Week 15: Adolescence, Emerging Adulthood, and Aging Flashcards
Learning Objectives:
- Describe major features of physical, cognitive, and social development during adolescence.
- Understand why adolescence is a period of heightened risk taking.
- Be able to explain sources of diversity in adolescent development.
Define Adolescence
a period of transformation, primarily, in terms of physical, cognitive, and social-relational change.
Developmental stage that has been defined as starting with puberty and ending with the transition to adulthood (approximately ages 10–20).
Adolescence has evolved historically, with evidence indicating that this stage is lengthening as individuals start puberty earlier and transition to adulthood later than in the past. Puberty today begins, on average, at age 10–11 years for girls and 11–12 years for boys.
emerging adulthood time period
one changes out of adolescence and into adulthood, occurring from approximately ages 18 to 29
Adolescence - Physical change
Puberty
growth spurt in height, growth of pubic and underarm hair, and skin changes (e.g., pimples). Boys also experience growth in facial hair and a deepening of their voice. Girls experience breast development and begin menstruating. These pubertal changes are driven by hormones, particularly an increase in testosterone for boys and estrogen for girls.
Cognitive Improvements during early adolescence (4)
attention
memory
processing speed
metacognition
Dopamine
produces feelings of pleasure
During adolescence, people tend to do whatever activities produce the most dopamine, without fully considering the consequences of such actions.
Psychological control
Parents’ manipulation of and intrusion into adolescents’ emotional and cognitive world through invalidating adolescents’ feelings and pressuring them to think in particular ways.
homophily
Adolescents tend to associate with peers who are similar to themselves.
Deviant peer contagion
The spread of problem behaviors within groups of adolescents.
Ex. laughing in inappropriate settings
What are Crowds
Adolescent peer groups characterized by shared reputations or images.
In contrast to friendships (which are reciprocal dyadic relationships) and cliques (which refer to groups of individuals who interact frequently), crowds are characterized more by shared reputations or images than actual interactions
Adolescents & romantic relationships
Although romantic relationships during adolescence are often short-lived rather than long-term committed partnerships, their importance should not be minimized. Adolescents spend a great deal of time focused on romantic relationships, and their positive and negative emotions are more tied to romantic relationships (or lack thereof) than to friendships, family relationships, or school
Four identity statuses in identity formation
- foreclosure
- identity diffusion
- moratorium
- identity achievement
Foreclosure
Individuals commit to an identity without exploration of options
Identity diffusion
Adolescents neither explore nor commit to any roles or ideologies.
moratorium
State in which adolescents are actively exploring options but have not yet made identity commitments.
Identity achievment
Individuals have explored different options and then made commitments.
Patterson’s (1982) “early vs. late” starter model of the development of aggressive and antisocial behavior
Early Starter
antisocial behavior begins during childhood
*greater risk for long-term antisocial behavior that extends into adulthood than are late starters.
*Early, antisocial behavior leads to befriending others who also engage in antisocial behavior, which only perpetuates the downward cycle of aggression and wrongful acts.
Patterson’s (1982) “early vs. late” starter model of the development of aggressive and antisocial behavior
Late Starter
antisocial behavior begins during adolescence
*experience poor parental monitoring and supervision, aspects of parenting that become more salient during adolescence. Poor monitoring and lack of supervision contribute to increasing involvement with deviant peers, which in turn promotes adolescents’ own antisocial behavior.
Moffitt’s (1993) life-course persistent vs. adolescent-limited model
Moffitt regards adolescent-limited antisocial behavior as resulting from a “maturity gap” between adolescents’ dependence on and control by adults and their desire to demonstrate their freedom from adult constraint. However, as they continue to develop, and legitimate adult roles and privileges become available to them, there are fewer incentives to engage in antisocial behavior, leading to desistance in these antisocial behaviors.
