Transcript Adolescence
Historically viewed as a time of stress
Rebelliousness, emotional upheaval
In reality:
No greater psychological problems than
in adulthood
But… its true that there is
More depression, eating disorders,
substance abuse, and suicide than in
childhood
Emotional moodiness does
increase
Linked to negative events
More moody that children or
adults
Teens are happiest with friends
Least happy in adult structured
events
Moods level off by 10th grade
Growth Spurts
Females:
Starts by age 10
Ends by age 16
Males:
Starts by 12.5
Ends by 17.5
Lasts from 7 to 11 years of age
Characterized by slow physical growth
Important cognitive changes occur
Conservation and reversibility
▪ Child decenters – allows conservation problems to be solved;
learns some matter changes shape but not volume
Emotional and social development
Child enters with close ties to parents
Peer relationships become increasingly important
▪ Friendships more important, last longer
▪ Cliques or groups formed, mostly same sex
▪ Terms boyfriend and girlfriend have little meaning at
this stage
Adolescence
Physical changes of puberty
Adolescent growth spurt
Heightened sexual and romantic interest
Peers become more important than parents
Cognitively – capable of abstract reasoning
▪ Ponders abstract issues like justice or equality
No clear cut end to adolescence in society
Cognitive development
Formal operations stage entered
▪ Ability to use abstract concepts
▪ Shift to stage varies among individuals; some never
reach this stage, others reach it in early adulthood
Piaget’s classic experiment with weights
4-yr-old
7-yr-old
5 kg
5 kg
5 kg
A
10-yr-old
5 kg
C
B
14-yr-old
10 kg
2 kg
D
8 kg
Piaget’s Balance Test - task: make the weight
times the distance equal on both sides of center
Adolescent egocentrism
Imaginary audience – everyone is watching
Personal fable – belief that s/he is unique
Hypocrisy – okay for one to do it but not another
Pseudostupidity – use of oversimplified logic
Social development
Time of drifting or breaking away from family
Emotional development
G. Stanley Hall – time of storm and stress
Most adolescents are happy, well-adjusted
Areas of problems
▪ Parent-child conflicts
▪ Mood changes - self-conscious, awkward, lonely,
ignored
▪ Risky behavior - aggression, unprotected sex, suicide,
use of substances or alcohol
Young adulthood through older adulthood
Developmental changes continue throughout
adulthood: not a single phase of life
Taking on adult responsibilities in work and social
relationships
Challenges: love, work, play continue changing
Physical development
Growth and strength in early adulthood, then
slow process of decline afterwards
▪
▪
▪
▪
Speed and endurance
Vision and ability to see in weak lighting
Hearing and detection of tones
Taste – intact until later in life; men tend to lose hearing
and taste earlier than women
Decline affected by health and lifestyles
Cognitive development
Continues throughout adulthood; some abilities
improve while others decline
▪ Fluid intelligence peaks in 20s, declines therafter
▪ Crystallized intelligence improves until 30s; then
declines slowly afterwards
▪ Overall, individual rates vary depending on lifestyle and
health
Emotional and social development
Many aspects of personality are fairly stable over
time, and changes are predictable
▪ On average, adults become
▪ less anxious and emotional, socially outgoing, and creative
▪ People become more dependable, agreeable, and
accepting of life’s hardships
▪ Gender differences lessen over time
Emotional and social development
Much disagreement about when and how changes
occur during aging – differences between stages
of infant/child development and adult
development
▪ Not all adults go through every stage
▪ Order of stages can vary for individuals
▪ Timing of stages not controlled by biological maturation
Early adulthood
Erikson
▪ Intimacy versus isolation (17 to 45 years)
Levinson - Early adulthood has three stages
▪ Entry into early adulthood (17-28)
▪ Age 30 transition (28-33)
▪ Culmination of early adulthood (to age 40)
Challenges of career, marriage, and parenthood
Erikson –
Generativity versus stagnation (40-65 years)
▪ Taking stock of what one has, who s/he is
▪ Some are happy, some are disappointed
▪ Generativity – reaching out, not self-centered
Levinson – four brief stages
Midlife transition (early 40s)
Entry to middle adulthood stage (45 to 50)
Age 50 transition
Culmination of middle adulthood
Climactic –
Female sexual ability to reproduce declines
Not all adult development timed by social clock
rather than biological clock
Levinson – four brief stages
Midlife transition (early 40s)
Entry to middle adulthood stage (45 to 50)
Age 50 transition
Culmination of middle adulthood
Climactic –
Female sexual ability to reproduce declines
Not all adult development timed by social clock
rather than biological clock
Biological – human body deteriorates
Psychological
Happy or unhappy aging
Social activity and slowed intellectual decline or
disengagement and isolation
Maintain healthy or unhealthy lifestyle
Optimism linked to happier, healthier, longer life
Kübler-Ross – five stages
Denial
Anger
Bargaining
Depression
Acceptance