adolescence 2 Flashcards
identity in adolescence
· Puberty plays a part in provoking identity development during adolescence.
· Advances in cognitive development allow adolescents the opportunity for self-reflection.
· Three research traditions:
- Self-Esteem
- Self-Concept
- Identity Formation
terminology
· Self-efficacy - a person’s judgments of their capabilities to organize and execute courses of action required to attain designated types of performances” (Merikangas et al., 2009)
· Self-esteem - an individual’s confidence in their worth or abilities (Liebert et al., 1990)
· Self-concept - a view constructed of one’s self, which is developed through experiences and evaluations adopted from others (Liebert et al., 1990)
· Self-evaluation - “the perceptions and beliefs that a person holds about themselves, specifically the emotionally-valenced qualities, characteristics and traits (both positive and negative), and the person’s judgement of the value of these attributes” (Orchard et al., 2021)
self-esteem - theoretical approaches
· James (1892) - high self-esteem results from good performance in domains deemed important
· Empirical work demonstrates this for individuals (Harter, 1999), and groups (Harter, 1990)
· Cooley (1902) - looking-glass self - opinions of others a large determinant of self-esteem
· Additive model supported by data from older children and adolescents (Harter, 1987; 1990)
development of self concept
· Shift from concrete to abstract self-portraits.
· Shift from social comparisons & normative standards during childhood/early adolescence to internalised standards in later adolescence.
· Shift towards differentiation of self into multiple domains.
Final task: integration of multiple selves into a unified self-concept.
imagined selves
· Adolescents able to distinguish between actual/real & ideal selves (Rogers, 1950).
· Greatest discrepancy in middle adolescence (Strachen & Jones, 1982)
· Possible selves: balance between ideal & feared self (Markus & Nurius, 1986)
· True versus false selves
· Presentation dependent on audience (Harter & Lee, 1989).
· Identity formation
· Task to describe self in terms of attributes (self-concept), but also considering general roles within society
Erik Erikson (1902-94)
· Departed from Freud’s teachings by emphasising societal factors in development.
· Contributed the theory of psychosocial development across the life-span (Erikson, 1982)
· 8 stages, each with specific “crisis” to resolve
Erikson’s psychology stages
· In adolescence the “crisis” is identity, defined as “confidence in one’s inner continuity amid change” (Erikson, 1968).
· Men must achieve a stable identity prior to intimacy, whereas women’s identity is defined through her intimate roles of wife and mother.
- autonomy vs shame and doubt = 1-3 years
- initiative vs guilt = 3-6 years
- industry vs inferiority = 6-11 years
- identity vs identity diffusion = adolescence
- intimacy vs isolation = young adulthood
- generativity vs stagnation = middle adulthood
- ego integrity vs despair = late adulthood
Marcia 4 identity statuses
· Achievement - individuals who after a period of exploration emerge with firm identity commitments
· Moratorium - the active period of exploration when individuals examine alternatives in an attempt to arrive at a choice
· Foreclosure - individuals have adopted identities prescribed by parents or other authority figures without ever exploring options or experiencing an identity crisis
· Diffusion - individuals who have little sense of commitment and are not actively seeking to make decisions.
identity status
· Development continues well into adulthood e.g., Waterman, 1992; Arehart & Smith, 1990
· Parental influences (Grotevant & Cooper, 1985; Papini, 1994):
- Attachment with freedom to voice opinions -> achievement or moratorium
- Overly close bonds without separation -> foreclosure
- Low warmth with open communication -> diffusion
· Cultural/historical influences - secular trend towards later identity development; current historical events can alter course (Archer, 1989; Waterman, 1985)
self concept and life outcomes
· +
- General well-being (Diehl and Hay, 2011)
- Quality of life (Swann, 2007)
- Confidence in actions and abilities (Stinson et al, 2008)
· -
- Adjustment problems (Campbell et al, 2003)
- Externalising problems (Garaigordobil et al, 2009)
- Internalising problems (Hsieh and Stright, 2012)
self concept and emotional disorders
· Strong relationship between emotional disorders and negative self- concept (Landazabal, Pérez, & Mozaz, 2008; Masselink, Van Roekel, & Oldehinkel, 2018).
· Problems with self-perceptions are reflected in diagnostic criteria for anxiety and depression (APA, 2013)
- Worthlessness and guilt (depression)
- Fear of negative evaluation from others (social anxiety)
· Positive self-concepts function as protective factor in development of emotional disorders, as these individuals are more resilient to life’s stressors (Landazaba et al., 2008; Masselink et al., 2018).
self concept in social anxiety
· Examined associations between social anxiety symptoms and self-perceptions
· 2022 Spanish adolescents (12-16 years)
· Social anxiety assessed by the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory (SPAI), and self-concept measured with the Self-Description Questionnaire II (SDQ-II)
· Adolescents with social anxiety more likely to perceive relationship with peers as more negative
· Consider selves to be less attractive, less athletic and more emotionally unstable
link to depression?
· Consistent evidence that adolescents view themselves more negatively and less positive when they are depressed, compared to adolescents who are not depressed (Orchard et al., 2021).
· Orchard and Reynolds (2018) found that ratings of self-perceptions were as good at identifying presence of depression diagnosis as a depression symptom questionnaire.
- Some evidence that poor self-image in adolescence predicts depression later in life (Fine et al., 1993)
early onset psychosis
· Negative beliefs about self consistently linked with chronic psychosis (Fowler et al., 2006).
· It has been theorized that development of dysfunctional self-concept could play role in development of psychosis symptoms, which also emerges during adolescence.
· A number of studies have found that adolescents at high risk of psychosis endorse negative self-beliefs more than healthy controls (Perivoliotis et al., 2009,
a role in the gender difference
· Females have significantly more negative self-concepts than males (Frost, & McKelvie, 2004; Robins & Trzesniewski, 2005).
· The gender difference has been suggested as one possible explanation for mental health problems being significantly more prevalent in women (Kuehner, 2017).
