Adolescence Flashcards
changes in the brain: first brain growth spurt
- between 13 and 15 years old
- cerebral cortex becomes thicker
- neuronal pathways become more efficient
changes in the brain: second brain growth spurt
- around 17+
- frontal lobes of the cerebral cortex develop
- this is the area controlling logic and planning
most important physical change
reproductive system
puberty
- hormonal changes underlie sexual attraction and sexual behaviour
rate of Canadians having sex under the age of 15 has …
declined
risk factors in teenagers having sex
- alcohol
- lack of interest in sports and activities
- moral beliefs
- greater number of risk factors, the more likely a teen is going to be sexually active
sexual minority in youth
- 94% = heterosexual
- 5% = LGBTQ+
- 1% = undecided
health care issues
- teens get sick less often then children and infants
- have hightened level of sensation seeking
- risky B is more prevalent in teens
are most teenagers well-adjusted?
yes
drugs, alcohol, and tobacco
- drug use has been on the decline since 1970s
- average age for first time substance use = 13-14
- use of substance generally increases
eating disorders
- one of the most important issues in adolescence
- North American teen girls = highest rate of ED
- LGBTQ+ = highest rate
body dysmorphic disorder (BDD)
when a person feels unsatisfied with their body and obsessively tries to find ways to fix or improve their perceived flaws
self-esteem level in teens
- drops significantly in early adolescence
- depression and other mental health issues rise
statistics on depression and suicide
- suicide rate = 3.5x higher teen in boys than teen girls
- depression diagnosis + suicide attempts = 3x higher in teen girls
- second leading cause of death in 15-19 year olds
- suicide rate in LGBTQ+ = 2x higher than national average
First Nations Youth Crisis
- 6x and 11x higher suicide rate than non-indigenous
- suicide and self-inflicted injury = leading cause of death in children 10-19
- highest suicide rate in the world in some communities
changes in thinking
most teens become capable of thought processes that are impossible at an earlier age
formal operational stage: last of Piaget’s developmental stages
- learn to reason logically about abstract concepts
- systematic problem-solving
- logic
systematic problem-solving
ability to search methodically for the answers to a problem
logic
- hypothetical-deductive reasoning
- naive idealism
hypothetical-deductive reasoning
ability to derive conclusions from the hypothetical premises
naive idealism
mental construct for an ideal world as compared to the real world
Elkind’s adolescent egocentrism
- belief that one’s thoughts, beliefs and feelings are unique
- form of over-self-conceptualization of young adolescents
- focused more on their own feelings and emotions
- incorrectly belive they are the focus of others’ thinking
- can lead to variety of mental health issues and risk-taking B
personal fable
- exaggerated belief that events in one’s life are controlled by a mentally constructed autobiography
- that their experiences are completely unique
imaginary audience
- internalized set of behavioural standards
- usually derived from peer group
- leads teens to think they are constantly watched/observed
schooling in teens
continue to act as central force in their lives
transition to secondary school
- students usually show achievement
- self-esteem declines
- task goals
- ability goals
- most 10y have task goals, but switch to ability goals at 11y-12y
task goal
- based on personal standards
- desire to become more competent
ability goal
- define success in competitive terms
Erikson’s psychosocial perspective
- teen mind = moratorium between childhood and adulthood
- identity vs role confusion
identity
sense of self in relation to social categories
identity crisis
- psychological state of emotional turmoil
- arises when teen’s sense of self becomes “unglued”
- new, more mature sense of self can be achieved
Marcia’s theory of identity
- identity formation
- identity statuses are possible
Marcia’s theory of identity: identity formation
- crisis
- commitment
Marcia’s theory of identity: identity statuses are possible
- identity achievement
- identity diffusion
- foreclosure
- moratorium
identity achievement
- been through a crisis and has reached a commitment to a goal
- ideological, occupational or other goal
moratorium
- identity status of a person who is in crisis
- person has made no commitment
foreclosure
- made a commitment without having gone through a crisis
- accepted a parentally/culturally defined moment
identity diffusion
- not in a crisis
- has not made a commitment
self-understanding
- self-concept becomes more differentiated as teens
- come to see themselves differently in several roles (student, friend, family, romance)
- when self-concepts are found, influence B in + and - ways
self-esteem fluctuations in adolescents
- higher self- esteem = correlated with positive development outcomes
