Lecture 18: Adolescent Social and Emotional Development

Question 1

What was Erikson’s psychosocial theory?

Answer 1

He thought:

• personality development is a psychosocial process - involves psychosocial factors and external social factors
• theory is about development of ego identity: the conscious sense of self developed through social interaction
• there are 8 stages of development, each with a conflic or ‘crisis’ which requires resolution to develop a fully functioning personality
• biology and social demands push individuals into the next stage, whether or not they have resolved the crisis. the success of the crisis resolution influences how the next stage plays out.

Question 2

when does erikson’s autonomy vs shame stage occur?

Answer 2

age 2-3

Question 3

what is included in erikson’s autonomy vs shame stage?

Answer 3

• stage of gaining first independence and stating preferences
• toilet training is important: way of getting independence and bodily control
• giving children choices over simple things (clothing and food) supports development through this stage
• not enough choice or too much choice could mean children feel self-doubt and inadequacy
• a balance between autonomy and shame leads to acting with intention, within reason and limits
• virtue = will

Question 4

what ages does erikson’s initiative vs guilt stage occur?

Answer 4

ages 4-6

Question 5

what is involved in erikson’s initiative vs guilt stage?

Answer 5

• stage of exploration and imagination - exert control over their world with social interactions and play
• initiate activities and follow them through
• they ask a lot of questions
• develop initiative, make decisions and feel secure in their abilities to lead others when they have their actions encouraged by supportive adults
• criticism and control can result in guilt - feeling like a nuisance to others and under-confident
• balance of guilt and initiative required - for self-control and conscience
• virtue = purpose

Question 6

when does erikson’s industry vs inferiority stage occur?

Answer 6

ages 7-12 around middle childhood

Question 7

what is involved in erikson’s industry vs inferiority stage?

Answer 7

• stage of learning, creating and accomplishing numerous new skills and knowledge, thus developing a sense of industry
• very social stage of development and if children experience unresolved feelings of inadequacy and inferiority among peers or from adults, children can have serious problems in terms of competence and self-esteem
• need to come to terms with being at school - social, academic pressures from self and others. comparison with peers. Need to balance these pressures.
• healthy outcome is a confident attitude - able to explore the world
• unresolved crisis - feelings of inadequacy and inferiority - due to unfavourable reactions from others
• virtue = competence

Question 8

what is adolescence?

Answer 8

• a transitional time between childhood and adulthood
• rapid biological change: hormones and cognitive development
• according to UNROC: Under 18
• according to Ministry of Youth Development: 15-24

Question 9

what stage of piaget’s cognitive development theory are adolescence in?

Answer 9

Formal Operations Stage

Question 10

what is involved in Piaget’s Formal operational stage?

Answer 10

• abstract thought - capable of verbally presenting concepts without concrete experiences or materials
• can imagine and understand hypothetical concepts
• can think about thinking - reflectivity
• think about idealism and possibility - including self
• increasingly logical

Question 11

what stage of erikson’s theory of psychosocial development are adolescents in?

Answer 11

identity vs confusion stage

Question 12

what is involved in the identity vs confusion stage?

Answer 12

• development of ego identity - may experiment with different roles, activities, behaviours
• importance of social interaction in coming to understand self
• encouragement and support assist in the development of strong sense of self, independence and control
• successful transition through this stage involves commitment to maintaining relationships (helpful in the next stage: intimacy vs isolation)
• inability to develop this identity results in role confusion - may feel disappointed and confused

Question 13

what is brofenbrenners ecological systems theory?

Answer 13

many different levels of environmental influences can affect a person’s development

• microsystem
• mesosystem
• exosystem
• macrosystem
• chronosystem

Question 14

what do all these theories mean for adolescents?

Answer 14

• formal operational thought enables adolescents to think more critically and flexibly so they are viewed as less compliant and more questioning than children
• adolescents have more social connections across different contexts - may develop different understandings than those of their family
• critical and abstract thinking allows adolescents to judge the shortcomings of the values, systems, institutions they see around them
• increased level of decision-making comes with increasing age: choices about sibjects at school, part-time work, health related decisions (e.g. drug, alcohol, sexual behaviour)
• development of identity may involve personal commitment to values and belief systems. it may also involve self-absorption and egocentrism (focus on the self)
• hormone and brain changes mean that some adolescents have risky behaviours, implusivity and beliefs of invulnerability

Question 15

how does media portray young people?

Answer 15

most media stories are negative

mostly about crime, gangs, education and social exclusion

doesnt always represent reality

media represents young people as an antisocial group to be feared

Question 16

what is health like for adolescents?

Answer 16

• young people are at one of the healthiest times of their lives - strong, quick, good cognitive processing
• critical time for health - nutrition, exercise, substance use behaviour patterns being developed
• unintentional injuries, suicide leading cause of death
• mental health ailments (depression, anxiety, eating disorders, substance abuse)
• “problem behaviours” often interrelated (drug abuse, violence, poor academic performace, anti social behaviours)
• rarity of disease and illness at this age means young people may have delayed diagnosis

Question 17

what are relationships like for adolescents?

Answer 17

• move from primary relationships with parents to peers: detachment, familial conflict towards autonomy. Parents/whanau remain important attachment figures for adolescents to explore the world
• friendships important - more disclosure of intimate and personal information to friends. increasing ability to develop and sustain supportive relationships
• romantic relationships develop and sexuality becomes increasingly important
• social connections is a predictor of adult well-being
• young people may have complex families and care arrangements

Question 18

what were the findings of adolescents in the Dunedin study?

