+

Experiencing
the Lifespan

Chapter 9: Adolescence
Cognitive and Socio-emotional
Development

Eriksons Psychosocial Stages:

Adolescence

Adolescence: Setting the

Context

Term adolescence first described by G. Stanley

Hall
in 1904

Stage of life defined as, storm and stress

intense moodiness
emotional sensitivity
risk taking tendencies

Became a distinct stage of

life in the 20th (twentieth)
century when going to

The Mysteries of the Teenage

Mind

classic theories of teenage thinking

Piagets

formal operational stage

Kohlbergs
Elkinds

Stages of moral judgment

Adolescent Egocentrism

+ Piagets Stages of Cognitive

Development

Piagets Formal Operational Stage

Qualitative Mental Growth

Not only can think logically about rational concepts

but can now think about hypothetical possibilities

Can think abstractly about ideas

Can reason like real scientists

Reaching this stage allows the teen

to act like an adult

Formal Operational Stage

(demonstrates adolescents ability to think abstractly)

Rule 1:

If you hit a piece of glass with a hammer, the glass will

break. Don hit a piece of glass with a hammer. What
happened to the glass?

Rule 2:

If you hit a piece of glass with a feather, the glass will

break. Don hit a piece of glass with a feather. What
happened to the glass?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjJdcXA1KH8

Piagets Pendulum Apparatus

(Demonstrates adolescents
ability to think scientifically)

Which influence determines

how quickly the pendulum
swings from side to side?

A. Length of the string?

B. The heaviness of the

weight?

C. The height from which the

string was released?

How does this change in

thinking apply to real life?

New ability to think hypothetically & scientifically

explains:

Why its not until high school that we can perform

certain types of tasks

Why teens debate everything

Bottom Line: Reaching Formal

Operations allows us to act & think more like
adults

Piaget: Do all adolescents

reach formal operations?

Only occurs in scientifically oriented Western cultures

Even in our society, most people dont make it to

Piagets final stage

Why do you think this is?

TED Talk:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFubmeH
DtII

Kohlbergs famous problem:

the Heinz dilemma
A

woman is near death from cancer. One drug

might save her. The druggist was charging...
ten times what the drug cost him to make.
The... husband, Heinz, went to everyone he
knew to borrow the money, but he could only
get together half of what it cost. [He] asked
the druggist to sell it cheaper or let him pay
later. But the druggist said NO! Heinz broke
into the mans store to steal the drug...
Should he have done that? Why?
Heinz interactive link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5czp9S4u26M

Kohlbergs Stages of Moral

Development

Preconventional

level (no internal moral sense)

Focus personal punishments and rewards

Conventional

level (most adults are here)

Focus obeying society's rules and norms

Postconventional

level
(rarely achieved at any age)
Inner moral code or guidelines that transcends
society's rules

Elkinds Adolescent
Egocentrism

Drew

on from Piagets formal operations to make sense

of teenagers emotional states

Believed

when children make this transition, they begin

to be able to:
See beneath the surface of adult rules.
Become aware of the flaws of others and harp upon them

Thus

becoming obsessed with what others think about

their own personal flaws

Adolescent

Egocentrism The distorted feeling

ones own actions are at the center of everyone elses
consciousness.

Adolescent egocentrism
Two Facets

Imaginary Audience Teens feel as if they are

onstage.

Everyone is looking at
me and judging me

Personal Fable Teens feel as if they are

unique & special

It cant happen to me
May lead to risky behavior,
particularly in males

Adolescent stereotypes:
Aspects of Storm and
Stress
Are adolescents more

socially sensitive? YES!

Research indicates that in

emotionally charged
situations, teens become
more vulnerable to
negative peer pressure.

There is a tendency for immediate gratification over

future rewards; an inability to think about long term
outcomes.

Adolescent stereotypes:
Aspects of Storm and
Are adolescents risk takers? YES!
Stress

Doing something and getting away with itYou are driving at 80 miles an hour
and stop at a stop sign and a cop will turn around the corner and you start
giggling. Or you are out drinking or maybe you smoked a joint, and you say hi to
a police officer and he walks by
(quoted in Lightfood, 1997, p. 100)

Pushing the envelope is a basic feature

of teenage life

Adolescent stereotypes:
Aspects of Storm and
Stress
Are adolescents more

emotional?

