Chapter 8: Parent-Adolescent Interactions Flashcards
Role of Parents in Adolescents’ Cognitive Development
What occurs during adolescence that contributes to advances in cognition? (4)
- brain maturation
- additional years of education
- moral challenges
- increased independence
Development of Abstract Reasoning
What is a significant change in cognition that occurs during adolescence?
development of abstract thought
Development of Abstract Reasoning
What is abstract thought?
higher-level reasoning
Development of Abstract Reasoning
What do abstract thinking abilities result in the tendency if adolescents to do?
- engage in self-reflection, which affects how they feel about themselves and others around them
- question authority, and challenge previously established rules and boundaries
Development of Abstract Reasoning
How does adolescent egocentrism differ from young children’s egocentrism?
- aware that others have their own thoughts
- tends to distort what others are thinking, especially about them
Development of Abstract Reasoning
Where is a reflection of adolescents’ egocentrism seen?
in their acute self-consciousness, which is higher during early adolescence (age 10-14) than late adolescence
(young adolescents prefer to blend in with their peers and do not like to stand out)
(they believe that others are as egocentric as they are)
Development of Abstract Reasoning
What are the two aspects of adolescent egocentrism?
- invincibility fable
- imaginary audience
()
Development of Abstract Reasoning
From “What Is” to “What If”
abstract thought also allows adolescents to consider other options than the reality they are experiencing or have experienced in the past
begin to consider life’s problems and challenges in terms of possibilities – questioning parental authority, challenge previously established rules
Development of Abstract Reasoning
What are some things parents should do to adjust parenting?
- be aware of heightened egocentrism (ie. easily embarrassed by parents in public)
- monitoring and guidelines are necessary for adolescents who tend to think they are invincible and are prone to take unwise risks
- guidance helps when adolescents’ heightened intuitive thinking and limited experience overcome their logical reasoning
Academic Achievement
What parental influences influence academic success of adolescents? (4)
- parent child-rearing patterns
- parental academic expectations
- quality of parent-adolescent communication
- parent-adolescent school-related conflict
Academic Achievement – Childrearing Pattern
Which patterns are associated with favourable academic outcomes?
- authoritative (most favourable)
- traditional (non-Western countries, ethnic minority families in societies such as US and Canada)
Academic Achievement – Childrearing Pattern
What is one of the advantages for adolescents in traditional families?
childrearing efforts of their parents typically are buffered by the support of members of their extended families
Academic Achievement – Childrearing Pattern
What patterns negatively affect adolescent academic achievement?
- authoritarian
- permissive
- indulgent
- uninvolved
Academic Achievement – Parental Expectations
How do parental expectations affect achievement?
children whose parents have high academic expectations for them usually have higher academic self-efficacy
(students’ own expectations can also influence parents’ expectations, which influences and is influenced by students’ achievement)
Academic Achievement – School-Related Parent-Adolescent Conflict
How do conflicts arise?
- school transitions in adolescence (which brings with it higher academic demands and a need for more complex study habits)
- early adolescent’s need for more independent thinking
- boys are at greater risk for decline in academic achievement during this transition
Adolescents and Self Esteem
As adolescents are transforming from children to adults, what do parents remain a source of?
love, support, protection, and comfort
parents are among the people to whom adolescents are most closely attached
Adolescents and Self Esteem
What is one of the most significant contributors to adolescent self-esteem?
secure attachment to parents – related to the level of emotional closeness between parents and adolescents, and the degree to which adolescents feel that their parents are accepting of them
Adolescents and Self Esteem
How does level of parental involvement impact self-esteem?
perceive high level of positive involvement = higher level of self-esteem
Adolescents and Self Esteem
What are 3 factors that impact adolescent self-esteem?
- secure attachment to parents
- parental involvement
- parenting patterns
Adolescents and Self Esteem
What is identity achievement?
being able to establish a clear and definite sense of who one is and where one fits into one’s particular culture
Adolescents and Self Esteem
What is adolescent identity achievement linked to? (3)
- family interaction patterns
- attachement to parents
- parenting styles
Puberty and Relationships – Off-time Puberty
How do early-developing girls compare to “on-time” girls in their relationship with parents?
- more conflict with parents
- less communication with parents
- “more heated” conversations with parents
Puberty and Relationships – Off-time Puberty
What is common to both early-developing boys and girls?
poorer psychosocial adjustment/development
Puberty and Relationships – Off-time Puberty
How do early-maturing boys compare to “on-time” boys?
- more satisfied with their physical appearance
- higher rates of internalized distress and physical illness
- higher rates of externalizing problems, such as expressing hostile feelings
Puberty and Relationships – Off-time Puberty
What are some risk factors of late-maturing males?
- higher rates of depressive symptoms
- higher rates of externalizing behaviours
- higher difficulties with peers during early and mid-adolescence
Puberty and Relationships – Off-time Puberty
What are some family stress factors that contribute to acceleration of puberty for girls?
- maternal depression
- stepfather presence
- marital or family discord
Puberty and Relationships – Off-time Puberty
What are some family stress factors that contribute to acceleration of puberty for boys?
- greater emotional distance from mother
- parental conflict
- father absence
- economic anxiety