Lifespan Development Ch. 12
males and females with a homosexual orientation are sometimes categorized together as
"gay people," or "gays"
In their search for identity, many—not all—adolescents join
"in" groups, slavishly imitating their peers' clothing, speech, hairstyles, and ideals
Crowds are usually given labels by other adolescents such as
"jocks," "brains," "druggies," or "nerds"
Suicidal adolescents experience four areas of psychological problems:
(1) confusion about the self (2) impulsiveness (3) emotional instability (4) interpersonal problems
IDENTITY VS. ROLE CONFUSION
-A review of the past + a preview of the future -Outcome: A rational agent of yourself: -acts on the basis of reason -takes responsibility for those actions -know why & how -Identity crisis (but not a trauma) -exploration + commitment (James Marcia)
Moratorium:
-Actively exploring alternatives -Attempting to make choices with regard to occupation, ideological beliefs, and so on -Often anxious and intense -Ambivalent feelings toward parents and authority figures Yes to Exploration and No to Commitment
Researchers have found the following warning signs of suicide among adolescents:
-Belief that it is acceptable to kill oneself -Drug abuse and other kinds of delinquency -Victimization by bullying -Extensive body piercing -Stress -Hostility -Depression and other psychological disorders -Heavy smoking -Low self-esteem -Increasing age from 11 to 21
Middle Childhood:
-Child conduct problems: hostility, defiance, and persistent aggression Leads to: -Rejection by typical peers or -Academic failure Leads to: -Commitment to deviant peer group
Example of moratorium identity status:
-College student who has changed majors once or twice (or more) -moratorium status is common among college students
Self-concept
-Context-specific trait & social roles -Can be contradictory in early adolescence, more integrated later
Cost of friendships
-Corumination -Relational aggression
Early Childhood:
-Difficult temperament -Cognitive deficits -Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder Leads to: -Conflict-ridden home; lax and inconsistent discipline
Romantic Relationship, Why?
-Hormonal changes -Early adolescence: recreation, achieving peer status -Late adolescence: compatibility, companionship, affection & social support -Correlates w/ relationship w/ parents & friendships (recall: secondary attachment) -Can be challenging for LGBTQ teens
Identity Diffusion:
-Least developed in terms of identity -Lacks commitments -Not trying to form commitments -May be carefree and uninvolved or unhappy and lonely -May be angry, alienated, rebellious No to Exploration and No to Commitment
Foreclosure:
-Makes commitments without considering alternatives -Commitments based on identification with parents, teachers, or other authority figures -Often authoritarian and inflexible No to Exploration and Yes to Commitment
Identity achievement:
-Most developed in terms of identity -Has experienced a period of exploration -Has developed commitments -Has a sense of personal well-being, high self-esteem, and self-acceptance -Cognitively flexible -Sets goals and works toward achieving them -Yes to Exploration and Yes to Commitment
Self-esteem (evaluation of self-concept)
-New points of references -Goes up in general (becoming more mature, capable, in control)
The four top dislikes of Facebook users:
-People share too much information about themselves. -Other people post information—including photos—about you without your permission. -Other people see comments or posts that you meant to keep private. -There is pressure to disclose too much information about yourself.
Externalizing Problems: Delinquency
-Recall: Popular/Rejected-antisocial peers -A reverse-U shape during adolescence, as self—regulation & critical thinking abilities kick in -More boys than girls perform delinquent acts, esp. in physical aggression -Factors: difficult temperament, low IQ, poor school performance, peer rejection, befriending antisocial peers, & poor parenting
Why do single U.S. adolescents get pregnant?
-adolescent girls typically get little advice in school or at home about how to deal with boys' sexual advances -Another reason is failure to use contraception -Some initiate sex at very early ages, when they are least likely to use contraception
During the high school and college years, adolescents increasingly move from the ______ and ____ statuses to the ______ and ______ statuses
-diffusion & foreclosure -moratorium and achievement
The 4 identity statuses are:
-identity diffusion -foreclosure -moratorium -identity achievement
What are the 3 stages of ethnic identity?
