Chapter 12: Adolescence

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.

Chapter 12: Adolescence

Module 5

Social and Personality Development in Adolescence



IDENTITY: ASKING “WHO AM I?”



Identity: Asking "Who Am I?" • Self consciousness takes center stage

• WHY?– More like adults intellectually– More like adults physically

287



Self Concept: What Am I Like?

• View broadens – One's own assessment of who they are – Others' views

• More organized and coherent – View self in terms of traits and multiple

aspects

288



Self-esteem: How Do I Like Myself?

• Increasingly accurate in understanding self

• Gender

• SES

288



Influences on Self-Esteem

Traditional research– Prejudice is incorporated into minority adolescents'

self-concepts

Recent research– African-American adolescents have same levels of

self-esteem as Caucasians– Strong racial identity is related to higher self-esteem

levels

289



“Ethgender”

• Joint influence of race and gender (“ethgender”)

• Findings indicate that: – African-American and Hispanic males had

highest self-esteem– Asian and Native American females had

lowest levels

290



Identity Formation: Change or Crisis?



What did you learn from the adolescents in the video about:

• Parental expectations (including cultural differences)

• Perception of societal stereotypes• Sexual identity





Identity Formation: Crisis or Change?

IDENTITY-VERSUS-IDENTITY-CONFUSION STAGE

Identity = appropriate identity that sets foundation for future psychosocial development

Confusion = sense of self is "diffuse“ with adoption of socially unacceptable roles

290



Erikson: Identity versus Confusion

Psychological moratorium– Experimentation period

• Probably no lasting, negative psychological affects

• Some benefits

290



Societal Pressures and Reliance on Friends and Peers

• Societal pressures high during identity versus identity confusion stage – Difficult choices about future plans– Gender differences

291



Erikson’s Ideas on Identity

• Identity versus identity confusion– Adolescents examine who they are,

what they are about, and where they are going in life

• Psychosocial moratorium– Gap between childhood security and

adult autonomy, part of adolescent identity exploration

Identity



Limitations of Erikson’s Theory

• Male identity development used as standard against which to compare female identity

291



Updating Erikson



Developmental Changes in Identity Status

• Young adolescents primarily in statuses of diffusion, foreclosure, or moratorium

• Important for achieving positive identity

– Confidence in parental support

– Established sense of industry

– Able to adopt self-reflective stance of future

Identity



Marcia’s Approach to Identity Development

Crisis or commitment1) IDENTITY ACHIEVEMENT2) IDENTITY FORECLOSURE3) IDENTITY DIFFUSION4) MORATORIUM

292



Identity Statuses

• According to Marcia: Individuals go through periods of

– Crisis: exploring alternatives during identity development

– Commitment: individuals show personal investment in what they are going to do

Identity



Identity Statuses

Marcia

1. Identify Diffusion: not experienced crisis or made commitments

2. Identity Foreclosure: made commitment but not experienced crisis (parents handed down commitments without adolescent making any exploration)

Identity



Identity Statuses

Marcia

3. Identity Moratorium: in midst of crisis but commitment absent or only vaguely defined

4. Identity Achievement: experienced crisis and made a comitment

Identity



Identity

Marcia’s Identity Statuses

Fig. 11.9



Early Adolescence to Adulthood

• Most important changes occur ages 18 to 25

• “MAMA” cycle: pattern for positive identity

moratorium • achievement • moratorium • achievement

• Family influences on identity development

– Parenting style effects identity development

Identity



Identity, Race and Ethnicity• Cultural assimilation model

• Pluralistic society model

• Bicultural identity

293



Psychological Difficulties in Adolescence

Depression and Suicide• Incidence• Causes• Differences

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Adolescent Suicide

• Incidence• Attempts• Differences

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Adolescent SuicideOther factors in adolescent suicide: • Depression

• Family conflicts

• History of abuse and/or neglect

• Drug and alcohol abuse

294



Gender Differences in Depression

• Higher incidence among girls than boys

• Stress more pronounced for girls due to many, sometimes conflicting demands of traditional female gender role

294



What contributes most to the increased suicide rate among

US adolescents today?



A Call for Help

295



Warning Signs

• Direct or indirect talk • School difficulties • Writing a will• Changes in eating habits• General depression• Dramatic behavior changes• Preoccupation with death

296



How can you help?

1. Take 5 minutes to brainstorm about ways you might help a friend you believe is at risk for suicide.

2. Find a class partner/group to share your ideas.

3. Identify the top three suggestions in your group.

4. Share your suggestions with the class.296



The Informed Consumer of Development

Preventing Adolescent Suicide• Listen without judging• Talk specifically about suicidal thoughts• Evaluate the situation, trying to distinguish

between general upset and more serious danger• Be supportive, let the person know you care• Take charge of finding help

296



The Informed Consumer of Development

Preventing Adolescent Suicide• Make the environment safe• Do not keep suicide talk or threats secret• Do not challenge, dare, or use verbal shock

treatment• Make a contract with the person• Don’t be overly reassured by a sudden

improvement of mood

296



For immediate help with a suicide-related problem, call:

(800) 784-2433 or (800) 621-4000,

national hotlines staffed with trained counselors



Review and Apply

REVIEW• Self-concept during adolescence grows more

differentiated as the view of the self becomes more organized, broader, and more abstract, and takes account of the views of others.

• Both Erikson’s identity-versus-identity-confusion stage and Marcia’s four identity statuses focus on the adolescent’s struggle to determine an identity and a role in society.

