DEVELOPMENT ACROSS THE LIFESPAN Adolescence

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT  Puberty – time period when individuals reach full sexual maturity Certain physical changes occur to make this possible  Primary sex characteristics – characteristics that are directly involved with reproduction  Secondary sex characteristics – characteristics not directly involved with reproduction Deeping of voice, development of breasts (changes linked to hormones)

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT  Production of estrogen becomes cyclical during puberty. This increase of estrogen from the ovaries triggers menarche. Also stops growth in height  Menarche – major life event, usually occurs between 11 to 14.

EARLY MATURATION: EMOTIONAL IMPACT  Boys who mature early tend to be more popular and are more likely to be leaders, then those who mature later. More self assured and relaxed at that time Boys who mature later, then to be more better adjusted as adults  Girls who mature earlier: tend to feel awkward about their height and secondary sexual characteristics. Often teased Once everyone else catches up, differences seem to vanish

PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT  Parent-child relationships are often redefined during adolescence Society’s image of constant rebellion is exaggerated  As teens strive for independence, they do often argue with their parents Want to make own choices on friends, cloths, dating etc. Usually leads to less time with family and more time with friends  Most adolescents continue to have a good relationship with their parents. Children often have greater self-reliance Usually have similar social, political, & religious views Tend to interact more with mothers than fathers

PEER RELATIONSHIPS  During adolescence peers have more influence  Cliques – peer groups of people who spend a lot of time together Dress similar, adopt each other’s mannerisms Become intolerant of “outsiders” interfering Initiation rights – rare in early adolescence, usually occurs later around 17  Parental and peer attitudes are often similar  Peer pressure – weak in early adolescence, peaks around the age of 15. It’s power decreases after 17. Want peer approval Provide support

IDENTITY CRISIS/CONFORMITY  Erik Erikson (famous psychologist) believed that the main goal of adolescence was forming an identity. Identity – sense of who you are/what you stand for Believed identity is established by developing a commitment to a role or occupation in life  To help find the right one, people often experiment with different values, roles, & relationships Act one way with friends and a different way with parents  If fail to form an identity, teens become confused about who they are and what they want to do with their life  Identity crisis – turning point in person’s development. Forces you to examine values and make changes to decisions about life  Anorexia Nervosa – characterized by starvation and distorted body image  Bulimia Nervosa – characterized by a cycle of binge eating and then forced vomiting

GENDER & ETHNICITY IN GENDER FORMATION  Erikson & Freud’s views on development focus on men. They believed a woman’s identity was basically wife & mother.  In modern times, studies show that women approach identity formation like men. Added concern of how will they balance it all with family life. Women still have most of the responsibility of raising children & maintaining a home  Identity formation is often more complicated for minorities. Faced with 2 sets of values: their ethnic group, larger society Prejudice/discrimination Parents are from two different ethnical backgrounds

SEXUALITY  Struggle of hormones vs. adult influence  Society at large is sexualized, which adds to the confusion Movies, TV, commercials, & music all contain sexual images  Teenage pregnancy (7.2% girls between will get pregnant this year)  Teenage mothers are more likely to live in poverty.  50% of teen mothers will quit school and go on welfare  Few receive financial or emotional support from father  Teenage motherhood makes emotional problems worse, not better.