Answer 18

• sources of distress for adolescents: self image and independence, academic and physical competence, parental conflict, and moving residence and schools
• 26% of 15 year old females and 18% of 15 year old males met criteria for DSM3 mental health disorders: most common = anxiety, conduct disorder and phobia
• people who initiate antisocial conduct at teenage years are different from those who are childhood antisocial: different backgrounds and cease antisocial behaviour

Question 19

what did youth 2000 discover about adolescents?

Answer 19

• 4.5% of students attempted suicide at least once in the last 12 months. 30% of these had made 3 or more attempts. females were twice as likely to attempt suicide. NZ European students were less likely to attempt suicide compared to students from Maori, Pacific, Asian or Other ethnicities.
• students from homes experiencing economic deprivation were almost 3 times more likely to report a suicide attempt compared to peers from homes without socioeconomic deprivation
• 24% of students had deliverately hurt themselves, without suicide ideation, in the previous 12 months

Question 20

what did the youth19 survery find about students happiness?

Answer 20

most students (69%) are happy or satisfied with their lives, had good wellbeing and are not depressed

Question 21

what else did the youth19 survery find about mental health?

Answer 21

a larger proportion of young people have mental health challenges than before

especially:

• young women (29% depression symptoms)
• rangatahi (28% depression; 2012:14%)
• young pasifika (25% depression;F:23)
• asian young people (esp F- 30)
• young people with deprivation (13% suicidal thoughts;6% no deprivation)
• young people from the rainbow community (50% self-harm, 53% depressed)
• but young people generally have fewer risky behaviours than previous generations

Question 22

what are the changes in risk taking behaviours?

Answer 22

• cigarette smoking is rare in HS students (5% in 2012, 3% in 2019), but youth smoking remains common in Maori, Pacific and low-income communities
• binge drinking has decliend since 2012 (still 20% in last month; 42% in <17s)
• vaping more common in wealthier communities
• binge drinking common in all socioeconomic groups
• 23% have used marijuana (4% weekly CF 6.5% in 2001), varies by gender, cultural group and SES

Question 23

what changes have been seen in cannibis use?

Answer 23

between 2012 and 2018, the proportion or year 10s who had never used cannabis increased from 80% to 85%. past month used decreased from 10% to 8% over the same period. there was no satistically significant change in weekly use. the decline appears to be slowing, with little or no change in the 2016-2018 period for both ‘ever use’ and ‘past month use’

Question 24

what changes have been seen in teen drinking?

Answer 24

heavy drinking in teens is reducing earlier than in previous generations - by the time they were 20-21 years old, adolescents had decreased the quantity of alcohol they drank on a typical occasion compared to when they were 16-17 years old (but still drank at a high risk level)

Question 25

what is thought to be the reason for the changes in these risk-taking behaviours?

Answer 25

• trends in adolescent smoking and binge drinking appear to be primarily driven by tobacco specific and alcohol specific factors respectively, in particular attitude changes: large declines in the proportion of adolescents who thought smoking and drinking were acceptable in people their own age
• impacts of risk behaviour trends on one another: declines in cannabis use and sexual activity were largely explained by declines in smoking and binge drinking
• finding from 2007-2012 show a decline in going out at night with friends leading to fewer opportunities for all four risk behaviours
• it is likely that broad cross-national influences (e.g. digital revolution, labour market changes), are interacting with behaviour-specific factors (e.g. less permissive parental attitudes to youth alcohol use) and specific national cultures

Question 26

what is the “take home message” about youth

Answer 26

the majority of young people are healthy, happy and doing well

but a significant minority are not.

• there are several groups who are at risk of poor health and well-being
• e.g. maori, pasifika and asian young people, young people with disabilites, rainbow community, rural communities, deprivation, young people in justice system, young people who have experienced oranga tamariki care etc

Question 27

what has changed since 2019 which could have impacted results from then?

Answer 27

• higher youth unemployment rate
• negative outcomes of lockdown
• higher rates of absence from school
• issues with accessing mental health support

Question 28

is technology good or bad?

Answer 28

technology is associated with many negative issues such as mental health problems, poor sleep, eating disorders, cyber bullying etc

but we can’t do anything about it, so we need to encourage positive use and regulation

Question 29

what are the impacts of online porn on young people?

Answer 29

• it is highly accessible and normalised for young people.
• 1 in 4 kiwis see porn before 12yo
• young people are worried about:
• impact of body image
• amoung and availability of violent and non-consensual porn
• unrealistic and false expectations developing about relationships
• not being able to talk to adults about porn and sex because of taboo, embarrassment, guilt, shame and fear of punishment.

Question 30

what are some critiques of traditional development theories?

Answer 30

• eurocentric
• not everyone values are represented
• very individualistic
• psychology is the dominant discipline underpinning youth research: risk facotrs, resilience and pathology
• portrays youth as a ‘problem stage’

Question 31

what are some other ways to think about adolescence?

Answer 31

• indigenous perspectives
• myth, metaphor, stories, narratives
• community based
• right based perpectives: positive youth development acknowledging individual difference and diversity

Question 32

what are some key points to consider about adolescents?

Answer 32

• most young people in NZ are healthy, happy and have positive relationships with their communities
• but some are really struggling - suicide, self-harm, suicidation, depression
• inequity affects young people’s potential to thrive
• many stereotypes of adolescents are negative but adolescents are not a homogenous group
• there are positive ways of researching young people that may contribute to positive outcomes and change some of the stereotypical perspectives
• for most young people, adolescence is not a time of rebellion, crisis, pathology and deviance, but a time of evaluation, decision-making and developing an understanding of who they are in their world
• how will covid-19 impact this generation?