history of childhood

Question 1

two major shifts in the conception of adolescence

Answer 1

1) transition from hunting/gathering to agricultural society and
2) from agricultural to the industrial revolution

Question 2

pre-ag/ hunter and gathering

Answer 2

• small knit groups organized by a traditional family structure
• families had 2-3 kids for utilitarian purposes (prolonged breastfeeding, scarcity of food, difficulty in moving around with many children)

Question 3

idea of children pre-ag times

Answer 3

• responsibility was minimal
• different functions across genders, but both aided in familial success
• socialization and discipline done almost entirely by the family
• transition from childhood to adulthood was abrupt (males immediately became primary hunters, females took on gathering roles and childbearing)
• there was no transitional period from childhood to adulthood

Question 4

agricultural era

Answer 4

• triggered massive change in how people lived
• greater volume and reliability of food supplies meant higher birth rates

Question 5

role of children in agriculture

Answer 5

• early childhood may have included some informal education
• children expected to help with chores
• once again transition to adulthood was rather abrupt
• dependence on child labor- strong emphasis on obedience and listening to elders, pronounced generally divisions, encouraged a devaluation of childhood

Question 6

discipline in agricultural era

Answer 6

• insistence in obeying parents and adults more generally
• most done informally
• children free to socialize at night

Question 7

industrial rev

Answer 7

• small overcrowded housing units= lower birth rates
• coincided with progressive reformations and ideas on what is best for children

Question 8

progressive reforms

Answer 8

• child labor laws prohibited the work of children in virtually every economic sector
• inc. emphasis on education led to universality of schooling
• changing aspects of life led to a more “open” society for individuals
• career prep no longer done at home, rather in schools

Question 9

development of adolescence

Answer 9

• emphasis on education meant a lot of adolescents spent time in schools, but still had free time after
• many adolescents left school as soon as the law would permit
• range of possible activities increased substantially- gave them opportunities to choose how to spend their time and to forge their own identities ( youth subcultures)
• increased freedom and decreased responsibilities meant adolescents spent a lot of time doing “nothing” in the absence of authority figures

Question 10

progressive philosophy

Answer 10

• leading thinkers pushed back the idea of original sin
• as a result strict discipline and insistence of obedience fell out of favor
• emphasis on shame and corporal punishment was replaced with the idea of instilling feelings of guilt and reformation

Question 11

reforms and the origins of juveniles

Answer 11

• inc freedom and more unstructured socializing increased fear among middle-class and social scientists
• at same time idea remained that adolescence can be reformed and educated to be put back on the right path
• led to the status of juveniles

Question 12

juveniles

Answer 12

• somewhere between children, who are not held legally liable or responsible for actions, and adults, who are held fully accountable
  -led to the development of a separate system