1. CHAPTER 4 Adolescence

2. THEORIES OF ADOLESCENCE  G. Stanley Hall (1904): Adolescence as transitional stage, great “storm and stress”  Margaret Mead (1935): Adolescence is enjoyable time of life, industrialization makes it hard  Robert Havighurst (1972): Adolescence is difficult because of the developmental tasks that must be mastered

3. PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT  Puberty is the biological end of childhood  Bodily changes cause many adolescents to be self- conscious  This manifests differently with boys and girls

4. SEXUAL DEVELOPMENT  Adolescence is when an individual develops attitudes about sex and gender roles  There are wide cultural differences in what is considered appropriate sexual behavior  Sexual awareness and education is on the rise in the U.S.

5. COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT  During adolescence, thinking patterns characteristic of adults emerge  Around 11 or 12, thinking becomes more abstract and hypothetical possibilities can be entertained

6. COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT, CONT.  With higher cognitive development, comes the ability to understand abstract principles such as ethics  Adolescents also begin to deal with emotional feelings through rationalization

7. COMMON ADOLESCENT PROBLEMS  Problems arising from immaturity and abstract thought: 1. Finding fault with authority figures 2. Argumentativeness 3. Indecisiveness 4. Apparent hypocrisy 5. Self-consciousness 6. Invulnerability

8. MORAL DEVELOPMENT  Higher levels of moral thinking involve the ability to abstract  Adolescent moral development usually does not progress much in high school, but will grow more pronounced during college years

9. IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT  Most adolescents go through an identity crisis, a time of inner conflict during which they worry about who they are  Identity forms when an adolescent can resolve issues such as occupation, values, and sexual identity

10. ADOLESCENT IDENTITY CATEGORIES  Identity Moratorium: Adolescents seriously considering issues but have not decided  Identity Foreclosure: Made a decision based on choices of others  Identity Confused: Not yet given identity any thought and have no clear identity  Identity Achievement: Considered possible identities and made their decision

11. SOCIAL LEARNING VIEW  Many psychologists disagree with Erikson and say that identity is not always part of a crisis  These psychologists endorse the social learning theory, that human development is a normal and continuous process and is not naturally marked with trauma

12. SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT: THE ROLE OF THE FAMILY  Prior to 1970, the average American family had a father who was the wage-earner and a stay-at-home mother  Now, more than half of all marriages end in divorce and almost 60% of American women are in the workforce  The role of peers has become increasingly influential for adolescents

13. THE ROLE OF PEERS  Belonging to a clique, a small group within a group, fulfills the need for closeness with others and establishes identity  Group pressures to conform to certain ideals can cause young people to behave in ways contrary to their better judgement

14. THE ROLE OF PEERS, CONT.  When it comes to basic matters such as politics, religion, or educational plans, adolescents tend to accept their parents’ beliefs  There are differences in some areas such as sexual behavior and drug use, but most teens choose friends with values similar to their parents

15. DIFFICULTIES DURING ADOLESCENCE  The occurrence of teenage suicide has nearly tripled since 1950  Juveniles are involved in 17 percent of all violent crime arrests and 35 percent of property crime arrests

16. EATING DISORDERS  Eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia affect many teenagers, particularly females  Anorexia nervosa is characterized by a fear of gaining weight that results in self-starvation  Bulimia nervosa is characterized by compulsive overeating usually followed by self-induced purging

17. GENDER ROLES  Gender identity is one’s physical and biological makeup  Between 2 and 3, most children learn to label themselves as boys or girls  By age 5, most children have learned the behaviors of their gender role

18. GENDER ROLES, CONT.  Gender role is the set of behaviors considered appropriate for each sex  Gender stereotypes are oversimplified or prejudiced opinions or attitudes on men’s or women’s behavior  Androgynous roles are combinations of traditional male and female roles

19. GENDER DIFFERENCES  Some studies have found that men and women do have differences in personality traits  As a whole, females engage in more verbal aggression and males in more physical aggression  There are very few cognitive differences in men and women

20. BIOLOGICAL THEORY OF GENDER  Differences in gender are the result of evolution  Supporters of this theory suggest that gender is biologically programmed in humans

21. PSYCHOANALYTICAL THEORY OF GENDER  When a child identifies with the parent of the same sex, gender identity results  This occurs between 3 and 5 years of age and is called identification

22. SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY OF GENDER  Children learn gender roles by observing and imitating models and are rewarded for gender-specific behaviors  Example: “boy” toys and “girl” toys (trucks vs. dolls)

23. COGNITIVE-DEVELOPMENTAL THEORY OF GENDER  Children acquire gender roles by interacting with their environment and thinking about those experiences  This helps them form gender schemas, or mental representations of what gender is

24. CHANGING GENDER ROLES  Gender roles have changed drastically since the 1950’s  Today, more than half of American women work outside the home  Studies have shown that women still do not advance as quickly or make as much money as men