1. Unexamined ethnic identity 2. Ethnic identity search 3. Achieved ethnic identity
There is generally a gap of about ___ years between initial attraction to members of the same gender, which tends to occur at about the age of 8 or 9, and disclosure of one's orientation to other people, which usually occurs at about age 18
10 years
Adolescents may describe them-selves as anxious or sarcastic with parents but as talkative and cheerful with friends. Such contradictions and conflicts in self-description reach their peak at about age
14 and then decline
It should not be surprising that the probability of having had sex rises dramatically between the ages of ___ and ____
15 and 19
A survey of Texas high-school students found that ____% said they had transmitted a nude photo of them-selves in a text message or an email
28% -Three in ten (31%) had requested a "sext" message, and more than half (57%) had asked someone else to send them a sexual text or email
Suicide is the ______ leading cause of death among adolescents
2nd
Some researchers hypothesize _____ stages in the development of ethnic identity
3
Building on Erikson's approach, James Marcia theorized _____ identity statuses that represent the four possible combinations of the dimensions of exploration and commitment that Erikson believed were critical to the development of identity
4
About 700,000 teenage girls in the United States are impregnated each year. The pregnancies result in about ______ births
400,000 -However, large this number may sound, 10 to 20 years ago, about one million girls were getting pregnant each year -attribute the drop-off in careless sex to educational efforts by schools, the media, religious institutions, and communities
Cliques consist of
5 to 10 individuals who hang around together, sharing activities and confidences
More than ___% of the girls aged 15-19 who have had sex have used a condom at one time or another, and majorities have used the withdrawal method of birth control (which is all but useless) or the birth-control pill.
90%
Adolescence:
Delinquency
Collectively, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals are frequently referred to as
LGBT people
How successful are sex education programs?
The better programs increase students' knowledge about sexuality
"Coming out to others" sometimes means an open declaration to the world. More often, an adolescent feels more comfortable telling
a couple of close friends
The primary task is for adolescents to develop ego identity:
a sense of who they are and what they stand for.
Nearly half of pregnant teenagers will have an
abortion -Most others will become single mothers
The process of "coming out"-
accepting one's sexual minority identity and declaring it to others- can be a long and painful struggle
In the United States today, the great majority of single adolescents who become pregnant do so
accidentally and without committed partners
LGBT
acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered
Exploration involves
active questioning and searching among alternatives to establish goals, values, or beliefs
The moratorium status refers to a person who is
actively exploring alternatives in an attempt to make choices -such individuals are often anxious and intense
Although relationships with parents generally remain positive, the role of peers as a source of
activities, influences and support increases
Females tend to be healthy in late
adolescence
Antisocial and criminal behaviors show a dramatic increase in many societies during
adolescence and then taper off during adulthood -ex: about four in ten serious crimes in the United States are committed by individuals under the age of 21, and about three in ten are committed by adolescents under 18
One aspect of identity development is a psychological moratorium during which
adolescents experiment with different roles, values, beliefs, and relationships
Adolescents and young adults report having more Facebook friends than all
adults combined -whereas 15% of all adults report having more than 500 friends, nearly twice that amount (27%) of users aged 18-29 report having more than 500 friends -65 year olds also use Facebook, but nearly 3 in 4 of them (72%) have 100 friends or fewer -This illustrates that older people have fewer (actual) friends than younger people have, but that their friends have more in common with them and are more deeply committed to them at advanced ages
Adolescents often take risks that
adults may avoid -in this case, sex without adequate precautions
Facebook is used by more than half of U.S.