297



Review and Apply

REVIEW• One of the dangers that adolescents face is

depression, which affects girls more than boys.

297



Review and Apply

APPLY• What are some consequences of the shift

from reliance on adults to reliance on peers? Are there advantages? Dangers?

297



RELATIONSHIPS: FAMILY AND FRIENDS



Family Ties: Changing Relations with Relations

• Parental views questioned • Role shifts• Cultural factors

297



The Quest for Autonomy

• Adolescents increasingly seek autonomy, independence and a sense of control– Primary developmental task– Grows gradually over course of adolescence – Consists of changes in relational symmetry

298



Culture and Autonomy

• Cultural and gender factors play an important role– Western societies– Asian societies

• Adolescents from different cultural backgrounds also vary in degree of felt family obligation

• In general, male adolescents are permitted more autonomy at earlier age than female adolescents

298



The Myth of the Generation Gap

• GENERATION GAP– Social, political, and religious issues– Dress, music, friends– Difference in values and attitudes between teens

is greater than the difference between parent and teen.

298



Time Spent by Teens with Parents

Despite their request for autonomy & independence, most teens have deep love, affection & respect for their parents

The amount of time spent with each parent remains remarkably stable across adolescence

300



Conflicts with Parents

• Primary issues

• Cultural differences

299



Relationships with Peers: The Importance of Belonging

• Peer relationships– Critical during adolescence – Provide opportunity for social

comparison and information

• Reference groups

300



Cliques and Crowds: Belonging to a Group

• Cliques

• Crowds

• Sex cleavage (boys hang with boys/girls hang with girls)

301



Developmental Diversity

Race Segregation:

The Great Divide of Adolescence

• Adolescents of different ethnicities and races interact very little – Decline begins in elementary school

302



Why does racial and ethnic segregation often exist, even in

schools that have been desegregated for some time?



Popularity and Rejection

Adolescent social world is complex• High status categories• Low status categories

303



The Social World of Adolescence

A teen’s popularity can fall into one of four categories, depending on the opinions of his or her

peers.

Popularity is related to differences in status, behavior and adjustment.

304



What is it that determines status in high school?

304



Conformity: Peer Pressure in Adolescence

• Susceptibility and conformity– Few empirical studies

• Brown how much pressure peers exerted– Overall perception– Gender differences– Kinds of peer pressure

304



Juvenile Delinquency: Crimes of Adolescence



Who are they?

• UNDERSOCIALIZED DELINQUENTS (raised with little discipline or harsh, abusive parenting)

• SOCIALIZED DELINQUENTS (know the rules, expectations, fairly normal psychologically)

305



Review and ApplyREVIEW• The search for autonomy may change relations between

teenagers and their parents, but the generation gap is less wide than is generally thought.

• Cliques and crowds serve as reference groups in adolescence offering a means of social comparison. Sex cleavage gradually diminishes, until boys and girls begin to pair off.

• Racial separation increases during adolescence, bolstered by socioeconomic status differences, different academic experiences, and mutually distrustful attitudes.

306



Review and Reply

• Thinking back to your own high school days, what was the dominant clique in your school, and what factors were related to group membership?

306



DATING, SEXUAL BEHAVIOR, AND TEENAGE PREGNANCY



Dating: Close Relationships in the 21st Century

• Dating– Learning to establish intimacy– Learning to engage in entertainment– Shaping identity

• Cultural influences affect dating patterns

306



What are the functions of dating?

• Pattern of courtship that lead to marriage

• Way to learn to establish intimacy

• Mechanism to provide entertainment and prestige

• Resource to develop a sense of one’s own identity

306



Dating and the Development of Psychological Intimacy

• Dating in early and middle adolescence is not terribly successful at facilitating intimacy

• True intimacy becomes more common during later adolescence

• Gay and lesbian couples experience a variety of challenges related to dating

306



Sexual Relationships

• Maturation of sexual organs

• Initiation into sexuality

• Masturbation

• Sexual intercourse

307



Adolescents and Sexual Activity

308



Permissiveness with Affection

• In past, gender-related double standard for premarital sexual activity

• Today premarital intercourse is viewed as permissible for both men and women if it occurs in the context of long-term, committed, or loving relationship

• Significant cultural and subcultural variation about premarital sex

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Sexual Orientation: Heterosexuality, Homosexuality, and Bisexuality

• Sexual orientation questions occur at adolescence– Heterosexuality– Homosexuality– Bisexuality

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What Determines Sexual Orientation?

• Genetic and biological factor

• Family and peers

• Conditioning

309



Teenage Pregnancies

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What contributes to the decline in teenage pregnancy?

• New initiatives have raised awareness among teenagers of the risks of unprotected sex

• The rates of sexual intercourse among teenagers has declined

• The use of condoms and other forms of contraception has increased

• Substitutes for sexual intercourse may be more prevalent

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Does “Just say NO” work?



Review and Apply

REVIEW• Dating in adolescence serves a number of

functions including intimacy, entertainment, and prestige.

• Sexual intercourse is a major milestone that most people reach during adolescence. The age of first intercourse reflects cultural differences and has been declining over the last 50 years.

311



Review and Apply

REVIEW• Sexual orientation, which is most accurately

viewed as a continuum rather than categorically, develops as the result of a complex combination of factors.

311



Review and Apply

APPLY• What aspects of the social world of adolescents

work against the achievement of true intimacy in dating?

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Chapter 12: Adolescence

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