Adolescence 9th edition

1. Adolescence9th edition By Laurence Steinberg, Ph.D. Insert photo of text Chapter Seven: Work and Leisure

2. Chapter 7 Overview How do contemporary adolescents differ from other countries in their use of free time? Adolescents and work How do American students compare to teens from other countries? What effects does working have on adolescent development? Adolescents and leisure What do adolescents do with their free time? Adolescents and the mass media What impact does media have on adolescents? Free time and adolescent development

3. Today’s Typical Teenager Spends more time in leisure activities than in “productive” and “maintenance” activities Spends more time alone than with family members, prefers to be with friends Spends four times as many hours per week at part-time jobs as spent on homework

4. Patterns of Time Use in Contemporary America

5. Patterns of Time Use in Contemporary America

6. Adolescents’ Free Time in Contemporary Society Abundance of free time in the lives of contemporary adolescence has several origins: Compulsory schooling Prior to this, adolescents were expected to work full-time Post–World War II affluence Targeted as consumers by marketing industry Leisure expenditures (movies or eating out) American adolescents spend more time on leisure, less time being productive than other countries American students spend < 5 hours per week on homework Students in Asian countries spend 4 to 5 hours per day on homework

7. The Emergence of the Student-Worker Before 1925 most entered the workforce by 15 years of age Adolescents were either students or workers, not both New jobs were created in retail trade and services (for low wages, short shifts) Today, about 75% of seniors and 40% of sophomores work during the school year

8. Teenage Employment in America and Other Nations Nonindustrialized societies Work and family life not as distinct as in America Integrated into the world of work before adolescence Generally leave school at ages 15 or 16 Industrialized countries Two-thirds of U.S. high school juniors hold jobs during the school year; only one-fourth of Japanese and Taiwanese juniors do Paid employment even rarer in most European countries (virtually nonexistent in France, Russia, Hungary, and Switzerland)

9. Teenage Employment in America and Other Nations • Why is student employment so much more common in the United States than in Europe or Asia? • Part-time employment opportunities not as readily available elsewhere • Scheduling of part-time jobs in other countries is not well suited to the daily routines of students • In most other industrialized countries, the employment of children is associated with being poor • Schools in countries other than the United States require much more out-of-school time for homework

10. Today’s Adolescent Workplace Job opportunities for after-school work are plentiful in the U.S. Range of available jobs is very limited Type of job depends on region, gender, or age In rural regions- agricultural jobs Among younger teens- baby-sitting (girls) and yard work (boys) Among older teens–retail and service jobs (boys– manual labor; girls–service jobs)

11. Today’s Adolescent Workplace

12. Teen Jobs Little or no contact with adults Other workers are teenagers too Supervisor typically not much older than adolescent Many customers are teenagers too Few form close relationships with adults at work Other drawbacks Few permit independent behavior or decision making Little instruction is received from supervisors Skills learned in school rarely used at work Jobs often are repetitive or boring, sometimes stressful, leading to injury and accidents

13. Employment and Adolescent Development Most people believe that working helps teens build character, teaches them about the real world, and prepares them for adulthood Assumptions not supported by research Recent studies show that benefits of working during adolescence have been overstated Premature affluence Working more than 20 hours/week may jeopardize school performance: (absent more often, less involvement in extracurriculars, report enjoying school less, spend less time on homework, earn slightly lower grades)

14. Working and Adolescent Development Work and Problem Behavior Thought that working would deter teens from criminal activity by keeping them out of trouble Working long hours may actually be associated with increases in aggression, school misconduct, precocious sexual activity, minor delinquency Differential Impact of Work Middle class–working associated with problem behaviors Poor youth–working may not lead to problem behavior

15. Youth Unemployment Although relatively rare, some young people who wish to work are unable to find jobs Only 8% of 16-to-19 year olds are neither in school nor employed The majority of unemployed youth are high school dropouts Suggestions to combat this problem Community Service and Service Learning Improve employment and counseling services for young people and strengthen youth organizations Experiment with youth apprenticeships

16. Adolescents and Leisure Average middle-class U.S. teen is bored more than 25% of the time Leisure is seldom reported as boring Occupies more of teen’s waking hours than school and work combined Includes: socializing, sports, watching TV, listening to music, Internet, video games, shopping, hobbies

17. Adolescents’ Free Time and Their Moods Distinction between “Leisure” and other activities Leisure activities: chosen by teens Time at school and work: chosen by others Experience Sampling Method Moods are generally most positive when they are with their friends and least positive when they are alone Moods when they are with their family fall somewhere in between

18. Structured Leisure Activities Two-thirds of American high school students are in one or more extracurricular activities Athletics most popular in the United States Other popular activities Music (band, chorus, orchestra, glee club) Academic (science club, language clubs) Insert photo from DAL

19. Athletic Participation and Academic Performance

20. Positive Impact of Extracurricular Participation Activities may increase students’ contact with teachers and other school personnel who may reinforce the value of school Activities may bring adolescents into contact with peers who influence them in beneficial ways

21. Unstructured Leisure Time Routine Activity Theory Combination of lack of structure, socializing with peers, and the absence of adult supervision Leads to delinquency and problem behaviors Most studies show that self-care children are not different from their peers in psychological development, school achievement or self-conceptions

22. Time After School • Delinquency is more common on weekday afternoons than at any other time

23. Promoting Positive Youth Development • Experts have called for better and more readily available after-school programming for adolescents • Well-designed programs • Deter problem behavior with adult supervision • Promote positive youth development • Competence, confidence, connection, character, and caring and compassion

24. Leisure and the Mass Media Media Saturation Many adolescents view TV, listen to music, or play video games, all in their bedrooms The average adolescent spends more than 6 hours each day using one or more forms of media Enormous increase in the last decade in the amount of time adolescent spend on the computer

25. Leisure and the Mass Media Media Use and Adolescent Behavior: The Chicken or the Egg? Negative Media Images Aggressive Behavior ?

26. Leisure and the Mass Media Research shows that Exposure to violent television does lead to more aggressive behavior Exposure to images of sex does in fact affect adolescents’ attitudes about sex Exposure to images of drug and alcohol use does affect adolescents’ beliefs about these matters

27. Leisure and the Mass Media Research shows that exposure to images of drug and alcohol use does affect adolescents’ beliefs about these matters

28. Mass Media and Adolescent Girls’ Body Image Research indicates that adolescent girls who frequently read fashion magazines are more dissatisfied with their body than are girls who do not Controlled experiments have indicated that showing girls images of thin models increases their body dissatisfaction Frequent reading of magazine articles about dieting or weight loss leads to increases in unhealthy weight-control behaviors Intentional vomiting and inappropriate use of laxatives

29. The Adolescent Consumer In 2011, $200 billion to be spent on adolescents between 12 and 17 Virtually all of a teen’s money is spent on purchases related to leisure activities Girls spend money on clothes, food, and cosmetics, in that order Boys use their money for food, clothes, and saving for big-ticket items (e.g., cars and stereo equipment) Viral marketing Uses Internet sites such as MySpace and Facebook to target thousands of teens because of their influence over friends’ purchasing habits