- lower-self esteem = associated with poorer mental and physical health (antisocial B, ED, anxiety, depression, suicidal thinking)
influences on self-esteem
- achievements
- experiences and events
- lifestyle
- relationships
- self
- school
influences on self-esteem: self
- aspirations
- mental ability
- physical appearance
- physical state
- psychological state
- personality attributes
influences on self-esteem: relationships
- family
- parents
- romantic partners
- siblings
- teachers
- other
influences on self-esteem: school
- homework
- marks
- post-school plans
- school
influences on self-esteem: lifestyle
- arts
- alcohol
- drugs
- exercise
- eating
- entertainment
- hobbies
- relaxing
- shopping
- sex
influences on self-esteem: achievement
- artistic
- financial
- job/work
- housework
- sports
influences on self-esteem: experiences and events
- events
- migration
- religion
- time
moral self
Kohlberg:
- moral reasoning through the story
- 3 main levels of moral reasoning
Kohlberg’s theory of moral reasoning
- preconventional reasoning
- conventional reasoning
- post-conventional reasoning
pre-conventional stage
- judgments are based on sources of authority
- stages:
1. punishment and obedience orientation
2. individualism, instrumental, purpose, and exchange
conventional stage
- stages:
3. mutual interpersonal expectations, relationships, and and interpersonal conformity
4. social system and conscience (law and order orientation)
post-conventional stage
- judgments are based on the emergence of a personal authority
- stages:
5. social contract orientation
6. universal ethical principles orientation
criticisms of Kohlberg’s theory
- culture and moral reasoning
- moral reasoning and behaviour
criticisms of Kohlberg’s theory: culture and moral reasoning
- approach is too narrow to be universal
- non-North American/Eurocentric cultures do not fit
- justice is an important moral concept around the world
- justice does not supersede all other moral considerations in non-western cultures
criticisms of Kohlberg’s theory: moral reasoning and behaviour
-theories do not predict the differences between moral reasoning and moral behaviour
* neither teens nor adults reason the same way
* situational factors may influence actual behaviour
Carol Gilligan’s theory: ethics of caring
dimensions to morality:
- justice-based
- intrapersonal-based (caring)
moral development and antisocial personality disorder
- criminality
- youth who commit offenses appear to be behind their peers in moral reasoning because of deficits in role-taking skills
- childhood onset
- adolescent onset
moral development and antisocial personality disorder: criminality
- antisocial personality disorder that includes law-breaking
law breakers are …
distinguished from those who participate in antisocial behaviour
Canada’s Youth Criminal Justice Act
- avoids labeling youth as a criminal
- focuses on the person’s actions that are malleable to change with rehabilitation and reintegration into society
childhood onset in regard to antisocial personality disorder
- problems are more serious and more likely to persist into adulthood
- temperament and personality play a role
- parents who fail at early attempts to control bad behaviour may worsen the behaviour
- seriously aggressive children can only find support with similar peers
- likely display other behavioural problems
adolescent onset in regard to antisocial personality disorder
-problems are typically milder and more transitory
- more reflection of peer group processes
- testing the limits of authority
- less likely to be an ingrained behaviour
- criminal behaviour: strongly influenced by peer group
- parents no monitoring sufficiently contribute to criminality
- frienships are not supportive or intimate
- parental support and monitoring can prevent criminality even if peer group engages in criminal B
social relationships
- ideas of other people and understanding of social situations are more complex than those of children
- lead to changes in family and peer dynamics
relationships with parents
- increase in conflicts (relationship does not inherently change)
- underlying emotional attachment to parents remains strong on average
- sense of well-being = correlated more with attachment with parents than peers
relationships with peers
- shared activities and interests = shared
- similar psychological characteristics and attitudes
- friendships are increasingly intimate
changes in friendships
- loyalty and faithfulness are more valued
- more stable than children
- if discrepancies = too large, switch to a more compatible friend group
- peer influence is not all-powerful, nor uniformly negative
solving disagreements between friends: 14 years old
- sometimes you need to get away for a while
- calm down
- then talk it out
solving disagreements between friends: 16 years old
- can talk it out
- usually fades out
- don’t even have to explain everything
- understand that some people simply think a certain way
