Adolescent Psychology Essay Example

of different ages The Impact of Industrialization * With industrialization came new patterns of work, education, and family life. Adolescents were affected by these changes; because the economy was changing so rapidly, away from the simple and predictable life known in agrarian society, the connection b/t what individuals learned in childhood and what they would need to know in adulthood became increasingly uncertain; parents especially in middle-class families, encouraged adolescents to spend time within societal institutions, such as schools, preparing for adulthood * Society began to view adolescents as less capable and more in need of guidance and training * Child protectionists argued that young people needed to be kept away from the labor force for their own good The origins of adolescence as we know it today It was not until the late 19th century that adolescence came to be viewed as it is today: a lengthy pd of preparation for adulthood, in which young people, in need of guidance and supervision, remain economically dependent on their elders* Two other modifications of the definition of adolescence also gave rise to new terminology and ideas; the first is the use of the term teenager (a term popularized about 50 years ago to refer to young people; it connoted a more frivolous and lighthearted image than did adolescent); second is the term youth ( term used to refer to individuals ages 18-22; it once referred to individuals ages 12-24) [Emerging adulthood: a new stage of life or a luxury of the middle class? ] * According to Jeffery Arnett, pd from ages 18-25 is neither adolescence nor adulthood, but a unique developmental pd in its own

right, characterized by five main features: 1. The exploration of possible identities before making enduring choices, 2.

Instability in work, romantic relationships, and living arrangements, 3. A focus on oneself and, in particular, on functioning as an independent person, 4. The subjective feeling of being b/t adolescence and adulthood, 5.The subjective sense that life holds many possibilities Is emerging adulthood universal? * Emerging adulthood does not exist in all cultures * The existence of emerging adulthood may have a lot to do with values and priorities Psychological well-being in emerging adulthood * Several studies show that the pd is generally one of positive and improving mental health * Although there is not a great deal of research on psychological development during the years immediately following adolescence, several studies indicate that for most people, especially those who successfully move into adult work and romantic roles, this is a time of increasing well-being and positive mental health Changes in Status Changes in social definition at adolescence typically involve a two-sided modification in the individual’s status; on the one hand, the adolescent is given certain privileges and rights that are typically reserved for the society’s adult members; on the other hand, this increased power and freedom generally are accompanied by increased expectations for self-management, personal responsibility, and social participation | In Traditional Societies| In Contemporary Societies| Interpersonal| Addressed with adult title by other members of community| Permitted to sit with grown-ups for special occasions| Political| Permitted to participate in community decision making| Eligible to vote| Economic| Permitted to own property| Permitted to work|Legal| Permitted to consume certain foods| No longer dealt with in separate juvenile justice system| *

Initiation ceremony: the formal induction of a young person into adulthood * Status offense: a violation of the law that pertains to minors but not adults * Juvenile justice system: a separate system of courts and related institutions developed to handle juvenile crime and delinquency * Criminal justice system: the system of courts and related institutions developed to handle adult crime * Courts should not assume that younger adolescents, even those who are not mentally ill or retarded, are necessarily competent to be tried as adults, and that juveniles’ competence to stand trial should be evaluated before their cases can be heard in adult court Inconsistencies in adolescents’ legal status * Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier – Court ruled that a public high school can censor articles written by students for their school newspaper, on the grounds that adolescents are so immature that they need the protection of wiser adults * Board of education v.Mergens – students who wanted to form a Bible study group had the right to meet on campus b/c high school students are mature enough to understand that a school can permit the expression of ideas that it does not necessarily endorse * Hodgson v.

Minnesota – Court ruled that b/c of their maturity, adolescents do not need to obtain parental consent to get an abortion * Roper v. Simmons – adolescents should not be subject to the death penalty, because their immaturity makes them less responsible for their criminal behavior * There is great inconsistency in where we draw age boundaries b/t childhood and adulthood The Process of Social Redefinition The young people of a community are grouped with peers of approximately

the same age – a cohort – a move through the series of status transitions together * One of the results of such age-grouped social transitions is that very strong bonds are formed among youngsters who have shared certain rituals * In many Latino communities, adolescent girls participate together in an elaborate sort of “coming-out” celebration, called the quinceanera* The Navaho initiation ceremony for females, called kinaalda, provides a nice illustration of a coming-of-age ritual and the importance of this type of ceremony for social redefinition; takes place during the adolescent girl’s first or second menstrual pd; the girl is separated from her family and community, and assigned a mentor, Ideal Woman, who massages every part of the girl’s body and oversees the girl’s purification and physical transformation; then she is dressed and painted to resemble a figure called Changing Woman [Common practices in the process of social redefinition] Real of symbolic separation from parents * Social redefinition usually entails the real or symbolic separation of young person from their parents.