Starting in early adolescence, compared with males…
females have rates of anxiety that are about ____ as high and rates of depression that are ___ to ____ times as high
(1) 2x
(2) 1.5x
(3) 3x
prevalence rates for specific phobias are about __% in children and __%–__% in adults but __% in adolescents.
(1) 5
(2) 3
(3) 5
(4) 16
Stress “Misery loves company” in adolescence
Depressed youths select other depressed youths as friends and then frequently co-ruminate as they discuss their problems, exacerbating negative affect and stress
*intensified for girls
Factors for success in academic achievement
- Interpersonal factors: parental engagement in adolescents’ education
- Intrapersonal factors: intrinsic motivation
- Institutional factors: school quality
differential susceptibility
Genetic factors that make individuals more or less responsive to environmental experiences.
Last year, Johnny was an athlete at school. This year, he has tried fitting in with the theater kids. He can’t decide what identity feels right to him and is experiencing ______.
Identity maratoriam
According to Erik Erickson, the most important conflict in adolescence involves what?
Identity formation
Genetic factors make individuals more or less responsive to environmental influences. This phenomenon is known as ______.
differential susceptibility
Fifteen-year-old Charlie is prone to risky behavior because his dopaminergic system has developed to reward him, but his ______ is still immature.
prefrontal cortex
Adolescents tend to associate with peers who are similar to themselves. What is the name for this condition?
homophily
Learning Objectives:
Explain where, when, and why a new life stage of emerging adulthood appeared over the past half-century.
Identify the five features that distinguish emerging adulthood from other life stages.
Describe the variations in emerging adulthood in countries around the world.
the median marriage age for women in the United States and in most other industrialized countries in 1960 was around __.
The median marriage age for men was around __, and married couples usually had their first child about ____ year after their wedding day.
20 year olds
22 year olds
One
- The median age for women to get married NOW is 27
- The median age for men to get married NOW is 29
Emerging Adulthood
A new life stage extending from approximately ages 18 to 25, during which the foundation of an adult life is gradually constructed in love and work. Primary features include identity explorations, instability, focus on self-development, feeling incompletely adult, and a broad sense of possibilities.
*new developmental phase
In industrialized countries young people just out of high school and into their 20’s are spending more time experimenting with potential directions for their lives.
New way of transitioning into adulthood is different from generations in the past
A higher proportion of young people than ever before—about (1)__% in the United States—pursue education and training beyond secondary school
Job instability
In the United States, the average number of job changes from ages 20 to 29 is (2)_______.
(1) 70
(2) Seven
Arnett - Five features of emerging adulthood
- the age of identity explorations
- the age of instability
- the self-focused age
- the age of feeling in-between
- the age of possibilities
*OG study based on research involving about 300 Americans between ages 18 and 29 from various ethnic groups, social classes, and geographical regions
OECD meaning + countries
+Population
Members of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, comprised of the world’s wealthiest countries.
Population: 1.2 billion (18% of the total world population)
United States
Canada
Western Europe
Japan
South Korea
Australia
New Zealand
Industrialized countries
+population
The economically advanced countries of the world, in which most of the world’s wealth is concentrated.
Population: 1.2 billion (18% of the total world population)
United States
Canada
Western Europe
Japan
South Korea
Australia
New Zealand
non-industrialized countries
The less economically advanced countries that comprise the majority of the world’s population. Most are currently developing at a rapid rate.
*much lower median incomes; much lower median educational attainment; and much higher incidence of illness, disease, and early death.
tertiary education
Education or training beyond secondary school, usually taking place in a college, university, or vocational training program.
individualism
*Western
Belief system that exalts freedom, independence, and individual choice as high values.
collectivism
*Asian
Belief system that emphasizes the duties and obligations that each person has toward others.
United States & Europe important marker for adulthood
financial independence
Asian Culture important marker for adulthood
Capable of supporting parents financially
What can societies do to enhance the likelihood that emerging adults will make a successful transition to adulthood?
Expand the opportunities for obtaining tertiary education.
*make it possible for every emerging adult to receive tertiary education, free of charge.
