Chapter 1 Adolescence Past Present and Future Adolescents are moving toward adulthood comes form the Latin word adolescere to grow up Themes and Approaches ecological systems the interacting structures both within the adolescent such as physical cognitive and emotional functions and in the adolescent s surroundings such as family peers school and the community Ex the physical changes of puberty affect how kids think of themselves it can impact their diet exercise patterns and even their physical development stage environment fit the ways developmental changes in an adolescent interrelate with changes in the adolescent s social environment such as parental rules and demands parental methods meet different responses to adolescents of the age of 13 15 and 17 Ex as teens see more authority of themselves they look for nonparental adult models and often shift to schools that typically put more stress on rules and authority and greater distance between students and teachers the adolescent is affect today by cultural diversity and globalization cultural diversity the variety of customs beliefs expectations and behaviors that are typi cal of adolescents from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds globalization the tendency for economic social and political events and trends in one part of the world to have an impact on lives in other distant parts of the world applications ways of taking knowledge about adolescents that is derived form research and putting it to practical use Ex if you become a teacher counselor or social worker even a par ent educated consumers those who understanding of the field of adolescence and of the ways knowledge is gathered allows them to judge the strengths weaknesses of new findings positive development the study of factors that encourage adolescents to develop in a posi tive direction Structure of This Book Learning Strategies we learn more and retain it better when we engage in active learning active learning interactions with new information for example by rephrasing material or trying to explain it to someone else deep processing the association of new information with material that is already in mem ory especially material that has personal relevance when we think about material in a more meaningful way associate it with information we already know we remember it a lot better one of the most effective ways of deep processing is to relate the new information being learned to yourself Who is An Adolescent Two Sorts of Transitions Exactly what makes a person and adolescent adolescent is a named used to single out a particular segment of the lifespan transition is a period of growth and change that is set off when something disturbs an earlier balance That something can be biological psychological cultural or physical orientation from to chronological age physical sexual 11 or so start of growth spur appearance of secondary sex charac teristics 20 or so full adult size ability to reproduce familial psychosocial parents grant more freedom beginning of quest for identity achievement of independence achievement of sense of identity interpersonal shift in influence from family to peers educational social finish elementary school begin to date enter work world achievement of intimacy with peers finish formal education leave home get a job enter steady relationship normative transitions changes that most adolescents go through at roughly the same point in their development such as puberty and entering high school Ex entering puberty going on a first date and graduating from high school idiosyncratic transitions changes that take place at unpredictable points during adoles cence such as a parental divorce or a serious illness they are more particular to an individual Phases and Tasks early adolescence the period from the ages of 11 14 that roughly coincides with the mid dle or junior high school years middle adolescence the period from that ages of 14 18 that roughy coincides with the high school years late adolescence the period from the ages of 18 22 that roughly coincides with the college years often referred to as emerging adulthood According to Robert Havighurst every period of the life cycle in a given culture brings it own specific developmental tasks developmental tasks the skills attitudes and social functions that a culture expects mem bers to acquire at a particular point in their lives early adolescence developmental tasks involve adapting to body and mind changes and the new social roles they bring as well as accepting an learning to use one s new physique middle adolescence developmental tasks the focus shifts to achieving psychological in dependence from parents developing the ability to have close friendships and working toward a meaningful intimate possibly sexual relationships late adolescence include preparing for marriage and family life considering an economic career and acquiring a mature set of values Adolescence Across History Inventionism the view that the concept of adolescence was promoted in the early 20th cen tury as a way of setting off young people from the adult world this was intended to keep them dependent and prevent them from competing with adults for jobs Earlier Times Earliest information about adolescents comes from ancient Athens boys were trained in the three branches of learning grammar music and gymnastics from the time they reached puberty When they turned 18 they became ephebes took an oath of allegiance to the city state and started military training But were not considered full citizens till the age of 30 Plato believe that children should study reading and writing from the ages of 7 to 10 lit erature from 10 13 and music from 13 16 Aristotle suggested dividing formal education into two phases before and after bebe or puberty which he set at 14 Saw it a period in which powers of reasoning only gradually be come stronger than the passions Roman Empire boys of 14 were eligible to marry but they were not yet considered adults At 16 they gave up the amulet that marked them as children of citizens and put on the toga worn by men After years of military training they were considered men Girls were considered marriageable at the age of 12 Preindustrial Europe childhood and adolescence in preindustrial Europe are often described in dark terms at lot of children died in childhood and didn t make it to adolescence had the distinct feature of life cycle service life cycle service the custom in preindustrial Europe that sent