Summary Of Chapter Six Flashcards
Summarize the differences among cultures in conceptions of the self
Cultures differ greatly in their views of the self, with some promoting an independent
self that is high in self-esteem and others promoting an interdependent self that is
defined by relations with others.
Describe the different kinds of selves adolescents may have, and explain how this variation reflects adolescents’ cognitive development
Self-conceptions become more abstract in adolescence. This includes the development
of the capacity to distinguish between an actual self and two types of possible selves,
an ideal self and a feared self. Self-conceptions in adolescence also become more
complex, with an increased awareness that different aspects of the self might be shown
to different people and in different situations. This includes an awareness that one may
show a false self to others at times.
Explain how and why self-esteem changes from preadolescence through adolescence, including ethnic variations.
Research indicates that self-esteem tends to decline in early adolescence and rise
through late adolescence and emerging adulthood. Self-esteem does not decline
among all adolescents but is more likely to decline for girls than for boys and more
likely to decline among Whites than among African Americans. The most influential
aspects of self-esteem in adolescence are physical appearance and peer acceptance.
List Hater’s eight domains of self-concept, and identify which of them has the most influence on global self-esteem in adolescence.
The eight domains of self-concept are scholastic competence, social acceptance,
athletic competence, physical appearance, job competence, romantic appeal,
behavioral competence, and close friendship. Physical appearance has the most
influence on adolescents’ global self-esteem.
Explain why self-esteem is relatively high for some adolescents and relatively low for others.
Self-esteem is influenced mainly by feeling accepted (or not) by others, especially
parents and peers. Succeeding in school also promotes self-esteem.
Summarize the evidence for emotional volatility in adolescence
The ESM studies show that adolescents tend to experience more extremes of
emotions, especially negative ones such as feeling embarrassed or awkward,
compared with preadolescents or adults.
Evaluate the claim that girls lose their “voice” in adolescence.
Carol Gillian has argued that gender differences exist in emotional self-development
during adolescence, as girls “lose their voice” in the course of conforming to cultural
pressures for the female role, rather than asserting their authentic selves. However,
research has provided limited support for this claim.
Summarize adolescents’ emotional states during times they are alone
The ESM studies find that adolescents are alone about one fourth of the time. Although
their moods tend to be low during these hours, they often use these times for reflection
and regeneration. Emotional loneliness tends to be high among college freshmen.
Explain how identity issues develop in adolescence, according to Erikson’s theory, and how and why identity development might go off track.
According to Erik Erikson, the key crisis in adolescent development is identity versus
identity confusion, and the three principal areas of identity formation are love, work, and
ideology. Identity development occurs as adolescents assess their traits, abilities, and
interests, and how these match up with the possibilities available to them in their
culture. Then they explore possibilities in love, work, and ideology to decide which
paths to follow. Identity confusion may develop if adolescents are unable to choose
among the possibilities available to them.
Connect Erikson’s theory of identity development to the identity status model on which most research is based.
The identity status model has guided most research in this area by classifying
adolescents into one of four statuses: foreclosure, diffusion, moratorium, and
achievement. Research using the identity status model has shown that achievement
and moratorium are related to positive aspects of development, whereas diffusion is
mostly negative. It also shows that most identity development takes place in emerging
adulthood rather than adolescence.
Evaluate Erikson’s theory from the perspective of postmodern theory, and note the theory’s limitations concerning gender and culture.
Postmodern identity theory proposes that people have many different and sometimes
contradictory aspects of themselves that they exhibit in different contexts, rather than
one stable identity. It also asserts that changes in the self continue to occur throughout
the life span rather than being concentrated in adolescence. The gender critique notes
that Erikson’s theory values the independent self most often associated with males over
the relational self most often associated with females. The cultural critique of Erikson’s
theory is that it assumes a range of independent choices in love, work, and ideology,
but in most cultures, individual’s choices are shaped and constricted by cultural beliefs
and by the influences of others.
Describe Phinney’s model of ethnic identity in adolescence.
Adolescents who are members of ethnic minorities face the challenge of developing an
ethnic identity in addition to an identity in the areas of love, work, and ideology. Four
possible alternatives of ethnic identity formation are assimilation, marginality,
separation, and biculturalism.
Explain how globalization is influencing identity development in adolescence and emerging adulthood.
Globalization is leading to the development of more bicultural and hybrid identities that
combine elements of the local culture with elements of the global culture, and it appears
to be leading to greater identity confusion among young people in some traditional
cultures.
