1. Adolescent Development

2. Learning Objectives
At the completion of this presentation, officers will be able to:
Accurately describe the nature of adolescence
Identify key changes in physical development in adolescence and discuss how such changes impact behavior
Identify adolescent problems in substance use, eating disorders, and health; and discuss how such problems impact behavior
Identify key cognitive changes in adolescence and discuss how such changes impact behavior
Identify some key aspects of how schools influence adolescent development and behavior

3. Learning Objectives, cont’d
Identify changes in the self and emotional development during adolescence and discuss how such changes impact behavior
Describe changes that take place in adolescents’ relationships with the parents
Describe changes that occur in peer relations during adolescence and discuss how such changes impact behavior
Describe cultural considerations in responding to adolescent behavior
Identify adolescent problems in socioemotional development
Identify strategies for helping adolescents in crisis.

4. What is “normal” for adolescence?

5. Remember being a teenager?

6. Stereotypes?

7. Rebellion
Crisis
Pathology
Deviance
Troubled
Disrespectful
Self-centered

8. More accurate description
Positive self-concepts
Positive relationships with others
Self-confident
Optimistic
Happy most of the time
Enjoy life
Perceive self as able to exercise self-control
Value work and school
Positive feelings toward families
Feel they have the capability to cope with life’s stresses

9. Current “climate” for adolescents
More opportunities and tools
More numerous demands and expectations
More risks and temptations
Less stable environment
High divorce rates
High adolescent pregnancy rates
Increased geographic mobility
Complex lifestyle options
High rate of drug use in US

10. Nature of Adolescence Transition from childhood and adulthood
Identity exploration and discovery
Evaluation and Decision Making

11. Understanding Adolescents
Biological
Social
Psychological

12. Physical Changes
Puberty
Adolescent Sexuality
Brain

13. The Adolescent Brain

14. Spurts in neural activity
Changes in neurotransmitters
Different maturation speeeds for different parts

17. Due to brain development at this stage, adolescents might be more likely to respond with “gut” reactions to emotional situations rather than with rational, reasoned responses.

18. Last part of the brain to mature is the
part needed for
Planning
Setting Priorities
Suppressing Impulses
Weighing consequences
The brakes for risky, impulsive behavior and thinking before acting are still under construction!

19. Adolescent Problems Substance Use Eating Problems and Disorders
Health Problems

20. Substance Use
US has highest rate of drug use of any industrialized nation
Alcohol abuse major adolescent problem
The earlier the use, the more negative the consequences
Parents and peers play important roles

21. Eating Disorders Have increased Role of media Emphasis on body
Peer and social influence

22. Health Problems Critical juncture Health habits forming Poor nutrition
Lack of exercise
Inadequate sleep
Risk-taking behavior- seat belts, helmets, driving practices, contraception
3 leading causes of death: accidents, homicide and suicide

23. Cognitive Changes in Adolescence
Egocentrism: heightened self- consciousness
imaginary audience- others as interested in them as they themselves are, attention-getting attempts to get noticed (“on stage”)
personal fable- sense of uniqueness and invincibility (“no one will understand me”, “I won’t get pregnant or hurt”)

24. More cognitive skills Increased decision making
Increased critical thinking
Increased speed of processing, capacity, breadth of knowledge and use of strategies

25. Social Changes and Challenges
School transitions to middle and high school (from top-dog to lowest position)
Increase in peer influence and pressure
Dating begins
Less parental presence
Increased expectations

26. Socioemotional Development
Efforts to understand one’s self and emotions
Changes in social contexts- families, peers
Social Problems- delinquency, depression

27. Self-Esteem Overall way we evaluate ourselves self-image, self-worth
Declines in early adolescence for both boys and girls, but drop for girls is greater- perhaps due to body image issues
Caution! Declines are often exaggerated and actually are small in nature.

28. Identity

29. Who am I?
Some experts believe main identity changes take place in late adolescence or youth
Need individuation and connectedness in parent-adolescent relationships for progress
Can be particularly challenging for ethnic minorities

30. Emotions Adolescents report more extreme
and fleeting emotions, less happy
Moodiness normal aspect of adolescence
Hormonal influences often small
Environmental experiences may contribute more

31. Relationships: Parents
Push for autonomy
Attachment to parents important
Parent-adolescent conflict increases
but usually moderate and may serve to promote autonomy and identity
Small subset of adolescents may experience high parent-adolescent conflict which is linked with negative outcomes

32. Relationships: Peers
Dramatic increase in psychological importance and intimacy of close friends
Pressure to conform to peers strong (especially during 8th and 9th grades)
Cliques/ crowds impact self-esteem
Dating takes on added importance, and has many functions.
Early dating- special concerns
Many gay and lesbian youth disguise sexuality and may have inner conflict

33. Role of culture Much variation in adolescents across cultures
Traditions, expectations, changes
Much research has not teased apart influences of ethnicity and social class
Need to recognize differences between ethnic groups and between ethnic groups and White majority
Do not see differences as deficit
Need to recognize differences WITHIN ethnic groups do not stereotype

34. Adolescent Social Problems
Juvenile delinquent: adolescent who breaks the law or engages in conduct that is considered illegal
Violence among youth
Higher rate of depression- gender differences
Adolescent suicide 3rd leading cause of death in U.S. adolescents
Problem behaviors are interrelated

35. Common components of programs:
Provide individual attention to high-risk adolescents
Develop community-wide intervention
Include early identification and intervention