adults, and almost 3 out of 4 (73%) U.S. adults and adolescents aged 12-17
Adolescents use petting to express
affection, satisfy their curiosities, heighten their sexual arousal, and reach orgasm while avoiding pregnancy and maintaining virginity
Adolescents and their friends are similar in many respects. They typically are the same
age and race -they almost always are the same gender
The most negatively labeled groups "druggies," "rejects" show higher levels of
alcohol and drug abuse, delinquency, and depression
Identity diffusion
an identity status that characterizes those who have no commitments and who are not in the process of exploring alternatives
But some gay males and lesbians never disclose their sexual orientation to
anyone or to certain people, such as their parents
Many delinquent acts do not result in
arrest or conviction -And when adolescents are arrested, their cases may be disposed of informally, as by referral to a mental health agency
Adolescents who belong to the dominant culture- in this country, European American of Christian, especially Protestant, heritage- are usually faced with
assimilating one set of cultural values into their identities
About 1 in 3 LGBT adolescents has
attempted suicide or engaged in self-harm
Bisexual
attracted to individuals of both genders
The development of sexual orientation in gay males and lesbians involves several steps:
attraction to members of the same gender, self-labeling as gay or lesbian, sexual contact with members of the same gender, and eventual disclosure of one's sexual orientation to other people
Few teenage mothers obtain assistance from the
babies' fathers -the fathers typically cannot support themselves, much less a family
Peer influence may increase during adolescence because peers provide a standard by which adolescents measure their own
behavior as they develop independence from the family
It is not always a stressful event itself that precipitates suicide, but the adolescent's anxiety or fear of
being "found out" for something, such as failing a course or getting arrested
Surveys indicate that most adolescents masturbate at some time and most educated adolescents and early adults see masturbation as _______
beneficial
A good predictor of sexual activity for adolescents is the sexual activity of their
best friends
Early adolescence, in particular, is characterized by increased ______ and decrease in
bickering, shared activities and expressions of affection
The sexual orientation of gay males and lesbians- like those who prefer to have sex with members of the other sex- is biologically built before
birth
Dating relationships tend to be ____ and ____ in early adolescence
causal and short-lived
Despite cultural lip service to gender equality, this gender difference has persisted because females continue to assume primary responsibility for
child rearing, even though most women are employed outside the home
Friendships in adolescence differ from the friendships of
childhood -Adolescents are more likely to stress acceptance, intimate self-disclosure, and mutual understanding
Adolescent peer groups function with less adult guidance or control than
childhood peer groups
The term juvenile delinquency refers to
children or adolescents who engage in illegal activities and come into contact with the criminal justice system
Conflicts typically center on the everyday details of family life such as
chores, hw, curfews, personal appearance, finances, and dating -often because adolescents believe that they should manage matters that were previously controlled by parents
Most adolescents belong to one or more peer groups:
cliques and crowds
Although parent-child relationships change, most adolescents feel that they are
close to and get along with their parents, even though they may develop a less idealized view of them
The greatest gains in identity formation occur in
college
Parents and peer are usually ________ rather than ______ influences
complementary, competing
Most young women in developed nations defer pregnancy until after they have
completed some or all of their education -Many do so until they are well into their careers and in their late 20s, their 30s, even their 40s
As adolescents get older, they and their parents are more likely to
compromise
Girls tend to have one or two close friends, whereas boys tend to
congregate in larger, less intimate groups
For other adolescents, low self-esteem has serious
consequences -ex: low self-esteem is often found in teenagers and adults who are depressed or suicidal
Teens who initiate sexual activity earlier are also less likely to use
contraception and more likely to become pregnant
The advanced formal-operational skills of older adolescents allow them to integrate
contradictory aspects of the self -The older adolescent might say: "I'm very adaptable. When I'm around my friends, who think that what I say is important, I'm very talkative; but around my family, I'm quiet because they're not interested enough to really listen to me"
But parents, especially mothers, continue to believe that they should retain
control in most areas -ex: encouraging adolescents to do their hw and clean their rooms
Self-esteem tends to ______ as the child progresses from middle childhood to about the age of 12 or 13
decline
Between 2005 and 2015 the percentages of 9th through 12th graders who had engaged in sexual intercourse ______ dramatically
declined
Since the late 1980s, the percentage of high school students who have engaged in sexual intercourse has been gradually ______
declining
Adolescents who communicate well with their parents also ____ the ___of sexual activity
delay the onset -If these youngsters do have sexual intercourse, they are more likely to use birth control and have fewer partners
Despite fears that sex education will increase sexual activity in teenagers, some programs seem to
delay the onset of sexual activity
Boys are much more likely than girls to engage in
delinquent behavior, especially crimes of violence
Most suicides among adolescents (and adults) are linked to feelings of
depression and hopelessness
Adverse relationships with fathers are often associated with
depression in adolescents
Differences in parenting styles continue to influence the
development of adolescents
Those who do not successfully resolve their identity crisis may be intolerant of people who are
different and blindly follow people who adhere to convention
For most adolescents, low self-esteem produces temporary
discomfort
Parents and peers also seem to exert influence in different ______
domains
Adolescents today start dating and going out
earlier than in past generations
Romantic relationships usually begin during
early and middle adolescence and most adolescents start dating or going out by the time they graduate from high school
Girls who had sexted were more likely to begin dating
early and to engage in risky sexual behavior
Among teenagers who already are sexually active, sex education is associated with the increased use of
effective contraception
Erik Erikson's fifth stage of psychosocial development is called
ego identity versus role diffusion
Rates of suicide and suicide attempts vary among different
ethnic groups
The development of self-identity is a key task for all adolescents. -The task is more complex for adolescents who are members of
ethnic minority groups
About 7% of U.S. women and men define themselves as being "other than heterosexual," but the behavior of the other 93% doesn't exactly match up with the way in which people label themselves
ex: nearly twice as many people—about 14%—say they have had oral sex with a person of the same gender
During identity development, adolescents undergo an identity crisis in which they
examine their values and make decisions about their life roles -ex: Should they attend college? What career should they pursue? Should they become sexually active? With whom?
