1. Adolescence Module 9
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2. Adolescence Adolescence Emerging Adulthood Physical Development
Cognitive Development
Social Development
Emerging Adulthood
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3. Adolescence
Many psychologists once believed that our traits were set during childhood. Today psychologists believe that development is a lifelong process.
AP Photo/ Jeff Chiu
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4. Adolescence Adolescence Puberty
the transition period from childhood to adulthood
extending from puberty to independence
Puberty
the period of sexual maturation
when a person becomes capable of reproduction
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5. Physical Development
Adolescence begins with puberty (sexual maturation). Puberty occurs earlier in females (11 years) than males (13 years). Thus height in females increases before males.
Preview Question 6: What major physical changes occur during adolescence?
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6. Primary Sexual Characteristics
During puberty primary sexual characteristics — the reproductive organs and external genitalia — develop rapidly.
Ellen Senisi/ The Image Works
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7. Secondary Sexual Characteristics
Also secondary sexual characteristics—the nonreproductive traits such as breasts and hips in girls and facial hair and deepening of voice in boys develop. Pubic hair and armpit hair grow in both sexes.
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8. Brain Development
Until puberty, neurons increase their connections. However, at adolescence, selective pruning of the neurons begins. Unused neuronal connections are lost to make other pathways more efficient.
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9. Frontal Cortex
During adolescence, neurons in the frontal cortex grow myelin, which speeds up nerve conduction. The frontal cortex lags behind the limbic system’s development.
Hormonal surges and the limbic system may explain occasional teen impulsiveness.
Frontal lobe maturation brings improved judgement
Myelination continues
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10. Cognitive Development
Adolescents’ ability to reason gives them a new level of social awareness. In particular, they may think about the following:
Their own thinking.
What others are thinking.
What others are thinking about them.
How ideals can be reached. They criticize society, parents, and even themselves.
Preview Question 7: How did Piaget and Kohlberg describe cognitive and moral development during adolescence?
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11. Developing Reasoning Power
According to Piaget, adolescents can handle abstract problems, i.e., they can perform formal operations. Adolescents can judge good from evil, truth and justice, and think about God in deeper terms.
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AP/Wide World Photos
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12. Developing Morality
Kohlberg (1981, 1984) sought to describe the development of moral reasoning by posing moral dilemmas to children and adolescents, such as “Should a person steal medicine to save a loved one’s life?” He found stages of moral development.
9 51. Lawrence Kohlberg's theory of moral reasoning is best described by which of the following? (AP94)
(A) Personal conscience is innate and all human beings develop it at the same rate.
(B) By adulthood, all people judge moral issues in terms of self-chosen principles.
(C) Ethical principles are defined by ideals of reciprocity and human equality in individualistic societies, but by ideals of law and order in collectivistic societies.
(D) Children grow up with morals similar to those of their parents.
(E) Children progress from a morality based on punishment and reward to one defined by convention, and ultimately to one defined by abstract ethical principles.
9 81. Carol Gilligan’s criticism of Lawrence Kohlberg’s developmental theory is based on the argument that Kohlberg's (AP99)
(A) Work has been invalidated by changes in the structure of families in the United States
(B) Stages are too limited in their critical-period parameters
(C) Theory underestimates the capabilities of infants and children
(D) Stages do not apply equally well to all racial and ethnic groups
(E) Theory fails to account sufficiently for differences between males and females
AP Photo/ Dave Martin
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13. 3 Basic Levels of Moral Thinking
Preconventional Morality: Before age 9, children show morality to avoid punishment or gain reward.
Conventional Morality: By early adolescence, social rules and laws are upheld for their own sake.
Postconventional Morality: Affirms people’s agreed-upon rights or follows personally perceived ethical principles.
Criticism, favors European and N. American middle class vs. collectivist cultures like China
Biased against western women, due to their reliance on relationships
Woman needs drug and can’t afford it, man steals it…should he have done this?
Moral ladder
Stage 1: Obedience and Punishment Orientation
A focus on direct consequences
Negative actions will result in punishments
Positive actions will result in rewards
Stage one – Should steal so he doesn’t get blamed for wife’s death
-avoid punishment
Stage 2: Mutual Benefit
Reflects the understanding that different people have different self-interests, which sometimes come in conflict
Getting what one wants often requires giving something up in return
Children in stage two have a better idea of how to receive rewards as well as to avoid punishment.
