Adolescence Flashcards
is a transitional period in the human life span, linking childhood and
adulthood.
- from ages 10 to 19.
- a unique stage of human development and an important time for laying
the foundations of good health
Adolescence
- A period of rapid physical maturation, occurring primarily in early
adolescence, that involves hormonal and bodily changes.
Puberty
- Changes in the brain during adolescence involve the thickening of the
corpus callosum and a gap in maturation between the limbic system and
the prefrontal cortex, which functions in reasoning and self-regulation.
The Brain
- Despite recent declines, the United States has one of the highest rates of
adolescent illicit drug use of any industrialized nation. - Alcohol abuse is a major adolescent problem, although its rate has been
dropping in recent years, as has the rate of cigarette smoking. - Parents, peers, social support, and educational success play important
roles in determining whether adolescents take drugs.
Substance Use and Abuse
have increased in adolescence, along with the percentage
of adolescents who are overweight.
Eating disorders
typically starts in the early to middle adolescent years
following a dieting episode and involves the relentless pursuit of thinness
through starvation.
Anorexia nervosa
involves a binge-and-purge pattern, and bulimics (unlike
anorexics) typically fall within a normal weight range.
Bulimia nervosa
- Elkind describes adolescent egocentrism as the heightened self-
consciousness of adolescents that consists of two parts
Adolescent Egocentrism
- Adolescents’ belief that others are as interested in them as they
themselves are, as well as attention-getting behavior motivated by a
desire to be noticed, visible, and “on stage.”
the imaginary audience
- The part of adolescent egocentrism that involves an adolescent’s
sense of uniqueness and invincibility (or invulnerability).
the personal fable.
Adolescence is characterized by a number of advances in executive
function.
Cognitive control involves effective control and flexible thinking in a
number of areas,
Information Processing
States that decision making is influenced by two systems—“verbatim”
analytical (literal and precise) and gist-based intuition (simple bottom-line
meaning)—which operate in parallel; in this model, gist-based intuition benefits
adolescent decision making more than analytical thinking does.
fuzzy-trace theory dual-process model
, a form of education that promotes social responsibility and
service to the community, has been linked with positive benefits for adolescents
such as higher grades, increased goal setting, and improved self-esteem.
Service learning
Participation in _____ is associated with positive
academic and psychological outcomes.
extracurricular activities
Identity has been challenged and commitments made, but open to new opportunities
Identity achievement
Acceptance of identity and not open to any exploration of alternatives
Identity foreclosure
In the process of challenging identity, actively exploring self and identity
Identity moratorium
No exploration or
commitment to identity at this point
Identity diffusion
proposed four identity statuses—identity diffusion,
foreclosure, moratorium, and achievement—that are based on crisis
(exploration) and commitment.
James Marcia
is an adolescent who breaks the law or engages in
conduct that is considered illegal.
Low socioeconomic status, negative family experiences (especially a
low level of parental monitoring and having a sibling who is a
delinquent), and negative peer influences have been linked to
Juvenile Delinquency
o Adolescents and emerging adults have higher rates of depression than
children do.
Depression and Suicide
In terms of media use and screen exposure, the average U.S. 8- to 18-
year-old spends 6½ hours a day using electronic media.
If media multitasking is taken into account, adolescents use electronic
media 8 hours a day.
Media Use and Screen Time
- Many of the families that have immigrated to the United States in recent
decades come from collectivist cultures in which there is a strong sense of
family obligation
ETHNICITY
can have extremely negative
effects on adolescents’ development, including lower academic
achievement, lower occupational attainment, and more psychological
problems.
SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS AND POVERTY
There are similarities and differences in adolescents across different
countries. In some countries, traditions are being continued in the
socialization of adolescents, whereas in others, substantial changes in the
experiences of adolescents are taking place.
Cross-Cultural Comparisons
The pressure to conform to peers is strong during adolescence, especially
during the eighth and ninth grades.
- Cliques and crowds assume more importance in the lives of adolescents
than in the lives of children.
Peer groups