Because of formal-operational thinking, adolescents can weigh options they have not
experienced
Identity achievement refers to those who have
explored alternatives and developed relatively firm commitments -they generally have high self-esteem and self-acceptance
Suicide tends to run in
families
Many adolescent girls, especially younger adolescents, do not have access to contraceptive devices. Among those who do,
fewer than half use them reliably
Some teenage girls purposefully get pregnant to try to
force their parents to make a commitment with them
Adolescents have more ______ than younger children do
friends
Adolescents report that they are somewhat more likely to receive information about sex from
friends and media sources than from sex education classes or their parents
Adolescents who smoke, drink, use drugs, and engage in sexual activity also often have
friends who engage in these behaviors, but adolescents tend to choose friends and peers who are like them to begin with
About 52% of identical (MZ) twin pairs are concordant (in agreement) for a
gay male sexual orientation compared with 22% for fraternal (DZ) twins and 11% for adoptive brothers
Depression and suicide rates are higher among
gay youth than among heterosexual adolescents
Actually, the outcome of teenage pregnancies for young women who want their babies and have the resources to nurture them are
generally good
There is evidence for ______ factors in sexual orientation or identity
genetic
Social factors may therefore play a greater role in regulating sexual behavior in ____ than ____
girls than boys
Intimacy and closeness appear to be more central to the friendships of ____ than of ____
girls, boys
The teenage mother is less likely than her peers to
graduate from high school or move on the postsecondary education -therefore, she will earn less and be in greater need of public assistance
Adolescent boys are more likely to stress the importance of
having friends on one's level of social dominance (status)
Adolescents who have a close friend have
higher self-esteem than adolescents who do not
If the cultural values conflict, the adolescent needs to sort out the values that are most meaningful to him or her and incorporate them into
his or her identity -Some adolescents do it cafeteria style; they take a little bit of this and a little bit of that. -For example, a young Catholic woman may decide to use artificial means of birth control even though doing so conflicts with her religion's teachings
At the most extreme end, juvenile delinquency includes serious behaviors such as
homicide, rape, and robbery
The ______ changes of puberty probably are partly responsible for the onset of sexual activity
hormonal
The growing cognitive maturity of young adolescents makes them increasingly aware of the disparity between their
ideal selves and their real selves, especially in terms of physical appearance
Erikson believed that there were gender differences in the development of
identity
Before high school, children how little interest in questions of
identity -most are either in identity diffusion or foreclosure statuses
College students are exposed to a variety of lifestyles, beliefs, and career choices which spur consideration of
identity issues
Some suicidal teenagers are highly achieving, rigid perfectionists who have set
impossibly high expectations for themselves
After hitting a low point at about age 12 or 13, self-esteem gradually
improves
Although it has not been shown to be physically harmful, beliefs that masturbation is harmful and guilt about masturbating lessen the
incidence of masturbation
The incidences of kissing, "making out," oral sex, and sexual intercourse all _____ with age.
