Adolescence: Identity, Depression, Rebellion Psychosocial Dev. – Ch. 16 Feb, 11-13, 2009 Classes #13-14

Who am I?  The Self and Identity Consistent definition of one’s self as a unique individual in terms of roles, attitudes, beliefs. and aspirations

 Possible selves various ideas of who one might be or become, each of which is typically acted out and considered as a possible identity  False self set of behaviors that is adopted by a person to combat rejection, please others, or try out as a possible self Multiple Selves

 Acceptable false self Adopted to be accepted; arises from feelings of worthlessness, depression; low self-understanding  Pleasing false self Arises from wish to impress or please others; medium self- understanding  Experimental false self Adolescent tries out a self to see how it feels; high self- understanding Three Types of False Selves

Identity vs. Role Confusion  Adolescents come to see themselves as unique and integrated persons with an ideology  Or they become confused about what they want out of life

Identity Status  Identity Foreclosure adopts values and goals of parents and culture without questioning  closes out process before it begins  Identity Diffusion has few commitments to goals or values, and apathetic about taking on any role  Identity Moratorium experiments with alternative identities in order to try them out; not ready to make commitment to particular future goal

 Developmentalists asked a series of questions to measure identity status can a person achieve identity in one domain but still be searching in another domain?  answer: yes is identity formed from within or from without?  answer: both Status Versus Process

 Identification of self as either male or female with acceptance of all roles and behaviors that society assigns to that sex adolescents make a multitude of decisions about sexual behavior and select from many gender roles Gender Identity

Ethnic Identity  Gender identity is often connected to ethnic identity  Ethnic Identity often questioning of ethnic identity and dominant American identity As teens grow older, the need to be proud of general heritage grows greater

Sadness and Anger  Adolescents can feel despondent and depressed, overwhelmed by the world and their own inadequacies, as well as on top of the world, destined for great accomplishment

Sadness and Anger  Emotional problems are categorized in two ways internalizing problems: problems are manifested inward to inflict harm on self externalizing problems: problems are “acted out” by injuring others, destroying property, or defying authority

 General trend in mood is more downward than upward In U.S., both boys and girls feel less and less confident in math, language arts, and sports self-esteem drops at around age 12 adolescents without support from family, friends, or school more vulnerable to self-esteem dip  loss of self-esteem may push toward depression The Usual Dip

Depression  Rate of clinical depression more than doubles in puberty (15%)  Gender difference: teenage girls (20%) teenage boys (10%) hormonal changes may explain this, coupled with psychic stress of school, friends, sexual drives, and identity crises

Adolescent Suicide  Suicidal Ideation thinking about suicide is common among adolescents

Adolescent Suicide  Five reasons for erroneous belief that suicide is more of an adolescent problem than other age groups rate is triple the rate of 40 years ago adolescents lumped together with young adults as one statistical category adolescent suicide is shocking and grabs attention social prejudice considers teenagers as problems suicide attempts are more common in adolescence

 The deliberate act of self-destruction that does not end in death  Parasuicide and suicide depend on five factors availability of lethal means, especially guns lack of parental supervision alcohol and other drugs gender cultural attitudes Parasuicide

Adolescent Rebellion  Many psychologists believe that rebellion for adolescent boys may be normal

 Breaking the law is the most dramatic example of rebellion  Worldwide, arrests rise rapidly at about age 12 and peak at about age 16 44% of all U.S. arrests for serious crimes involve persons aged 10 to 20 Breaking the Law

 Adolescent males are 3 times more likely to be arrested than females  African-Americans are 3 times more likely to be arrested than are European-Americans, who are 3 times more likely as Asian-Americans to be arrested

Family and Friends  Family and peer support helps adolescents through good and bad times  Support provides sustenance provisions directions ballast for stability safe harbor or anchor

Parents  Generation gap—distance between generations in values, behaviors, and knowledge—and understanding adolescents often loosen ties to family adolescents need to become psychologically separate  Generational stake—each generation needs to see family from its own perspective

 Typically, emerges in early adolescence, especially with daughters  Bickering—petty, peevish arguing, ongoing and repeated  Adolescents believe they should have privileges of adult status Parent-Adolescent Conflict

 Timing of problems is cultural in general, for teens, bickering peaks in early to middle adolescence For Chinese-, Korean-, and Mexican-American teens, parental conflict surfaces in late adolescence

 Communication  Support  Connectiveness  Control parental monitoring Other Family Characteristics

Peers  They’re more crucial in early teens self-help group help “bridge the gap between childhood and adulthood” help to define who they are not (identity formation) Can encourage socially desirable behaviors.

 Pressure to conform is strong—up to age 14  Peers help to bridge gap between childhood and adulthood  Peer pressure can be especially negative in times of uncertainty, but is not usually a corrupting influence on good adolescents  Most peer-induced misbehavior is short-lived Peer Pressure Unmasked

 Bicultural Conflict caught between strict family traditions and generational push for autonomy  May give in to parental control (girls)  May join a delinquent group (boys) Peer Group for Immigrants

 Sequence of Heterosexual Attraction friendships of one sex or the other loose association of girls’ group and boys’ group smaller mixed-sex group formed from larger group true intimacy; peeling off from group into couples, with private intimacies Romantic Attraction

 Complications of this life style usually slow down romantic attachments many reluctant to admit homosexuality may mask feelings depression and suicide higher for these youth Homosexual Youth

 No other period is full of such multifactoral and compelling biological changes  Fascinating and confusing social and intellectual transitions  Most adolescents and their families survive fairly well Final Words…

 Most have some difficulties and some may have several many problems stem from earlier development even considering that, adolescents are open to new patterns, goals, and lifestyles  plasticity young people can find a path that leads to adulthood and its challenges