Adolescence CH 4

marital quality effects on adolescents

-adolescents are adversely effected when their parents have low quality marriages -low marital quality often accompanied by hostility toward adolescents -good marital quality can be a positive influence

sibling relationship types

-adolescents relate their relationships with siblings similarly to those with parents in regard to companionship & importance, but sibling relationships are related more like friendships with respect to power, assistance, and their satisfaction with the relationship. -young adolescents often have emotionally charged relationships with siblings that have conflict & rivalry but also nuturance & support.

custodial arrangements

-adolescents tend to benefit from joint custody -relocation of one parent decreases adjustment -degree of conflict between parents and consistency in discipline is important

changes in sibling relationships in adolescence

-as children mature from childhood to early adolescence, sibling conflict increases -adolescents report more negativity in their sibling relationships than in their relationships with peers. -also report less effective conflict resolution than with their parents -over the course of adolescence, adolescent's relationships with siblings, and especially with younger siblings become more egalitarian but also more distant & less emotionally intense

ethnic differences in parenting

-authoritative style is more common among white people -authoritative effects are still beneficial in all ethnic groups -ethnic minority parents are more demanding than white parents -high demandingness doesn't have as many negative effects on nonwhite children because they are more likely to live in dangerous areas where this parenting style can help keep them safe & because in other cultures strictness is associated with love & warmth.

why does authoritative parenting work?

-balance between control & autonomy -engaging adolescents in verbal give and take -warmth and parental involvement

midlife crisis transition vs changes in adolescence

-developmental concerns of parents & adolescents are complementary. -biological changes: at the same time adolescents are entering into a period of rapid physical growth, sexual maturation, and the most physically attractive life stage, their parents are beginning to feel increased concern about their own bodies, about their physical attractiveness, and about their sexual appeal. -time & the future: adolescents are naive & optimistic, looking forward while parents can be hardened by middle age and feel the possibilities for change in their life are limited -power & status: adolescents have their future power & status to aspire to while their parents has already been mostly set by that time.

sex differences in family relationships

-differences between the family relations of sons & daughters are minimal -report similar degrees of closeness to their parents, similar amounts of conflict & similar types of rules. -interact with their parents in remarkably similar ways. -however, they react very differently to mothers & fathers -more likely to be close to their mother, go to her for advice, argue more often w/ mothers & perceive them as more controlling, but it does not jeopardize the closeness of their relationship-->relationship is more emotionally intense than with fathers. -fathers seen as distant authority figures who may be consulted for objective info (ex: help w/ homework)

generational dissonance

-divergence of views between adolescents and parents that is common in families of immigrant parents and american-born adolescents.

factors that contribute to the effects of divorce

-divorce itself is not the culprit -exposure to marital conflict -dramatic changes in parenting quality -women's economic status decreases -individual differences in adjustment to divorce

sleeper effects

-effects of divorce that may not be apparent until much later in the child's development -explanations: 1. the ways in which adjustment difficulties might be expressed may not surface until adolescence. ex: drug use and early pregnancy. 2. the effects of divorce on the conception of relationships may not appear until the adolescent begins dating.

why sibling relationships are important in adolescence

-foster social skills -serve as a buffer against conflicts with family and peers -enhance mental health

changes in the family

-increased rates of divorce -increased number of single parent families -increased rates of maternal employment -increases in proportion of families living in poverty. -decreases in the number of siblings in the family

sex differences in sibling relationships/changes

-intimacy increases between preadolescence & middle adolescence and then declines somewhat for same-sex siblings -in different sex siblings, intimacy drops between preadolescence and mid adolescence and then increases. -by late adolescence different sex siblings are closer than are same sex siblings, although both types of relationships become closer as individuals leave home and move into young adulthood. -despite these changes, there is considerable stability in the quality of sibling relationships between childhood and adolescence.

how parent's can reduce adolescent's vulnerability to divorce

-moderate conflict with each other and keep children from being in the middle -communicate -establish harmonious relationship and use authoritative parenting -use your support system

adolescent adjustment to stepfamilies

-more adjustment problems -boundary ambiguity: uncertainty in stepfamily about who is in or out of the family and who is performing and responsible for certain tasks in the family -early problems: discipline, changing schools and friends, getting acquainted -early adolescence is esp. difficult.

maternal employment & adolescence

-not many changes -some evidence suggests that adolescents whose mothers have been required to go off public assistance to go to work show somewhat worse school performance as a result, but this effect is most pronounced when the adolescent has a younger sibling, presumably because of the added household responsibilities the mother's employment created for the teenager.

difficulties of stepparenting

-stepparents may have unrealistic expectations -feelings of regret or guilt over failed marriages and other unresolved emotional issues -stepparents are faced with dealing with children who have been socialized by another set of parents. -stepparent roles are not clearly defined -stepparents expect gratitude for all they do.

behavioral genetics in adolescence

-studies have found that both genetics & nonshared environmental influences are particularly strong in adolescence. -shared environmental factors are less influential -studies show genetic factors strongly influence many qualities that previously had been assumed to be shaped mainly by the environment. -ex: aggression, emotional & behavioral problems. -genetics shape tendencies, but whether these tendencies materialize often depends on the environment.

parental influence on adolescent behaviors/beliefs/etc

-studies have found that teenagers & their parents have suprisingly similar beliefs about such things as the importance of education, hard work, and occupational ambitions, as well as the personal characteristics & attributes that they feel are important and desirable. -basic core values (religion, work, etc) difference within the adolescent generation is more striking than are differences between generations. -a bigger gap between adults & teens on matters of personal taste

divorce effects

-substance abuse -low scholastic performance -poor relationships w members of opposite sex -lower self esteem -association w/ antisocial peers -relatively small impact, has the biggest effect at the time of the divorce, usually gets better in 2 yrs. -children who experience multiple divorces are impacted the most

parents/adolescent conflicts

-usually involve the mundane -early adolescence is when conflict reaches high levels.

types of adolescent relationships with siblings

caregiver, buddy, critical, rival, casual

authoritarian parents

high demandingness, low responsiveness

indulgent parents

high responsiveness, low demandingness

indifferent parents

low responsiveness, lack of demandingness

reciprocal socialization

the process by which adolescents socialize parents just as parents socialize them.

sibling deidentification

the process through which siblings deliberately try to be different from each other.

familism

an orientation toward life in which the needs of one's family take precedence over the needs of the individual -many immigrant families place a high value on this -adolescents who value this are less likely to get involved with antisocial peer groups

responsiveness

degree to which parents are accepting, supportive, and respond to their adolescent's needs

demandingness

degree to which the parent demands mature, responsible behavior from their adolescent.

authoritative parents

demandingness and high responsiveness