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Social Development

Adolescence

SELF-DEVELOPMENT

Changes in Self-Concept In early adolescence, self-statements

often include contradictory descriptions (“but”).

Compared to school-age children, teens also place more emphasis on social virtues, such as being friendly, considerate, kind, and cooperative.

Changes in Self-Esteem

Several new dimensions are added to self-esteem including close friendship, romantic appeal, and job competence.

Except for temporary declines associated with school transition, self-esteem is on the rise for most adolescents.

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Personality Development

Erikson Identity versus Identity Confusion

“Who am I?” Identity crisis

Temporary period of confusion and distress as adolescents experiment with alternatives before settling on values and goals. Common in complex societies.

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ERIKSON’S THEORY

Identity versus Identity Confusion Positive resolution: satisfaction with personal

identity Identity

Well-organized conception of self made up of values, beliefs, and goals

Negative resolution: confusion about adult roles Identity confusion

State in which adolescents appear shallow and directionless

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Paths to Identity

Identity status: Crisis vs. Commitment Identity achievement

Commitment to self-chosen values and occupational goals Moratorium

Exploring alternative values and goals Identity foreclosure

Acceptance of values and goals from authority figures Identity diffusion

No firm commitments to values and goals Adolescents shift statuses. Gender differences?

Influences on Identity Development

Personality A flexible, open-minded approach to grappling with

competing beliefs and values is important.

Family When the family serves as a “secure base” from which

teenagers can confidently move out into the wider world, identity development is enhanced.

Foreclosed teenagers have bonds with parents, but lack opportunities for healthy separation.

Diffused adolescents report the lowest levels of warm, open communication at home.

Influences on Identity Development

Peers Close friends help young people explore options by

providing emotional support, assistance, and role models of identity development.

School and Community Classrooms that promote high-level thinking,

extracurricular and community activities, and vocational training programs foster identity achievement.

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Identity Status and Psychological Well-Being

Identity achieved or still exploring High self-esteem, more abstract and critical thinking,

greater similarity between ideal and real self, advanced in moral reasoning

Foreclosed individuals Dogmatic, inflexible, and intolerant

Long-term diffused Fatalistic, passive, likely to use and abuse drugs

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Family Relationships

Parent-Child Relationships Teenagers no longer bend as easily to parental

authority. Disagreements are harder to settle.

Parents give greater autonomy if they are financially secure, invested in work, and

content with marriage. Less than 10 percent of families with adolescents

have serious trouble.

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PEER RELATIONS

Teens average 18 nonschool hours per week with peers.

Adolescent Friendships Psychological intimacy

and loyalty Usually alike in age,

sex, ethnicity, social class, attitudes, values but less homogeneous than before

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Cliques and Crowds

Peer groups increasingly common during adolescence

Clique 5 to 7 adolescents who are close friends

Crowd Large, loosely organized group of several cliques

with similar norms

– A crowd grants identity in larger social structure.

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Cliques and Crowds

As dating increases, boy and girl cliques come together influence of clique declines Dating relationships allow for intimate relationship practise at first

Clique allows for acquisition of new social skills and experimenting with values and roles.

Can require conformity and lead to lowered self-esteem

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Attachment research: Focus has been on infant development, child peer relationships, adult intimacy, and parenting commitment

Research has not focused on teens, nor the sexuality component of relationships

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Attachment Measurement in Teens Adolescent AAI (Interview Narrative): How child

parental experiences are organized: autonomous, preoccupied, dismissing, and fearful (Corresponds to B, C, A, & D in infants)

Romantic Relationship Self Reports Experiences in Close Relationships – R Two subscales: Anxiety and Avoidance in Romantic

Relationships Attachment Behavior in Sexual Relationships

Security, Ambivalent, and Avoidant Subscales

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Intercorrelation of sexual relationship measures

Szielasko, Symons, & Price, 2007

Secure

Ambivalent

Avoidant

r=.51

r= -.82

r= -.67

SecureInsecure(Amb + Avoid)

r= -.84

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Sexual relationship subscales: Concurrent validation

Secure Styles:

*Prefer secure sexual partners (.28)*Do not prefer ambivalent (-.24) nor avoidant (-.27) partners*Are neither romantically anxious (-.31) nor avoidant (-.31)

Ambivalent Styles:

*Prefer avoidant sexual partners (.40)*Do not prefer ambivalent (-.39) nor secure (-.31) partners*Are both romantically anxious (.54) and avoidant (.37)

Avoidant Styles:

*Prefer ambivalent (.24) and avoidant (.30) sexual partners *Do not prefer secure (-.28) partners*Are romantically avoidant (.38)

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Sexual relationship styles and sexual approaches

Condom Use

# Sexual Partners

Exp. Unwanted Sex

Exp. Verbal Coercion

Exp. Sexual Assault

Use Unwanted Sex

Use Verbal Coercion

Secure Ambivalent Avoidant

MF +

-

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Anti-Social Behaviour: Delinquency

Juvenile delinquents are minors who commit crimes or acts only illegal for minors.

These crimes account for 30 percent of police arrests.

Delinquency rises in early teenage years, remains high during middle adolescence, and declines into young adulthood.

Adolescents commit 27 percent of violent crimes and 42 percent of property crimes.

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Factors Related to Delinquency

Much more common for boys than girls Low-SES and minority youths more

aggressively arrested, charged, and punished Correlates

Difficult temperament Low intelligence Poor school performance Peer rejection in childhood Entry into antisocial peer groups

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Developmental Path to Delinquency