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Adolescence

Adolescence. The Transition State. Questions. When you go to college, who do you believe is responsible for the costs of it? Why? If you get married, who is responsible for the costs of the wedding? Why? . What is Adolescence?.

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Adolescence

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  1. Adolescence The Transition State

  2. Questions • When you go to college, who do you believe is responsible for the costs of it? Why? • If you get married, who is responsible for the costs of the wedding? Why?

  3. What is Adolescence? • Adolescence is the transition state between childhood and adulthood • There is no strict age limits to this time period, but it typically runs from 12-19 years old. • Adolescence is a social construct; many cultures do not have this time period • Adolescence is not the same thing as puberty!

  4. So, What’s Puberty? • Puberty: the biological process of reaching sexual maturity • Males: increase testosterone production • Females: increase estrogen production Females tend to start puberty at a slightly earlier age than males. Growth spurt marks the start of puberty.

  5. Characteristics of Puberty • Primary Sexual Characteristics: The maturation of the reproductive organs. • Secondary Sexual Characteristics: Physical Changes caused by increased hormone production, but not directly related to sexual reproduction. Examples: voice change, axilliary hair, breast development, acne, body odor, etc.

  6. Rites of Passage • Rites of Passage: Specific events (formal and informal) that mark the transition of a person from child to adult. • American culture as a whole does not have a formal rite of passage, but informal ones do exist.

  7. Cognitive Development • Adolescents are in the formal operations stage , according to Piaget. • The ability to think hypothetically • Adolescents more able to answer “what if…” questions. • More able to comprehend hypocrisy/phoniness • Become more egocentric • Appearance of the personal fable • KEY: The brain structure of an adolescent is still developing, and will continue into the early 20s. The last part to develop is the pre-frontal cortex, which is where personality and judgment centers are located.

  8. Moral Development • Many (but not all) are able to think of ideas of justice beyond allegiance to authority (think of the Kohlberg dilemmas) • Some adolescents become highly idealistic, and believe that the world can be a better place • Belief of invincibility, tend to engage in riskier behaviors • Become more able to rationalize behaviors

  9. Peer Pressure • Prior to adolescence, parents are the most important influence on a child’s behavior • During adolescence, parental influence is surpassed by the adolescent’s peer group • Adolescents have high need for belonging, and to conform. • According to Eric Erikson, adolescents go through an identity crisis (who am I?) that is internal in nature.

  10. Adolescence = Stress? • Throughout most of the history of psychology, adolescence was seen as a period of stress and strife (“Sturm und Drang”), based on hormonal changes • More recent research (Bandura’s Social Learning Theory, etc.) seems to indicate that: • Most adolescents make it through this stage without much stress • Those that have great difficulty during this stage do so typically due to external factors (parental divorce, substance abuse).

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