PSYC 300 1st Edition Lecture 10Outline of Last Lecture I. Gender-Related Activities and InterestsII. Toys: What do they TeachIII. Influences on Gender DevelopmentIV. What messages were you sent about what…?V. Influences on Gender DevelopmentVI. Gender: Nature or NurtureVII. Influences on Gender DevelopmentVIII. SummaryOutline of Current LectureI. Important TermsII. PubertyIII. Early and late maturation in girlsIV. Psychosocial Development in AdolescenceV. Other Types of IdentitiesVI. Psychosocial Development in AdolescenceVII. Summary of Gender Differences in Self-esteem ResearchVIII. Psychosocial Development in AdolescenceIX. Responses to Adolescence AngstCurrent Lecture- Important Termso Adolescence – transition period between childhood and adulthood “To grow up”o Puberty – period of life during which sexual organs mature and the ability to reproduce emerges “To become hairy” Start with hormone production and progresses to menarcheo Menarche – beginning of menstruationo Adulthood – no specific event to signify this rite of passage - Pubertyo Age of Onset – between 9 and 16; average = 12 Two years before boyso Emotional reactions - varyo Physical changes – growth spurt Secondary sex characteristics (breasts, underarm/pubic hair) Body fat – hips, breasts, buttocks- By maturity, girls will double fat percentage- Begin to lose the “thin” body idealized by society Breast development issues- easily observed- Ave time to develop – 4 ½ yearso Premature puberty – good nutrition; reaching critical “fat”% sooner - Early and late maturation in girlso Early maturing girls: not in synchrony with male or female peers May have feelings of self-consciousness and shame Confronted with challenging sexual expectations Associate with older peers- Lower academic performance, more likely to engage in “adult” behaviors such as sexual activity, smoking, etc. As well adjusted as other girls by the end of high schoolo Late maturing girls: more in sync with male peers May have low social status during middle school Often dissatisfied with appearance May end up more popular and more satisfied with appearance than early maturing girls- Tend to be thinner than early maturing girls - Psychosocial Development in Adolescenceo Identity: deciding who we are and what we want to make of our lives Importance of individuation may be more relevant for boys than girls (e.g., Gilligan, 1982) Identity development requires interplay between separateness and connectedness (Jaffe, 1998) Adolescent females and males take similar paths in quest for identity Importance of extended kinship network for identity development of girls of color- Other Types of Identitieso Feminist identity: Support of ideas vs. adopting a feminist social identity Factors: feminist knowledge, female, nontraditionalo Ethnic identity:o Sports identity: mixed findings based on type of sport Cheerleading/dancing: led to higher body shame General physical activity or team sports: more positive effects, increased self-esteem, body image, delayed sexual activity, etc.o Lesbian identity: Teasing and negative messages Most overcome and have positive self-images- Psychosocial Development in Adolescenceo Self-Esteem: sense of worth or value that people attach to themselves High self-esteem associated with good psychological and physical health  Self-esteem diminishes for both genders in early adolescence- Girls’ show lower self-esteem than boyso Girls more dissatisfied with appearance than boyso School may undermine girls’ perception of their competenceo Girls become more acutely aware of sexism during adolescenceo “Loss of voice”- Summary of Gender Differences in Self-esteem Researcho Age Largest in late adolescence o Ethnicity: Large for Whites Small for Blacks – Black teenage girls report higher self esteem than White female girlso Social class- Psychosocial Development in Adolescenceo Gender intensification: increasing divergence in gender-related behaviors and attitudes of girls and boys that emerges in adolescence Factors Starts to decrease by middle to late adolescenceo Body image Influenced by cultural ideal of extreme thinness for females Self-objectification: Girl’s concern with body weight and appearance Compared to boys, during adolescence girls- Have less positive body image- Are less satisfied with their weight- Are more likely to be dieting Black women- More satisfied with their bodies and less concerned with their weight than White women- Less emphasis on thinness in Black culture than White culture- Women of color still more concerned about their weight than males of color Lesbians- Have higher body image than heterosexual women, but still have more weight concerns than heterosexual men- Responses to Adolescence Angsto Individual responses “Silencing” – o Collective responses Zines Websites Kelli