Teenagers! Gross.

CHAPTER 4: ADOLESCENCE

PHYSICAL AND SEXUAL DEVELOPMENT

All adolescents experience dramatic changes in their physical size, shape, and capacities, as well as biological development related to reproduction

• In our society, adolescence is a time of preparation for adulthood

• There are many initiation rites

• Def: ceremonies or rituals in which an individual is admitted to new status or accepted into a new position

• So much put into adolescence put the focus of numerous theorists onto adolescence

INITIATION RITES

• G. Stanley Hall---adolescence is like being a caged animal---a period of storm and stress

• Margaret Mead---storm and stress is a byproduct of industrialized societies---culture plays a role in development

• Robert Havighurst---every adolescent faces challenges in form of developmental tasks that must be mastered

THEORIES OF ADOLESCENCE

• PUBERTY: sexual maturation; the end of childhood and the point when reproduction is first possible

• Triggered by hormones

• Some girls start at 8; some boys as early as 9

• On avg: Girls—8-10; boys---9-16

• Begins with a growth spurt (rapid increase in height and weight)

• Girls: 10-14; boys: 11-16

• Usually lasts 2 years

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

• Girls: breasts, hips, and pubic hair develop

• Menarche: first menstrual period

• Usually between 12 and 13

• Another 12-18 months before they become regular and conception is possible

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT FEMALES

• C. 12: pubic hair and larger genitals

• Spermarche: period during which males achieve first ejaculation

• Growth spurt lasts 3 years longer than females

• Acquire more muscle tissue and larger lungs and heart

• Body hair

• Both sexes can experience Asynchrony: condition in which the growth or maturation of bodily parts is uneven

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT MALES

• Can become self-conscious

• Conform to ideals of how males and females their age should act, dress, and look

• Early male maturing: more self-confident and independent

• Late male maturing: withdrawn, rebellious

• Early female maturing: awkward at first, become bossy, more favorable self-image

• Late female maturing: friendly with peers

REACTIONS TO GROWTH

• Varies based on society

• Some shelter children, some are open

• Sexually transmitted diseases affect views on sex

• Some choose abstinence

SEXUAL ATTITUDES

SECTION 2: PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

The transition from childhood to adulthood involves changes in patterns of reasoning and moral thinking, as well as the development of one’s identity…

• Piaget’s formal operations

• Thinking becomes more abstract

• Understand principles of hypotheticals and ability to deal with analogies and metaphors

• Rationalization: a process by which an individual seeks to explain an often unpleasant emotion or behavior in a way that will preserve his/her self-esteem

• Change in thinking brings changes in personality

COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

• Dr. David Elkind

• Problems that result from immaturity and abstract thought:

• 1) Finding fault with authority figures

• 2) Argumentativeness

• 3) Indecisiveness

• 4) Apparent hypocrisy: have difficulty understanding an ideal and living up to it

• 5) Self-consciousness

• 6) Invulnerability and “messiah complex”

PERSONALITY CHANGES

• Erik Erikson

• Identity Crisis: a period of inner conflict during which adolescents worry intensely about who they are

• Contributing factors: psychological changes, cog development, and awakening sexual desires

• Conflict mostly from intense desire to be unique coupled with desire to fit in

• Role confusion is normal

ERIKSON’S THEORY OF THE IDENTITY CRISIS

• Identified 4 attempts to achieve a sense of identity:

• 1) Identity moratorium adolescents: seriously considering issues; made no commitments

• 2) Identity foreclosure adolescents: firm commitment to issues based on suggestion of others

• 3) Identity confused adolescents: no serious thought to issues, no clear identity

• 4) Identity achievement adolescents: considered many identity options and committed to important life matters

JAMES MARCIA’S IDENTITY CRISIS

• Proposed by Albert Bandura

• Social Learning Theory: emphasizes interaction

• Our development depends on other’s reactions to our behavior

• Our peers also serve as models for behavior

SOCIAL LEARNING VIEW

SECTION 3: SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

Adolescents undergo many changes in their social relationships, adjusting to new relationships with parents and the influence of peers…

• Principle adolescent task involves becoming independent of families

• Parents can help or hinder

• Teens long for freedom but are concerned with failing

• This conflict can result in “adolescent rebellion”

ROLE OF THE FAMILY

• Clique: a small, exclusive group of people within a larger group

• Fulfills need for belonging and helps define identity, builds self-confidence, develops sense of independence, clarifies values

• Conformity: acting in accordance with some specified authority

• Peers influence: fashion, music, school related issues

• Parents influence: marriage, religion, educational plans

• Argument exists over which group has more influence

ROLE OF PEERS

• Depression in teens appears mostly as anger

• They can appear frantic and intensely hyperactive

• Withdrawal and rebellion are common clues

• Communication is the best solution

• Be attentive, be sensitive, be responsive

TEENAGE DEPRESSION

• Anorexia nervosa: disorder characterized by a fear of gaining weight that results in prolonged self-starvation and dramatic weight loss

• Miss menstrual cycles

• Treatment: focus on encouraging weight gain and therapy

• Bulimia nervosa: disorder characterized by compulsive overeating usually followed by self-induced vomiting or abuse of laxatives

• Excessively concerned with weight and body shape

• Treatment: therapy and antidepressants

EATING DISORDERS

SECTION 4: GENDER ROLES AND DIFFERENCES

• Gender Identity: the sex group to which an individual biologically belongs

• Identity learned around age 2-3

• Gender Role: the set of behaviors that society considers appropriate for each sex

• Roles give social meaning to identity

GENDER IDENTITY AND ROLES

• Def: an oversimplified or distorted generalization about the characteristics of men and women

• What society sees as masculine or feminine

• New ideas in recent time

• Androgynous: combining or blending traditionally male and female characteristics

• Bem Sex Role Inventory

• Sandra Bem argues androgyny should be a goal

GENDER STEREOTYPES

GENDER DIFFERENCE IN PERSONALITY• Males more confident in science and math

• Males are more aggressive physically

• Females are more verbally aggressive

• Reason: males have lower levels of serotonin

• Women talk more than men

• Females use more “hedges” (kind of, you know)

• Females use disclaimers (I may be wrong, I’m not sure)

• They use tag questions (Okay?)

• Women display warmth, men display dominance

• Women more sensitive to nonverbal cues

• High school males tend to be better at problem solving (changing)

• Males perform better on spatial ability

• Women are better at tracking objects

• There are very few cognitive differences

GENDER DIFFERENCES IN COGNITIVE ABILITIES

ORIGINS OF GENDER DIFFERENCES

• Emphasizes role of anatomy, hormones, and brain organization

• Gender roles come from early men and women

• Certain genetic traits evolved specific to males and females

BIOLOGICAL THEORY

• Gender identity comes from identifying with the same sex parent

• Between ages 3 and 5

PSYCHOANALYTICAL THEORY

• Emphasized the role of social and cognitive processes on how we perceive, organize, and use info

• We learn gender roles through observation

SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY

• Gender roles acquired through interaction with the environment and thinking about those experiences

• Child must identify as male or female

• Then behavior is organized around that schema

• Gender schema: a set of behaviors organized around how either a male or female should think and behave

COGNITIVE-DEVELOPMENTAL THEORY