YES!
Adolescents

live life on an
intense emotional plane,
shifting from euphoria to
deep depression
However, teens are not
irrational or emotionally
disturbed

Other Consequences of
Emotional Storm
Between

1 in 4 and 1 in
6 young people engage
in non-suicidal self-injury
to cope with distress

Depression

rate is
significant with women
being more susceptible
than men

Risk-taking

propensities
make late teens peak
crime years

+ Which Teens are At-Risk for

Long-Term Problems?
At-risk teens tend to have:
_problems

with emotional
regulation earlier in life
(externalizing problems)
Poor

family relationships(e.g.,
disconnect from parents)
Deviant

behavior that begins in

middle school (e.g., drinking,
taking drugs, truancy)
Live

in risk taking
beahviour(e.g., siblings, peers
that engage in illegal or risky
behavior)

Which teens are

successful?
Qualities
that promote thrivingClose family relationships
A mentor
Passion or special interest(s)
Superior executive functions
Prosocial friends
Academic success
Strong schools and communities
A strong religious faith

Thriving

depends on both
nature and nurture
personal qualities (nature)
and a nurturing outside
world (environment)

+ At-risk teens or successful

adults?
Thriving does not necessarily mean staying out
of trouble

Importance

behavior

of identifying typical vs. atypical

Adolescence-limited turmoil antisocial behaviors

during teenage years
-VS Life-course difficulties antisocial behaviors that
continue into adult life

Some of these at-risk teens

do find success as adults

+ Brain Development During

Adolescence
Dramatic

pruning occurs in
frontal lobes

Insulating

myelin sheath
will not reach mature form
for many years.

Puberty heightens the output of

certain
neurotransmitters, which provokes
the
passion to take risks

Interventions: Making the World Fit

the Teenage Mind

Tips for parents

1.

Understand strong emotions and put emotional

reactions in perspective
I hate myself or I hate you may not mean as much
as you think.
These negative comments dont mean the teens
doesnt love you.
2. Do worry if your adolescent becomes withdrawn,
angry or depressed over time; the teen may be in
trouble
3. Keep the lines of communication open
Know when to get involved and when to give space
4. Avoid harsh criticism of teen
Avoid too much pressure to succeed
5. Try to get the teen connected with a
passion or activity

+Important facts regarding

Adolescent-Parent Relationships

While teens most uplifting moments are with

their families (during times such as sharing a
meal, joking around, sharing a close moment with
a parent), negative emotions outweigh positives
10 in 1.

Teens feel most upbeat with friends.

Most conflicts between teens and parents are

based on rules (such as curfew, doing homework,
cleaning room) and the struggle for
independence.

+Important facts regarding

Adolescent-Parent Relationships

Conflicts are often at their peak during puberty, and then

relationships get better as teenagers push for autonomy and
construct a more equal relationship with their parents as
adults.

As teens get more freedom (e.g., driving) they spend less time
with their parents but have more quality time as adults.

There is a cultural dimensionwith ethnic minority groups not

feeling the same intense pressure to separate at a young age.

One myth is that most parents tend to find the adolescent

years difficult and challenging. Many parents find these years
with their adolescent very rewarding.

Connecting in Groups
Defining groups by size
Cliques:

Intimate groups of approximately 6

members with similar attitudes & shared
activities
Crowds: Less intimate larger groups
(composed of girls and boys)
Early middle
school:
Unisex cliques

Late
middle/early
high school:
Crowds

High School:

Late High School:

Mixed Sex
Cliques

Romantic
partners

What Is the Purpose of Crowds?

Teens gravitate toward the

crowds that fit their
interests and disengage
from a crowd when its
interests diverge from
their own.

Distinctive crowds
(Goths or brains) may
be a vehicle for helping
teens find their own kind
in large anonymous high
schools.

Why do they dress in this way?

What Are the Kinds of Crowds?

In

affluent societies, there is consistency

in the major crowd categories.
Intellectuals:
Jocks:

Brains, nerds, grinds, geeks

Athletes
Popular kids: Hotshots, preppies, elites,
princesses
Deviants: Burnouts, dirts, freaks, druggies,
potheads,
Residual type: Goths, alternatives, grubs,
loners, independents

Different Emotional Pathways

Traveled by Specific High School
Crowds
Kids
who end up in different
high school crowds move in
interesting emotional
directions.
Jocks and popular teens
become more confident.
Brains become less
confident than in elementary
school.
Deviants usually remain
consistently depressed, from
elementary to middle school,
leading to gravitating toward
bad crowds.

Feelings of depression in late

elementary school and high
school, for children who ended
up in three different high school

Bad Crowds
Deviancy

training:
Socialization of
young teenager into
delinquency through
conservations
centered on
performance of
antisocial acts

Hostile

attributional bias
Reinforced message
from antisocial peer
groups such as
gangs.

Group euphoria

Societys Nightmare Crowd:

Teenage Gangs
Gangs:
Provide

Close-knit delinquent peer group

members with status, protection, &

income (through criminal activities)
Have potential to turn time-limited
adolescent turmoil into life-course criminal
careers
More prevalent in communities where life is
dangerous and there are few options for a
successful adult life