Socioemotional Development in Adolescence Chapter 9

Search for Identity

 Erickson  Adolescents face crisis (identity v. role confusion)  Key for progression to establishing relationships w/ others  Experiment w/ different identities  Advanced cognitive development key

Search for Identity

 Marcia’s Identity Statuses  Diffusion - overwhelmed & no effort  Foreclosure - identity externally imposed  Moratorium - examining identities  Achievement - chosen identity  Not sequential  15 year old: Diffusion, 21 year old: Achievement  MAMA - as adults can go back to moratorium & achievement

Search for Identity

 Adolescent thinking (decreases as approach identity)  Egocentrism  Know but don’t care about others views  Imaginary audience  Feel on stage all the time  Personal fable  Unique experiences  Invulnerability  No bad will befall ME

Search for Identity

 Factors impacting identity formation  Parents encourage discussion & exploration of alternative identities  Parent recognize child’s autonomy

Self-Esteem

 High in pre-school  Declines elementary years due to social comparison  Eventually stabilizes  Drops again during junior/high school  New peer groups to compare against

Self-Esteem

 Becomes more differentiated during adolescence  Recognize domain specific esteem  School, work, family, friends, etc.

 Esteem varies independently across domains

Self-Esteem

 Factors impacting self-esteem  Parental style (authoritative best)  Consistent discipline  ‘I care about you’  School (highest w/)  Hard work  Good peer relations/no conduct problems  Extracurricular activities  Nurturing environment

Storm of Adolescence?

 Largely a myth: most adolescents transition to adulthood w/o much trouble  Most adolescents  Admire & love parents  Rely on parents for advice  Embrace parents’ values  Feel loved by parents

Parent-Child Bond

 Changes during adolescence  More egalitarian  Growing autonomy of child  Spend less time w/ parents  Less affectionate towards parents  More conflict about style, taste, freedom

Romantic Relationships

 Children primarily relate to same-sex peers  Adolescence this changes  5-10 hours/week of opposite sex interaction  5-10 hours/week of thinking about opposite sex peers

Romantic Relationships

 Dating progression  Groups of boys & girls interacting  Several pairs of boys & girls  Individual couples  Cultural factors impact dating patterns  European: emphasize autonomy & date early  Hispanic/Asian: emphasize family & date later

Sexual Behavior

 2/3 of high school graduates have had sex  Parents key: Less likely to have sex when  Teens feel close to their parents  Parents monitor their behavior  Parents discourage sex  Peers important as well: more likely when  Peers approve of sex  They believe their peers are having sex

Sexual Behavior

 Sexual behavior has different meaning for boys than for girls  Boys  1st time w/ ‘causal date, viewed positively, & approved by peers  Sex more self-oriented, recreational activity  Girls  1st time w/ someone they love, viewed negatively, disapproved by peers  Sex as an opportunity to form intimate connections

Sexual Orientation

 Sexual orientation part of broader search for identity  15% adolescents report attraction to same sex peer  Most these are temporary/exploratory  5% these reflect a gay/lesbian orientation  Most wait to ‘come out’ for fear of rejection

Sexual Orientation

 Many myths about cause of SO  Sons become gay with a domineering mother & weak father (NO)  Father as primary role model causes girls to become lesbian (NO)  Being raised by gay parents causes children to develop a gay SO (NO)  Gays, lesbians were sexually molested as children (NO)

Sexual Orientation

 What does cause SO?

 Genetics (as heritable as IQ)  Prenatal hormones (masculinizing, feminizing impact on brain development)  Fraternal birth order effect  Each successive older brother increases change of son being gay  Mothers immune R to testosterone grows w/ each male birth

Sexual Orientation

 Homophobia: fear of gays, lesbians  Serious form of abuse affects many gay youth  Western culture holds very negative views about gays  Changing though  1973 APA: homosexuality not disorder  Popular culture becoming more accepting (Ellen)

Work

 Career choice stages (Super)  Crystallization (13-14)  Emerging identities used to think about, pursue a career  Specification (18)  Learning about specific career and obtaining needed training  Implementation (early 20s)  Enter workforce and learn firsthand about the job

Work

 Personality-type theory  Select career that matches personality  6 broad personality types  Realistic: physical labor, concrete problems • Mechanic, construction worker  Investigative: task oriented, abstract thinkers • Scientist  Artistic: expression via unstructured tasks • Poet, musician

Part-Time Work

 75% US adolescents works (25% in 1970)  Fast foods, retail, manual labor  Benefits  Learn self-discipline, responsibility  Job skills

Part-Time Work

 Problems  School work suffers  Health, behavioral problems  Linked to drug use, delinquency, criminal behavior  Earn & spend strategy  Best if work < 10 hours/week at skill based job

Drug Use

 Most adolescents avoid drugs  Except for alcohol (75% 12 graders)  Why do they drink?

 Experimentation  Relaxation  Escape/cope w/ stress  Pleasure

Drug Use

 Factors predicting drinking  Parents: those who drink have kids who drink  Peers: peer pressure, modeling  Life stress  Treatment is possible  Stress management programs  School programs educating about dangers

Depression

 Pervasive feelings of sadness, irritability, and low self-esteem  3%-10% of adolescents are depressed  Often begins with uncontrollable life stress  Developed learned helplessness in which they generalize feelings of helplessness & come to believe they cannot control what happens  Neurotransmitter malfunction (norepinephrine) enhances vulnerability

Depression

 Treatment  Drugs (e.g., Prozac)  Psychotherapy

Suicide

 3rd most common cause of death in US adolescents  10% attempt suicide  More common for boys than girls  More common for older than younger  More common among European than AA

Suicide

 Warning signs (seek help)  Threats of suicide  Death focus  Change in eating or sleeping  Loss of interest  Changes in personality  Feelings of gloom  Giving away valued possessions

Delinquency

 Performing illegal, antisocial acts  Status offenses (not crimes as adults)  Truancy, running away from home  Index offenses (crimes no matter the age)  Murder, robbery, GTA  ~50% GTA, robbery in US due to 15-20 year olds

Delinquency

 Causes  Life course: lifelong pattern of antisocial beh  SES  Family (ineffective parenting, abuse)  Self-control (impulsive)  Biology (aggressive, violent temperament)  Adolescent-limited: just during teen years  Search for identity, adult-like status via crimes

Delinquency: Treatment

 Teach self-control  Parenting classes  Family therapy  School programs  Reduce poverty