increase
The decrease in time spent with family may reflect the adolescents' striving for
independence
one's gender identity as being male or being female and one's sexual orientation (heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, or transgender) can develop during the _______ period
intrauterine
3rd stage: Achieved ethnic identity
involves self-acceptance as a member of one's ethnic group and helps individuals withstand the stress that comes from societal discrimination
Petting
kissing and touching the breasts and genitals
Crowds are
larger groups who may or may not spend much time together and are identified by their activities or attitudes
African American teens are _____ likely to attempt suicide or to think about it
least
Teenagers who have close relationships with their parents are ____ likely to initiate sexual activity at an early age
less
18 year olds are more likely than 15 year olds to mention
love, trust, and commitment when describing romantic relationships
There are some gender differences. Adolescent girls are more likely to stress the importance of
loyalty, intimacy, and companionship ex: One eighth-grade girl described her best friend this way: "I can tell her things and she helps me talk. And she doesn't laugh at me if I do something weird—she accepts me for who I am"
In the foreclosure status, individuals
make commitments without considering alternatives -These commitments are usually established early in life and are often based on identification with parents, teachers, or religious leaders who have made a strong impression
About three times as many adolescent females as males attempt suicide, but about four times as many
males complete a suicide
It has been demonstrated repeatedly that sex hormones predispose lower animals toward stereotypical
masculine or feminine mating patterns
Adolescent mothers are more likely to experience
medical complications during the months of pregnancy and their labor is likely to be prolonged -The babies are at greater risk of being premature and of low birth weight
Occupational and ideological matters were relatively more important to
men
Peer pressure peaks during
mid-adolescence and declines after about age 17
Identifying too strongly with the dominant culture may also lead to rejection by the
minority group
But most girls are impregnated because they and their partners
miscalculate the odds of getting pregnant
In many cases, peer pressure to finish high school and achieve academically can be stronger than pressures to engage in
misconduct
Adolescents are more likely to agree with their parents on
moral principles and future educational and career goals
By 10th grade, same-gender friends are viewed as providing
more support than parents
Adolescents from authoritative homes- whose parents are willing to exert control and explain the reasons for doing so- show the
most competent behavior -more self-reliant, do better in school, have better mental health, and show the lowest incidence of psychological problems and misconduct, including drug use
Adolescents continue to interact more with their
mothers than their fathers
Teenagers have more conflicts with their
mothers, but also view their mothers as being more supportive and knowing them better
Theories of the origins of sexual orientation look both at
nature and nurture -the biological makeup of the individual and environmental factors -some theories bridge the two
Many teenagers throw themselves into feelings of depression and hopelessness by comparing themselves
negatively with others, even when the comparisons are inappropriate -ex: ("Yes, you didn't get into Harvard, but you did get into the University of California at Irvine, and it's a great school.")
Identity diffusion is the least advanced status and includes adolescents who
neither have commitments nor are trying to form them -This stage is characteristic of younger adolescents and of older adolescents who drift through life or become alienated and rebellious
Studies today show that both adolescent females and males are concerned about ______ choices, even though females are more likely to expect that they will have to balance the demands of a _____ and a ______
occupational, -career and family
Early-maturing girls are more likely to have
older friends, who may draw them into several relationships
Most adolescents have
one or two "best friends" and several good friends
Rejecting the dominant culture's values for those of the minority group may limit
opportunities for advancement in the larger society
Boys are more likely to engage in
organized group activities, games and sports
Although gay males and lesbians prefer members of their own sex for sexual activity, sexual ______ is not a matter of choice
orientation
Gay adolescents may be
ostracized and rejected by family and friends
Adolescents coping with the task of establishing a sense of identity and direction in their lives are heavily influenced by both
parents and peers
The transition from childhood to adolescence is accompanied by a shift in the relative importance of
parents and peers
Teenagers are strongly motivated to follow the crowd, yet they are also influenced by the views of their
parents and teachers
Some teenage girls purposefully get pregnant to rebel against their
parents or the moral standards of the communities
Not all adolescents desire members of the other sex as
