CHD3243 Contexts of Adolescent Development Exam 1 Study Guide Note this is a guide it is not intended to be an exhaustive list of exam topics Make sure to read all assigned chapters and view all videos lectures Chapter 1 them Approaches to studying adolescents o Eclectic interdisciplinary emphasizing not one aspect of development but all of Not one single discipline is perfect so we need to get different perspectives when dealing with adolescents Today s cultural conditions are affecting our youth such as socioeconomic status and ethnicity o Biological focus on puberty and process of sexual maturation Maturation of sex organs and development of secondary sexual characteristics neurological development and growth As their bodies change new concerns arise about their new appearance o Cognitive deals with qualitative changes that take place in the way adolescents think and reason Also with quantitative changes that take place in attention memory and intelligence o Psychosexual development of emotions and of self Self concept gender role and identity development Adolescents must be able to integrate newfound sexual feelings and manage their sexuality o Social deals with how teenagers interact with members of their families and o Major adolescent cohorts and how society shaped their characteristics views others Cohorts generations etc Cohort group of individuals who were born at the same time and share traits because they experienced similar historical events Our culture has a major influence on adolescents and the structure of society either helps them fulfill their needs or creates problems by stimulating tension and frustration Expectations of society molds their personalities influences their roles and guides their futures Seven societal changes affecting adolescents Prolongation of adolescence Presence of the internet and other new communication Changing economy Ever increasing need for a prolonged education Alterations in the makeup of a family Shifting sexual values and practices New concerns for health and safety Employment CHD3243 Contexts of Adolescent Development Exam 1 Study Guide o General employment patterns Americans put in a lot of hours working Some employers are forcing them to put in these hours but others are working a full time and part time job to have a certain standard of living Also women are joining the work force which in some cases puts adolescents or older children in charge of child rearing duties More high school students are getting jobs This can be problematic because they are less likely to get adequate sleep and sufficient exercise o Adolescents from low income families Adolescents feel rejected from their peers because they cannot go to the mall and buy the things their peers are buying Evolving family o General patterns marriage childrearing etc Marriage rate has declined and age at which people marry has gone up and the number of children per family has decreased Delayed marriage reasons can include permissiveness toward premarital sex more need and opportunities for higher education decreased negative attitudes toward singlehood and an increase in non marital cohabitation Declining birthrates has occurred and adolescents that come from smaller families enjoy several advantages More attention from parents better opportunity for higher education but the disadvantages are fewer siblings to interact with o Changes in family dynamics Expectations of marriage have also changed Today fulfillment of romantic love and companionship trumps the economic necessity that used to be present in the past These personal needs can be bad because if these needs aren t met then they become disappointed and experience feelings of failure and frustration which can lead to divorce Families are also more democratic o Families used to be patriarchal with the father as the head of the house Increase in number of couples who cohabit before marriage o Adolescents will be most likely raised by nonmarried cohabiting couples and they will be more likely to cohabit someday themselves Also there is an increase in out of wedlock births o Teens are more likely to become parents prior to marriage o These mothers are more likely to experience a low standard of living and experience significant stress CHD3243 Contexts of Adolescent Development Exam 1 Study Guide Divorce rates have decreased but the US still has the highest divorce rates in the world Evolving sexual landscape o Changes in sexual behavior Sexual revolution started in 1970s w the development of birth control and the rise of the feminist movement Today people are more open about sex and less guilty about having sexual thoughts and feelings Parents can talk to their kids about sex and courses on sex education are taught in school Development of contraceptives freed women from the necessity of bearing one child after another and allowed people to control their family size But it also lead to more people being willing to be sexually active outside of marriage People are also more willing to discuss sexual harassment and rape Today gender roles are more flexible and men and women have interchanging roles Some negatives are the media is exposing children to sexual images and violent materials at an early age Today adolescents are having sex younger and younger Today gonorrhea is more common than chicken pox measles mumps Adolescents are high risk for STDs because they have multiple sex partners do not consistently use safer sexual practices and are ignorant to STD symptoms Adolescent mothers are more likely to face continuing economic hardship fail to continue their education and fail to establish their own independent households Their children are likely to be impoverished be deprived of prenatal care o STDs etc o Pregnancy and have poor developmental outcomes o Adolescent understanding of sexuality Adolescents are more and more confused about their sexuality Most do not know how to express their sexuality when they are confronted with losing their reputation having their hearts broken or contracting an STD Research methods o Correlations Correlations description of a relationship bw two factors that doesn t imply a causal relationship bw them Positive correlation description of a relationship in which when one factor increases so does the other CHD3243 Contexts of Adolescent Development Exam 1 Study Guide Negative correlation description of a relationship in which when one factor increases the other decreases Correlations
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