Psych of Adolescence Chp. 3: Social Transitions

The messages that contemporary society sends adolescents are:

that there is not one transition into adulthood in contemporary America, but three very different transitions: one for the "haves," one for the "have-nots," and one for those who are somewhere in between.

social redefinition

the universal process through which an individual's position or status is changed by society

How does poverty adversely affect the behavior and development of adolescents?

*Poverty* is associated with failure in school, unemployment, delinquency, and teen pregnancy, all of which contribute to transitional difficulties. (violence and crime)

Societies in which hunting, fishing, and farming are the primary work activities tend to exhibit a more _____ transition between adolescence and adulthood.

*continuous*

Today, people go through ______ earlier than 100 years ago, but tend to stay in ______ longer.

*puberty* earlier but *adolescence* longer

What is true for adolescents who have been exposed to violence?

Adolescents who themselves have been exposed to violence are more likely to engage in violent behavior, to think about killing themselves, and to report symptoms of depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, hopelessness, callousness, precocious sex, and substance abuse.

Evaluations of mentoring programs have indicated that:

Evaluations of mentoring programs indicate that they have a small, positive effect on youth development. Adolescents who have been mentored are less likely to have problems in school and at home, less likely to use drugs and alcohol, and less likely to get into trouble with the law.

What is true regarding the legal boundary between childhood and adulthood?

In the United States, for example, certain activities that are permissible among adults are violations of the law when they are committed by young people. (We use the term *status offense* to refer to a behavior that is problematic because of the young person's status as a juvenile.) Certain crimes, when committed by a minor, are adjudicated in a separate *juvenile justice system*, which operates under different rules and principles than the *criminal justice system* that applies to adults.

What may explain the results from the studies that have relocated adolescents from poor neighborhoods to more advantaged neighborhoods?

There are several possible explanations: 1. Adolescents from poor families that moved may have encountered more discrimination in the new neighborhoods than in their old ones. 2. Although it is generally true that advantaged communities have more resources than disadvantaged ones, it is possible that poor families who moved to more affluent neighborhoods actually may have had less access to community resources than they did in their old neighborhoods. 3. Adolescents who moved to more advantaged neighborhoods may have ended up feeling more disadvantaged than their peers who remained in poor communities because the adolescents who moved compared their life circumstances to those of their more affluent peers. 4. Finally, there is some evidence that parents in poor neighborhoods may monitor their children relatively more vigilantly because they worry about crime and other dangers; adolescents who are more closely monitored tend to have fewer problems.

During the industrial revolution, child protectionists argued that:

Young people stay out of the labor force.

Who is likely to have limited economic and occupational success, which will affect the transition into adulthood?

Youngsters from some minority groups—Black, Hispanic, and American Indian youth, in particular— have more trouble negotiating the transition into adulthood than do their White and Asian counterparts.

What is associated with transition difficulties in adolescence?

Youngsters from some minority groups—Black, Hispanic, and American Indian youth, in particular— have more trouble negotiating the transition into adulthood than do their White and Asian counterparts. This is due to *many factors, including poverty, discrimination, segregation, and disproportionate involvement with the justice system.*

Jennifer, who is 16, ran away with her friend Tonya, who is 18. The police, however, only arrested Jennifer for running away because for a minor, running away is considered:

a status offense.

status offense

a violation of the law that pertains to minors but not adults

autonomy

adult status leading to shifts in responsibility, independence, and freedom

Jeffrey Arnett, the psychologist who created the term emerging adulthood, believes that the developmental period between adolescence and adulthood (*emerging adulthood*):

for ages 18-25, caught between adolescence and adulthood, characterized by: The exploration of possible identities before making enduring choices. Instability in work, romantic relationships, and living arrangements. A focus on oneself and independent functioning. The feeling of being caught between adolescence and adulthood. The sense that life holds many possibilities.

In general, according to the textbook, is "Americanization" a positive and desirable experience for immigrant adolescents?

foreign-born adolescent immigrants generally have better mental health, exhibit less problem behavior, and perform better in school than do adolescents from the same ethnic group who are native-born Americans. Indeed, one of the most interesting findings to emerge from research on immigrant adolescents is that their "Americanization" appears to be associated with worse, not better, outcomes.

According to the textbook, in non-Western cultures, there is huge discrepancy in the extension of privileges to males and females. In general, girls' behavior is more _____, whereas boys are given more ____.

girls behavior is more *controlled by adults*, whereas boys are given more *freedom and autonomy*

The transition into adulthood is more likely to be impeded among minority teenagers because they:

grow up poor

Compared to the situation 50 or 60 years ago, today's transition to adulthood is:

longer and more discontinuous

A double shift in social status takes place during adolescence with an increase in both _________ and ___________.

privileges and responsibility

Legal decisions have tended to support adolescent autonomy when the behavior at issue is:

severe enough (violent crimes)