partners -some prefer members of their own sex: -They are said to have a homosexual (gay male or lesbian) orientation, and we consider sexual orientation next
When teenagers are asked why they do not wait to have sex until they are older, the main reason reported is usually
peer pressure
Less serious offenses, such as truancy, underage drinking, running away from home, and sexual promiscuity, are considered illegal only when
performed by minors -hence, these activities are termed status offenses
Girls are more likely than boys to be pushed into
petting and to feel guilty about it
Before adolescence, children describe themselves primarily in terms of their
physical characteristics and their actions
Adolescents who feel highly regarded by family and friends are more likely to feel
positive about themselves
Moreover, in a society where many still frown upon the LGBT community, young people are unlikely to believe that an other-than-heterosexual orientation or identity will have
positive effects for them
Adolescents influence each other _____ and _____
positively and negatively
Adolescents from ethnic minority groups also often experience
prejudice and discrimination -their cultural heroes may be ignored
Friends contribute to ______ adjustment
psychological
As they approach adolescence, children begin to incorporate ________ and ________ into their self-descriptions
psychological characteristics & social relationships
Internalizing Problems: Depression is the most common
psychological problem in adolescence (15~20% have 1 episode or more) -Girls (12~16 yr.) are 200% more likely than boys to report persisting symptoms -Rumination -Peer influence
Good relations with fathers contribute to
psychological well-being
Transgender
psychologically belonging to the other gender—that is, the gender that is inconsistent with one's sexual anatomy
For heterosexuals, the development of dating typically takes the following sequence:
putting oneself in situations where peers of the other gender probably will be present (e.g., hanging out at the mall), group activities including peers of the other gender (e.g., school dances or parties), group dating (e.g., joining a mixed-gender group at the movies), and then traditional two-person dating
Perhaps adolescents adjust their ideal selves to better reflect
reality
Homosexual
referring to an erotic orientation toward members of one's own gender
development of sexual orientation: social cognitive theorists look for roles of factors such as
reinforcement and observational learning
Identity development relates to
relationships and occupational choice, among other matters
A certain degree of distancing from parents may be adaptive as adolescents form
relationships outside the family -However, adolescents continue to maintain love, loyalty, and respect for their parents
As adolescents grow older, parents are more likely to
relax controls and less likely to use punishment
College seniors have a stronger sense of identity than first-year students as a result of
resolving identity crises, and a sense of identity is associated with higher self-esteem and grades
For ethnic minority groups, there is a relatively scarce number of successful
role models , particularly for youth who live in poverty
Friends are often alike in
school attitudes, educational aspirations, and grades -also tend to have similar attitudes about drinking, drug use, and sexual activity
Sexual differentiation of the brain begins later, during the
second half of pregnancy
Adolescent and adult females also are generally more likely than males to disclose
secrets, personal problems, thoughts, and feelings to their friends
As adolescents develop academic, physical, and social skills, they may grow less
self-critical
Emotional support from parents and peers is important in
self-esteem
Many adolescent Facebook users reported that they were concerned that more and more adults were using Facebook, that it was crucial that they manage their
self-presentation carefully, the burden of "drama" (negative social interactions), and friends sharing too much information
Adolescents who feel close to their parents have more
self-reliance and self-esteem, better school performance, and fewer adjustment problems
Sexting is short for sext texting and refers to
sending or receiving text messages with sexual content
Teenagers see, text, or spend time with their friends on the phone or the Internet frequently, usually
several hours a day
Males are more likely to have had ____ than females.
sex
Because of the flood of sex hormones, adolescents tend to experience a powerful
sex drive
Peers, especially those of the same gender, also serve as a key source of
sex education for adolescents
A majority of U.S. parents want their children to have
sex education in the schools
The physical changes associated with puberty also may trigger the onset of
sexual activity -ex: the development of secondary sex characteristics such as breasts in girls and muscles and deep voices in boys may make them more sexually attractive
Teens who date earlier are more likely to engage in
sexual activity during high school
Childhood sexual abuse by someone of the same gender could lead to a pattern of
sexual activity with people of one's own gender and affect sexual orientation
Critics point out that most individuals become aware of their sexual orientation before they experience
sexual contacts with other people of either gender
In girls, however, testosterone levels are linked to ______ ______ but not to sexual behavior.
