increase knowledge about sexuality • Delay onset of sexual activity

26. What Is Juvenile Delinquency? • Illegal activities committed by child or adolescent • Some activities are illegal only if committed by minors • Status offenses • Ethnicity • Factors for overrepresentation of African American youth in juvenile justice system • Racial bias • Economic factors

27. What Are the Sex Differences in Delinquent Behavior? • Boys more likely to engage in delinquent behaviors • Boys commit more crimes of violence • Girls commit more status offenses • More girls are likely to be arrested for being runaways • More runaways • Double standard

28. Who Is Most Likely to Engage in Delinquent Behavior? • Many risk factors and causality is not clear • Poor school performance • Delinquent friends, substance abuse • Early aggressive or hyperactive behaviors • Low verbal IQ, immature moral reasoning • Low self-esteem and impulsivity • Parents and/or siblings have been involved in antisocial behaviors • Prevention and Treatment • Focus on individual offender • Focus on systems • Early childhood intervention programs

29. How Many Adolescents Commit Suicide? Why? • Among older teens – suicide is 3rd or 4th leading cause of death • Risk factors for suicide • Depression and hopelessness • Confusion about self, interpersonal problems • Impulsiveness, emotional instability • Stressful life events • Origins of suicide • Social problems • Less capable of solving problems • Genetics • Suicide and psychological problems runs in families

30. How Do We Define Adulthood? • Many different criterion for adulthood • Historically – marriage • Today – Independent from parents • Financial and residence

31. How Do We Define Emerging Adulthood? • Distinct period – straddles 18 through 25 • Extended period for exploration • Appear in affluent societies • Erikson’s moratorium • Extended search for identity

32. Erikson’s Stages of Adulthood? • Intimacy vs Isolation • Generativity vs Stagnation • Integrity vs Despair