Stage 3: Interpersonal Expectations
An attempt to live up to the expectations of important others
Positive actions will improve relations with significant others
Negative actions will harm those relationships
In stage three, children become acutely sensitive to what other people want and think.
Stage three – action based on what others might think, social approval
Stage 4: Law-and-Order Morality To maintain social order, people must resist personal pressures and follow the laws of the larger society
In stage four, a child is less concerned with the approval of others. 
Stage 5: Legal Principles A balance is struck between respect for laws and ethical principles that transcend specific laws
Laws that fail to promote general welfare or that violate ethical principles can be changed, reinterpreted, or abandoned
The stage-five person is primarily concerned with whether a law is fair or just. 
Stage 6: Universal Moral Principles
Self-chosen ethical principles
Profound respect for sanctity of human life
Moral principles take precedence over laws that might conflict with them, ie, conscientious objectors.
Stage six involves an acceptance of ethical principles that apply to everyone, like the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
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14. Moral Feeling
Moral feeling is more than moral thinking. When posed with simulated moral dilemmas, the brain’s emotional areas only light up when the nature of the dilemmas is emotion-driven.
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15. Morality
As our thinking matures, so does our behavior in that we become less selfish and more caring. People who engage in doing the right thing develop empathy for others and the self-discipline to resist their own impulses.
Moral Action
Moral action involves doing the right thing. People who engage in doing the right thing develop empathy for others and the self-discipline to resist their own impulses.
Delay gratification
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16. Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development
Approximate
age Stage Description of Task
Infancy Trust vs. mistrust If needs are dependably met, infants
(1st year) develop a sense of basic trust.
Toddler Autonomy vs. shame Toddlers learn to exercise will and
(2nd year) and doubt do things for themselves, or they doubt their abilities.
Preschooler Initiative vs. guilt Preschoolers learn to initiate tasks
(3-5 years) and carry out plans, or they feel
guilty about efforts to be independent.
Elementary Competence vs Children learn the pleasure of applying
(6 years- inferiority themselves to tasks, or they feel
puberty) inferior.
9 75. A nine-year-old girl first learning about her capabilities on the playground and in the classroom would be in which of Erikson's stages of development? (AP99)
(A) Industry vs. inferiority
(B) Identity vs. role confusion
(C) Autonomy vs. shame and doubt
(D) Integrity vs, despair
(E) Trust vs. mistrust
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17. Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development
Approximate
age Stage Description of Task
Adolescence Identity vs. role Teenagers work at refining a sense of self by
(teens into confusion testing roles and then integrating them to
20’s) form a single identity, or they become
confused about who they are.
Young Adult Intimacy vs. Young adults struggle to form close relation-
(20’s to early isolation ships and to gain the capacity for intimate
40’s) love, or they feel socially isolated.
Middle Adult Generativity vs. The middle-aged discover a sense of contri-
(40’s to 60’s) stagnation buting to the world, usually through family
and work, or they may feel a lack of purpose.
Late Adult Integrity vs. When reflecting on his or her life, the older
(late 60’s and despair adult may feel a sense of satisfaction or
up) failure.
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18. Adolescence: Social Development
Identity
one’s sense of self
the adolescent’s task is to solidify a sense of self by testing and integrating various roles
Intimacy
the ability to form close, loving relationships
a primary developmental task in late adolescence and early adulthood
(Erikson) Once you are comfortable with who you are then you can form relationships
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19. Parent and Peer Influence
Although teens become independent of their parents as they grow older, they nevertheless relate to their parents on a number of things, including religiosity and career choices. Peer approval and relationships are also very important.
(Gold & Yanof) HS girls w/ most affectionate relationships w/ their mothers have most intimate friendships with their girlfriends.
(Resnik) Teens close to parents tend to be healthy, happy and do well in school.
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20. More humor from graph jam
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21. Emerging Adulthood
Emerging adulthood spans ages During this time, young adults may live with their parents and attend college or work. On average, emerging adults marry in their mid-twenties.
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22. EXPLORING PSYCHOLOGY (7th Edition in Modules) David Myers
Aneeq Ahmad
Henderson State University, James A. McCubbin, Ph.D.
Clemson University, Amy Jones, Garber edits
Worth Publishers, © 2008
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