CHAPTER
8
NOTES AND
TEST
Rites of Passage to Young Adulthood
Puberty
1.Physical Growth
a. Pubety consists of a series of bodily changes that begin in early adolescence.
b. The physical changes are caused by hormones
c. Today children begin puberty at an earlier age and are bigger at maturity
d. Early maturation seems to be more beneficial to boys, because others perceive them to be more mature and are more likely to be treated as adults
e. Early maturation in girls can lead them to start associating with older adolescents and engage in age-inappropriate behaviors
Eating Disorders
1. Obesity
a. A large number of obese children and adolescence are unpopular, have low self-esteem and are at risk for eating disorders
b. Obesity can be caused both by heredity and eating habits
c. The most effective programs for treating obesity are those in which children and their parents set eating and exercise goals
2. Anorexia and Bulimia
a. Anorexia – the characteristic of this disorder is an irrational fear of being overweight
b. Bulimia – the characteristic of this disorder is alternating between binge eating and purging
c. Both disorders are more likely to affect girls more than boys
d. Some of the factors that contribute to anorexia, include cultural standards for thinness, a need for independence within an autocratic family and heredity
The Search for Identity
1. Identity vs Role Confusion
a. Erikson believes that the crisis of adolescence is to achieve an identity
b. Experimentation with different possible selves is part of this quest for identity
2. Resolving the Identity Crisis
a. The search for identity involves four stages
1. -diffusion – common in early adolescence
2. -foreclosure – common in early adolescence
3. -moratorium – common in late adolescence and young adulthood
4. -achievement – common in late adolescence and young adulthood
3. Ethnic identity
a. Adolescents from ethnic groups go through three phases in their search for identity
1. -initial disinterest
2. -exploration
3. -identity achievement
b. When an individual achieves an ethnic identity, the result is higher self-esteem and better academic performance.
The Myth of Storm and Stress
a. Adolescents is not usually a period of storm and stress for the individual
b. The large majority of adolescents love their parents, they rely on them for advice and adopt their values
c. The parent-child relationship becomes more egalitarian during the adolescent years, which is a reflection of growing independence
Entering the World of Work
1. Part – Time Work
a. Most American adolescents will have a part-time job. This is unique to the United States
b. Adolescents who are employed more than 15 hours per week typically do poorly in school, have lowered self-esteem, increased anxiety and have problems interacting with others
c. They save little of their income, spending it on themselves which leads to misleading expectations about how allocate income
d. Part-time employment can be beneficial if they work few hours and if they use their skills or are learning new ones
2. Career Development
a. Super’s theory of vocational theory choice suggests that adolescent’s identity and career aspirations develop in parallel. There are three phases of vocational development
1. crystallization – basic interests are identified
2. specification – jobs that are associated with interests are identified
3. implementation – marks the entry into the work force
b. Holland suggested there are six different work-related personality types: realistic, investigative, social, conventional, enterprising, and finally artistic. When an individual’s career fits their personality they usually have more productive and stable career.
Romantic Relationships
1. Dating
a. Dating begins in early adolescence. Begins with the meeting of same-sex groups and progresses to well defined couples
b. Dating ranges from recreation and entertainment to companionship and intimacy
c. Adolescents often wonder about their sexual orientation, but only few report engaging in homosexual experiences
d. Current theories on homosexuality contribute it to biology
e. Gay and lesbian adolescents face challenges and some of these challenges may lead to mental health problems
2. Awakening of Sexual Interests
a. By age 18, a large number of adolescents have had sexual intercourse.
b. Consequences of adolescent sexual behavior are pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, because sexually active adolescents use contraceptives infrequently
c. Another problems is that young adult females are forced into sex against their will because males misinterpret or disregard females’ intentions
d. Sexual coercion is more likely when drinking is involved or if the couple had sex previously
e. Many college campuses offer activities and services in order to prevent sexual assaults
Problems of Adolescent Development
1.Use of Drugs
a. Adolescents are often attracted to experiment with drugs and alcohol
b. b.Some of the factors that influence the decision of adolescents to use drugs and alcohol are encouragement from parents and peers and their ability to cope with stress
2.Depression
a. Adolescents that are depressed believe that others are unfriendly and wish to be left alone. They have very little enthusiasm for life.
b. Depression can be triggered by
1. an event that deprives them of rewarding experiences
2. an event in which they feel they have no control
3. an imbalance of neurotransmitters
c. Treatment includes medications if the problems is imbalance of neurotransmitters and therapy in order to improve social skills and help them correctly interpret events
3. Delinquency
a. Delinquent behavior may involve
1. status offenses – acts that are crimes because they are committed by adolescent
2. index offenses – acts that are crimes regardless of the age of the offender
b. There are two types of delinquent behavior
1. life-course persistent antisocial behavior – has been linked to social class, family processes, lack of self-control and biological causes
2. adolescent limited antisocial behavior – may be motivated by the desire to possess high status items