CHD 3243 Lecture Notes Week 1 Approaches to Studying Adolescence Adolescence is a Social Construction A category that is formed based on the norms and practices of a particular society Different across cultures I E Navajo right of passage Kinalda and the Hamar bull jump don t have the same meaning as it would in American culture Not biologically based Social significance Markers of Adolescence Getting a job learning to drive Period of gaining responsibility but still under the guidance of parents guardians role models Adolescence Begins when a child starts to physically mature puberty The period of growth between childhood and adulthood Starts around 11 13 years old The transition from one stage of adolescence to the other is gradual and uncertain The upper boundary of adolescence is less clear Physical maturity Legal status as an adult age 18 Attainment of financial and emotional independence The 3 phases of Adolescent Development 1 Early adolescence ages 11 14 2 Middle adolescence Ages 15 17 3 Late adolescence 18 with recognition that some 18 19 20 yr olds are true adults The Evolving Family The number of children per family has decreased Those who do not wait to marry mid to late 20 s have a greater chance of marital success than those who wed earlier More than 1 3 of the men and 1 4 of the women in the U S have not married by age 30 We are currently in a decline in marital divorce compared to earlier decades Changes in Family Dynamics More teens will have been raised by single moms The number of children per family has decreased Resulting in adolescents having fewer siblings Teens will more likely come from democratic families Increase in non marital cohabitation Increase in out of wedlock births Week 2 Adolescents in Theoretical Context Note Do not focus on before and after adolescence theories in book just Erikson Theorists 1 G Stanley Hall Father of Adolescent Psychology Storm and stress Hall s theories are wildly discredited Adolescence is not a stressful time on average 2 Erik Erikson Psychological task to the matter Each task produces conflict If the conflict is resolved successfully a positive quality is built into the personality and further development takes place If conflict not resolved problems will result later in life Overall the task for the individual is to acquire a positive ego identity Identity search is a normative crisis natural Personal identity vs identity diffusion Psychological Moratorium childhood and adulthood takes place from adolescence to late 20 s A societal sanctioned intermediary period between Individuals influence the environment and the environment reciprocates mutual His ecological model the world is a series of nested systems I II III IV Microsystem i e home family school Mesosystem i e homework Exosystem i e media government Macrosystem societal norms 3 Uri Bronfenbrenner Culture Week 3 Diversity in Adolescent Development Ethnic Minority Adolescents Challenges Segregation Discrimination Health disparities Still current discrimination in the U S today towards language and cultural heritage Very stressful for adolescents stats found via cortisol levels surveys Poor health outcomes High obesity and diabetes rates Low social economic status so results in segregated communities Low income neighborhood results in low poor school zone Studies show minorities make less money Sometimes ethnic minority kids translate for their parents in adult situations very stressful Educational disparities Language Barriers Income gap Family Cultural pride Ethnic Minority Adolescents Strengths Close knit families cultural emphasis in ethnic minority families kinship Familism Family is the most important thing in life great respect for elders Ethnic identity Being a member of an ethnic group is a predetermined identity positive outlook of being a minority positive outlook on overall life Collectivism The idea that the whole the group is more important than the individual always have support Religion On average Hispanics are more prone to attending religious events and rely on religious community as a social support system Also a coping mechanism for stress they are experiencing Socioeconomic Status and Adolescent Development Low Socioeconomic Status SES category More poor white adolescents than any ethnic minority group However there are a greater proportion of nonwhite adolescents with low SES Adolescents of Low SES Limited access to leisure facilities Leads to delinquent behavior Adults having trouble themselves finding work so adolescents have even less option Low level of education Less access to medical care Non desirable living conditions i e many people sleeping in 1 room no blankets Limited work opportunities Limitations of Low SES Limited alternatives Helplessness Powerlessness Not exposed to a variety of social cultural settings limited knowledge of things outside their neighborhood Feel like they cannot break the cycle of poverty Little opportunity or knowledge to receive proper training to do so The media labels minorities increases awareness that they are low SES and labels them as failures Families are at mercy to unfortunate events I E if someone lost a job they have no backup savings to fall back on since living on paycheck to paycheck Deprivation and Hardship Insecurity Cycle of Poverty and Deprivation Why Does It Continue Low income Little education As well as no expertise or navigation to college world Effects quality of nutrition healthcare entire life Can t nurture relationships due to extreme stress and constant worry Low standard of living Powerlessness Homelessness Family instability See figure 3 3 in textbook p 56 The Cycle Of Poverty Chart Peer Orientation do not gain status through familial identifications Social Outcasts socialized differently from middle class youths Mental Health lack of social security and stability in low SES homes Physical Health Poor diets and less access to healthcare preventative care Child rearing Philosophies Low SES parents tend to be stricter than affluent families quick to punish Hierarchy Parents may have too many kids or too many jobs to take care of children Parents try to make the most out of very little time resulting in parent strategy focused on discipline obedience and maintaining order Harsh and inconsistent discipline spank hit children physical punishment Week 4 Puberty Physical Growth Body Image Hormonal Changes During Puberty Triggered by the brain releases certain hormones Biochemical
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