Dr van Widenfelt PSYC 307 100 Fall 2015 Adolescence agenda Nov 23rd Nov 30th Adolescent Psychosocial Development Identity Development Erikson Social emotional Development Relationship with parents Peer relations Depression Teen Suicide Eating disorders Substance abuse behavior problems Adolescent Identity Formation Identity development Who am I Development of Consistent definition of one s self as a unique individual EG roles attitudes beliefs aspirations Interacts with social environment Related to development in Self esteem Social Development Who am I Where do I belong Role of peer group important How do I relate to others Social Skills developing And also defining the person the development of self concept and Identity Asking Am I self esteem proceed Who during adolescence Erikson Identity versus role confusion Erikson s fifth stage of development the adolescent tries to figure out Who am I but gets confused in the process as to which of many possible roles to adopt search for identity inevitably leads some adolescents into substantial psychological turmoil Political ethnic family and religious Most adolescentsidentity follow parental political traditions also true for religion Apolitical identity may emerge with weakening parental party identity In adolescence view of spirituality becomes more abstract Fanatical political religious movement participation rare Most adolescents identity with their ethnicity Vocational identity Vocational or professional identity takes years to establish Early vocational identity no longer relevant I e wanted to be a doctor as a child Gender Identity Sexual identity Now called gender identity that begins with the person s biological sex and leads to taking on a gender role Gender Identity EG Gender identity A person s acceptance of the roles and behaviors that society associates with the biological categories of male and female Also as it fits with their personality Sexual orientation A term that refers to whether a person is sexually and romantically attracted to others of the same sex the opposite sex or both sexes Erikson Identity achievement Erikson s term for the attainment of identity Defined as the point at which a person understands who he or she is as a unique individual in accord with past experiences and future plans the categories of adolescent identity according to Marcia Marcia suggests that identity can be seen in terms of presence or absence of crisis or commitment Identity not yet achieved update by Foreclosure Marcia Erikson s term for premature identity formation which occurs when an adolescent adopts parents or society s roles and values wholesale without questioning or analysis e g going to law school just like mom Role confusion identity diffusion Situation in which an adolescent does not seem to know or care what his or her identity is I HAVE NO CLUE Moratorium An adolescent s choice of a socially acceptable way to postpone making identity achievement decisions Going to college is an example Going to work in the mall is an example Really Done by adolescence unusual for teenagers to resolve this crisis and reach identity achievement Several aspects of the search for identity especially sexual and vocational professional identity are more difficult than Erikson described in his theory Identity development continues Take stock Think about your identity development in adolescence and now Physical Social Emotional Professional Religious Political Keep in mind Criticisms and Concerns about Piaget Cognitive development proceeds in more continuous and broader fashion than Piaget theorized Age at emergence of some capabilities underestimated Other abilities are not necessarily uniformly performed More sophisticated forms of thinking do not end with formal operations Relationships with Parents CHANGES The Myth of the Generation Gap Most adolescents and their parents get along quite well No evidence suggests that family problems are worse during adolescence than at any other stage of development The Adolescent Quest for Autonomy Shifting roles may cause clashes with parents Adolescents increasingly seek autonomy which grows gradually Increase in adolescent autonomy changes relationship between parents and teenagers Autonomy and separation Process needed between parent and child How over protective should parent be How can parents protect and yet let go Autonomy and separation Control Do parents encourage or limit adolescent autonomy and identity development Process needed between parent and teen How over protective should parent be How can parents protect and yet let go Do You Know Where Your Teenager Is Parental monitoring Parents ongoing awareness of what their children are doing where and with whom Positive Part of a warm supportive relationship Negative When overly restrictive and controlling Worse Psychological Parents make a child feel guilty and impose gratefulness by threatening to withdraw love and support Closeness within the family Communication Do parents and teens talk openly with one another Support Do they rely on one another Connectedness How emotionally close are they without being intrusive parental reactions are crucial Too much criticism and control might stop dialogue not improve communication and behavior outcome parents and teens can become alienated distanced conflictual Adolescent cognitive development can also impacts parent child relationship in teen years Formal operations facilitates Ability to reason abstractly More argumentative behavior For parents Coping with the increased critical abilities of adolescents can be challenging Other aspects of cognitive development also impacts parent child relationship like sense of invulnerability Peers Aids in navigating puberty high school and leaving childhood Selection Teenagers select friends whose values and interests they share abandoning friends who follow other paths Facilitation Peers facilitate both destructive and constructive behaviors in one another This makes it easier to do both the wrong thing and the right thing It helps individuals do things that they would be unlikely to do on their own Relationships with Peers Peer pressure to conform Encouragement to conform to one s friends or contemporaries in behavior dress and attitude Deviancy training Destructive peer support in which one person shows another how to rebel against authority or social norms Teen relationships Go from childhood friendships of same sex to mixing with other sex in class to