PS3000: Social Behaviour and Development

1. PS3000: Social Behaviour and Development Dr Tessa Webb 0/21 HWB tmw3@le.ac.uk

2. Section Overview • Lectures 1 & 2: Introduction to developmental psychology this year. Introduction to adolescence • Lecture 3: Sexuality and employment • Lecture 4: The problems of adolescence • Lecture 5: Issues in Adulthood (the male & female life cycles • Lecture 6: Issues in Adulthood (marriage & parenthood) Resources available at: https://swww2.le.ac.uk/departments/psychology/extranet/undergraduate-materials/year-3/ps3000/developmental-webb

3. Developmental Psychology in the third year • Developmental psychology modules have been child-orientated so far BUT development doesn’t stop • Adolescence • We lack a unified theory of this phase of life, Hill (1993) • A lot of material on American adolescents. • Focus on the problems of adolescence (underage sex, pregnancy, drinking, smoking, drug taking...) • Coverage of social psychological events in a testable population • Adulthood • Development stops at adulthood, Bower (1979) • Cognitive growth in childhood has an impact on intellectual development but the impact of the family life cycle on social development continues throughout the lifespan

4. Introduction to adolescence – Lecture plan 1. What is adolescence? • 1.1. Defining adolescence • 1.2. Biological development • 1.3. Psychological development • Reasoning capacity • The self 2. What adolescence is not • 2.1. Identity crisis? • Erikson • Marcia • 2.2. Storm and stress? • Public perception • Extent of ‘storm and stress’ found in research 3

5. What is adolescence?1.1. Defining adolescence • Inadequate definitions • Age (but some girls start periods at 10, some at 16) • Economic (but what about 21 year olds at university?) • Social criteria (but arbitrary e.g. different voting ages in different countries)

6. What is adolescence?1.1. Defining adolescence • A recent historical phenomenon • Industrial revolution extended childhood • Cross-cultural variation • The Sambia of Papua New Guinea • Adolescence is a fuzzy concept • Like great art – hard to define but we know what it is when we see it

7. What is adolescence?1.2. Biological development • Females • Onset of menstruation (menarche) is ambivalent E.g. sign of maturity but physically uncomfortable • Links to social factors e.g. family stress leads to earlier menarche • Social expectations associated with period pains

8. What is adolescence?1.2. Biological development • Males • Clear link between biological and psychological changes • Early maturing boys regarded more positively (Jones and Bayley, 1950; Weisfeld et al, 1987) • Spermarche is well-remembered indicating its developmental significance • Cross-gender • MRI scans show areas of brain growth and loss (Thompson et al., 2000)

9. What is adolescence?1.3. Psychological development • Reasoning capacity • Formal operations develop allowing abstract reasoning (Piaget, 1954) • Can think about his / her place in the world • Leads to … • Egocentrism • He / she becomes immersed in their own insights • They don’t appreciate that others have their own, different theories • Imaginary audience, (Elkind, 1967)

10. What is adolescence?1.3. Psychological development • Self-understanding • Initially poor (difference between ‘self’ and ‘others’ perception) • Self-image becomes more unified • Self-esteem • Low in early adolescence • Gender effect (lower for girls, Buchanan & Holmbeck, 1998) • Increases into early adulthood (Marsh, 1989)

11. 2. What adolescence is not2.1. Identity crisis • Who am I??? • Popular view is that adolescents struggle to decide who and what they are (Erikson, 1959; 1968) • The 5th developmental stage in Erikson’s theory of development: Identity vs. identity confusion • Psychosocial moratorium: gap between childhood and adulthood • Adolescent engages in personality and role experimentation • Unresolved identity confusion = identity crisis • Identity comprises of….career, religious, political, relationship, cultural, sexual etc. etc.

12. 2. What adolescence is not2.1. Identity crisis • Marcia’s (1966) four types of identity status • Identity diffusion (avoidance and indecision) • Identity foreclosure (premature commitment) • Identity moratorium (try out different identities) • Identity achievement (commitment to ideals and plans)

13. 2. What adolescence is not2.1. Identity crisis • But few are experiencing moratorium (Meilman, 1979; Hill, 1993) • Instead they think about how to define themselves • i.e. careful identity formation but not crisis • Dealing with difficult life events/circumstances also influences development of identity (Pals, 2006) • Key changes happen later than adolescence • Process does not end in adolescence

14. 2. What adolescence is not2.2. Storm and stress • Public perception of adolescence • Surge of hormones, secondary sex characteristics, genital arousal, exams and career choices, drugs, mass media, debauched pop music, acne. • Mood disruptions; conflict with parents; risk behaviour • Adolescents : • don’t cooperate with parents and frequently fight with them (Holmbeck & Hill, 1988) • exhibit problem behaviour and are rebellious (Buchanan & Holmbeck , 1998) • Arnett (1999) • Modern day support for modified view: problems are more likely to arise in adolescence than at other ages.

15. 2. What adolescence is not2.2. Storm and stress • Rebellion and turmoil are not universally experienced • Larson and Lampman-Petraitis (1989) • 9-15 year olds recorded emotional state hourly • No convincing evidence of emotionality increasing with onset of adolescence • Other studies indicate only 5-15% of adolescents report psychological disturbance • Best evidence of their non-rebellious, non-volatile nature comes from evidence on family relationships