The Social Context of Adolescence 02 05 2015 Approaches to studying adolescents Biological o Focuses on sexual maturation and growth during puberty development maturation and function of the sex organs development of secondary sex characteristics neurological development growth trends in height weight and body composition o Emphasizes biogenetic factors as the cause for change that occurs in a universal pattern without sociocultural influences o learning their ability to think abstractly new memory Cognitive capabilities qualitative changes in the way an adolescent thinks quantitative changes in attention memory and intelligence Psychosexual o Development of the emotions and of the self o Development of self concept gender role and identity o During adolescence individuals must integrate newly discovered sexual feelings into their self concept and learn to manage their sexuality Social o relationships with family friends romantic partners parent child communication parenting styles Cultural o Cultural traditions surrounding and defining adolescence o adolescence is a social construction a category that is formed based on the norms and practices of a particular society not by a biological period of time Example bat mitzvah Cohorts generations Cohort Pg 7 a group of individuals born at approximately the same time and who share traits because they experienced the same historical events group defined by shared historical norms and events born in the mid 1880s through the 1900s The Lost Generation o Large losses of family members and close friends during WWI Adolescent soldiers teens enlisting even if they weren t legally old enough o hatred of their parents ideas of morality and propriety more liberal attitudes arising G I Generation WWII o Change in gender roles o Children during the great depression adolescents during Women took over the jobs that men vacated for the service even though they were forced out of those jobs post war the changing of the perspective began Silent Generation born between the late 1920 s and 40 s o Too young to serve in WWII but still impacted by it o Very conservative and traditional in their societal values But icons such as MLK Jr and John Lennon belonged to this cohort The Baby Boomers retirement age today the children of the G I generation who are at o High birth rate between the 1940 s and 60 s Men returning from WWII o Shift in their views about society and gender roles started to become more liberal era of hippies and the Rock N Roll generation Begin to see adolescences involved in politics like anti Generation X war movements born in the late 60 s through the early 80 s o These are the children of baby boomers o They re searching for personal fulfillment and are pessimistic o First generation where teens were beginning to be seen as about the outcome self absorbed Generation Y Millennials born between 1980 and 2000 o Reliance and development of technology has shaped and Created a new level of interconnectedness texting web changed this generation chat emails etc o Child centered parenting Focus on individuals child s need fostering development Generation based on the child not a name for children born after 2000 o First generation to be raised in a post 9 11 era o More acceptance of ethnic racial diversity and sexual orientations workforce o They ll work longer days and see more women in the o Their lives will be technology based Employment Employment patterns o Work days are getting longer for all ages and technology has made it so that work comes home Decreases family time o An increase in the number of working women even women with young children Consumption Mothers are likely to be employed than women who don t have children and single moms are more likely to be employed than married mothers The cost of raising a child requires mothers to work increasing the demand for childcare and decreasing the time the mother spends with her children supervising Nearly three million teenagers between the ages of 15 and 17 work about seventeen hours a week during the school year Associated with increased delinquency and substance use and lower academic achievement o Adolescent employment o Mass media promotes consumption and teens are exceptionally materialistic causing them to feel they need to earn money There has been increasing wealth in this age group causing companies to direct Ad s directly toward them o Teens are gaining more power in directing influencing family purchases Low income families that cant keep with the consumer demands of a teenager often produce teens who gain attention in negative ways These youths also struggle finding an identity because the one they find in their low income lifestyle is rejected by the masses Evolving family Marriage and parenthood o Marriage rate has declined and the age of a first marriage has gone up teens are more likely to remain single longer than their parents did age delay increase in the acceptance of premarital sex more need and opportunity for a higher education decrease in the negative attitudes of being single increase in the number of non married couples cohabitating The change is significant because studies show that waiting until the mid to late 20 s increases the chance of a successful marriage o Family size has decreased Because more couples are waiting later to get married they re having less children teenagers benefit from smaller families They re more likely to get attention which means they re more likely to abstain from negative or harmful behavior An increased chance for a higher education due to the available financial resources Changes in family dynamics o What individuals are expected to bring into a marriage has changed Today fulfillment of romantic love and companionship are the primary reasons for marriage this has the potential to cause a burden on the family unit If marriage is based on the desire of fulfillment and its not found number one cause of divorce o Patriarchal to democratic The feminist movement outlook has changed the balance of power in marriages and families Evolving sexual landscape Changes in sexual behavior Increasing education opportunities for women and the number of married women in the workforce Recognition of the sexual capabilities of women increased the equality of sexual expression and fulfillment Child centered families Focus moved from what a child can do for the family to what a family can do for the child o Non marital cohabitation Half of todays youth
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