sexual interests
Observation of others engaged in enjoyable male-male or female-female sexual encounters could also affect the development of
sexual orientation
Most people's sexual identity is consistent with their
sexual orientation -however, some people 's sexual orientation does not correspond to their sexual identity
Masturbation is the most common
sexual outlet in adolescence
Masturbation
sexual self-stimulation
Other contributors to suicidal behavior include concerns over
sexuality, school grades, problems at home, and substance abuse
1st stage: Unexamined ethnic identity
similar to Marcia's identity statuses of diffusion or foreclosure
2nd stage: Ethnic identity search
similar to Marcia's moratorium, may be based on some incident that makes the adolescent aware of his or her ethnicity -During this stage, the adolescent may explore his or her ethnic culture, participating in cultural events, reading, and discussion
These medical problems are not necessarily because of the age of the mother, but rather because
single teenage mothers—especially poor single teenage mothers—are less likely to have access to prenatal care or to obtain adequate nutrition
Friendship networks among girls are
smaller and more exclusive than networks among boys
Parents are perceived as the most frequent providers of
social and emotional support by 4th graders- by 7th grade, friends of the same gender are seen to be as supportive as parents
It is unclear whether this gender difference reflects a stronger sex drive in males, greater social constraints on females, or both, but young women are more likely than young men to struggle in coming to terms with the contradiction between
social stigma and pleasure
In late adolescence, relationships tend to become more
stable and committed
Commitment is a
stable investment in one's goals, values, or beliefs
On the other hand, girls are more likely to commit
status offenses such as truancy or running away
Adolescent suicide attempts are more common after
stressful life events especially event that entail loss of social support, as in the death of a parent or friend, breaking up with a boyfriend or girlfriend, or a family member's leaving home
Those who successfully resolve their identity crises develop a
strong sense of who they are and what they stand for
Adolescents are more likely to conform to peer standards in matters pertaining to
style and taste, such as clothing, hairstyles, speech patterns, and music
LGBT Adolescents often engage in
substance abuse, run away from home, and do poorly in school
Peers also provide
support in times of trouble
Sexual differentiation of the genitals and the brain both depend on
surges of testosterone, but because they hap-pen at different times, they can occur independently -is possible that an individual's sex organs can develop in one direction while the biological factors that may underlie one's sexual orientation develop in another direction.
The past several decade have seen a dramatic increase in programs to help prevent
teenage pregnancy -prevention efforts include educating teenagers about sexuality and contraception and providing family planning services
In boys, levels of ________ are associated with sexual behavior
testosterone
Sexual identity
the label a person uses to signal who she or he is as a sexual being, especially concerning her or his sexual orientation
Adolescent peer groups may include members of
the other gender, sharply contrasting with the gender segregation of childhood peer groups -such associations may lead to dating and romantic relationships
Native American and Latin American teenagers have the highest suicide rates, in part because of
the stresses to which they are exposed, in part because of their lack of access to health care -European Americans are next
However, adolescents who belong to ethnic minority groups, such as African Americans and Islamic Americans, confront two sets of cultural values:
the values of the dominant culture and those of their particular ethnic group
Before they inform family members, gay adolescents often anticipate
their family's negative reactions, including denial, anger, and rejection -yet some families are more accepting
Even though romantic attachments increase during teen years, most adolescents still choose members of
their own genders as best friends
Boys might fantasize they would like to have the physiques of the warriors they see in video games or in the media. Most American girls want to be
thin, thin, thin
About ________ of adolescent males and half of adolescent females masturbate
three-quarters -Males who masturbate do so more often than females who masturbate
Sexting can be used to
titillate the recipient, to highlight the intimacy of one's relationship, to humiliate someone—or to ask or arrange for a sexual encounter
Since 1960, the suicide rate has more than ______ for young people aged 15 to 24
tripled -About 1 to 2 U.S. adolescents in 10,000 commit suicide each year. -About 1 in 10 has attempted suicide at least once
They point out that sexual differentiation of the sex organs occurs during the first
two months of pregnancy
Girls are more likely to engage in ______ activities such as
uninstructed -talking and listening to music
Many adolescents do not see themselves as having sex if they stop short of
vaginal intercourse
Parents and adolescents are usually quite similar in their
values and beliefs regarding social, political, religious, and economic issues -Even though the notion of a generation gap between adolescents and their parents may persist as a stereotype, there is little evidence of one
Peer pressure is fairly _____ in early adolescence
weak
Yet many times adolescents discourage one another from doing
well or from doing too well in school
Erikson believed that a young woman's identity was intimately bound up with her role as
wife and mother
Although most adolescents get along well with their parents, they spend less time
with their parents than they did in childhood
Erikson assumed that relationships were more important to
women's development of identity
Parents often worry that their teenager will fall in with the
wrong crowd and be persuaded to engage in self-destructive behavior
