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Adolescent Development

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Presentation on theme: "Adolescent Development"— Presentation transcript:

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

15

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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


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