History of the Study of Adolescence Flashcards
Understand what it means to think of adolescence as a series of transitions, and be able to provide examples of different potential boundaries in development
a. Adolescence can be thought of as a series of transitions from immaturity to maturity and that some transitions have overlapping timing, and can differ based on economics, political, and social forces
b. Series of phases rather than one single stage
c. Social: beginning of training for adult work, family, and citizen roles/full attainment of adult status and privileges
d. Legal: attainment of juvenile status/attainment of majority status
Describe characteristics in the different stages of adolescence (early, middle, and late) as well as emerging adulthood – think about age, contexts, transitions occurring
a. Early: 10-14, middle school, puberty begins and body is undergoing a lot of new changes (height growth, body fat, breasts developing)
b. Middle: 14-17, high school (begin training for adult life/work, more responsibility, can drive)
c. Late: 18-21, college years (working towards a career, likely working and/or going to college, )
d. Emerging adulthood: 18-25, transition from adolescence to adulthood, many pathways
Describe the historical background of the study of adolescents, including the characteristics of the early “grand theories” in comparison to more modern paradigms
a. First appearance of adolescence was in the 15th century
b. Aristotle thought we grew in three successive 7-year periods (infancy, boyhood, young adulthood)
c. Some thought transitions were biologically determined
d. Rejecting reductionist (reduce argument to either biological or social views)
Describe what a theory is, and the idea of a continuum from biological to social theories
a. A theory is a guiding framework or set of assumptions that help us understand phenomena
b. Theories began as strongly biological, and slowly focused onto social
Name and understand the contributions and criticisms of G. Stanley Hall’s ideas
a. Individual human development paralleled the development of the species
b. Infancy was like being primitive savages
c. Storm and stress, turbulence due to puberty
d. Contribution: the role of biological factors, brain maturation, started the study of adolescence
e. Criticisms: adolescence is not inherently problematic
Describe the idea/perspective of the individual “Phase 1” theorists we discussed.
a. Hall: biologically based set of transitions, storm and stress
b. Anna Freud: Universal Development disturbance
c. Erikson: series of crises based on inherited plan of maturation
d. Piaget: distinct stages of cognitive development, focused primarily on patterns of thought
Describe the idea/perspectives of the individual “Phase 2” theories we discussed.
a. Bronfenbrenner: ecological systems theory, we have the things about ourselves that we can’t change and then four stages that interact with us and influence our person (microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem)
b. Eccles: stage environment fit in transitions and contexts
c. Thomas and Chest: goodness of fit – the accommodation of parenting behavior based on temperament
Describe the primary conceptual shifts in the study of adolescent development that have occurred in the last 20-25 years
a. Relational inquiry: must understand the relationship between person’s biology and their larger-scale levels of organization
b. Individuality plays a major role in outcomes
c. Focus on positive development
d. Scientist-practitioner-policy maker collaboration
