Module 12: Adolescence Flashcards
Adolescence
The transition period from childhood to adulthood, extending from puberty to independence.
Puberty
The period of sexual maturation, during which a person becomes capable of reproducing.
The teenage brain
- Until puberty —-> brain cells increase connections
- During adolescence —-> selective pruning of unused neurons and connections
- Frontal lobes continue to develop —-> improved judgement, impulse control, long-term planning
Why are teens so impulsive?
- The maturation of the frontal lobes is slower than the emotional limbic system (frontal lobe continues to mature until 25)
- Hormonal surge + development of limbic system —-> explain impulsiveness, risky behaviors, and emotional storms
How do teens think about risks?
- They don’t underestimate risks
- Weigh immediate benefits more heavily
Developing reasoning power
- When adolescents reach formal operations (Piaget), they can apply abstract reasoning tools to the world around them.
- Sense of what’s fair —-> changed from equality to equity
- Search for spirituality and deeper meaning of life
Preconventional morality
- Before age 9
- Self-interest
- Obey rules to avoid punishment or gain concrete rewards
Conventional morality
- Early adolescence
- Uphold laws and rules to gain social approval or maintain social order
Postconventional morality
- Adolescence and beyond
- Actions reflect belief in basic rights and self-defined ethical principles
Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development
Infancy
- To 1 year
- Trust vs. Mistrust
- If needs are dependably met, infants develop a sense of basic trust
Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development
Toddlerhood
- 1 to 3
- Autonomy vs. Shame and doubt
- Learn to exercise their will and do things for themselves, or doubt their abilities
Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development
Preschool
- 3 to 6
- Initiative vs. Guilt
- Learn to initiate tasks and carry out plans, or feel guilty about their efforts to be independent
Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development
Elementary
- 6 to puberty
- Competence vs. Inferiority
- Learn the pleasure of applying themselves to tasks, or they feel inferior
Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development
Adolescence
- Teen into 20s
- Identity vs. Role confusion
- Teenagers work at refining a sense of self by testing roles and then integrating them to form a single identity, or they become confused about who they are
Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development
Young Adulthood
- 20s to early 40s
- Intimacy vs. Isolation
- Struggle to form close relationships and to gain the capacity for intimate love, or they feel socially isolated.
Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development
Middle Adulthood
- 40s to 60s
- Generativity vs. Stagnation
- Discover a sense of contributing to the world, usually through family + work, or they may feel a lack of purpose
Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development
Late Adulthood
- 60s and up
- Integrity vs. Despair
- Reflecting on their lives, older adults may feel a sense of satisfaction or failure
Identity
Our sense of self; according to Erikson, the adolescent’s task is to solidify a sense of self by testing and integrating various roles.
Social identity
The “we” aspect of our self-concept, the part of our answer to “who am I?” that comes from our group memberships.
Intimacy
In Erikson’s theory, the ability to form close, loving relationships; a primary developmental task in young adulthood.
Emerging adulthood
A period from about age 18 to the mid-twenties, when many in Western cultures are no longer adolescents but have not yet achieved full independence as adults.
