Psychology: Chapter 9: Autonomy

How does authoritative parents play into peer pressure?

- Less susceptible to negative peer pressure, more susceptible to positive peer pressure.

What triggers Individuation?

-A lot of researchers say puberty because it allows them to think of themselves differently and be treated as more mature. -Others say it is caused by social-cognitive development . This has to do with thinking about the thinking we do about ourselves and our relationship with others. For example, if a teen's parent said that she was good the teen could acknowledge that the parent doesn't know everything about him or her. A child would just believe the parent.

How do the different parenting styles effect adolescents' autonomy?

-Authoritative: Always the best. Parents provide guidance and freedom which ends well for adolescents and their emotional autonomy. -Authoritarian: Parents are too strict on adolescents. The resist accepting an adolescents' desire to gain independence which may result in adolescents having a harder time with individuation, rebelling against their parents. Study showed that more frequently parents called adolescents' cell phones the more dishonest the adolescent was. Adolescents in a hostile family environment do best when they detach themselves from their parents. -Indulgent/Indifferent: Parents do not provide sufficent guidance and teens look to their peers which may be bad because they have little experience.

The difficulty to draw the line between adolescents and adults when it comes to decision making has to do with what two factors?

-Cognitive abilities (reasoning logically) -Psychological factors (impulse control)

What are three factors of behavioral autonomy?

-Decision-making abilities -Susceptibility to the influence of others -Feelings of self-reliance

What are some reasons that adolescents demonstrate not being as attached to their parents when they are going through Emotional Autonomy?

-Don't generally rush to parents when upset, in need of assistance, or worried -Don't see parents as all-knowing or all-powerful -Have a lot of emotional energy in relationships outside of the family -Can interact with their parents as people and not just as parents

What are four aspects of emotional autonomy?

-Extent adolescents de-idealize their parents -Extent adolescents see parents as people -Extent adolescents depend on selves rather than parents -Extent adolescents feel individualized within relationship with parents

What are the arguement in favor and against forcing adolescents to do community service?

-In favor: This will force adolescents to be more altruistic and more involved in the community. -Against: Forcing them to do something they don't want to do will be less intrinsically rewarding and will make them dislike volunteering and be less active in the community.

What is the difference between autonomy and independence?

-Independence: An individual's capacity to behave on their own. -Autonomy: Not just acting independently but also feeling independent and thinking for oneself.

What does research say about forcing adolescents to do service work?

-It doesn't seem to make people dislike service work even if they didn't want to do it in the first place. -Volunteers are more likely to continue service work after graduation than those who were forced.

What do some findings on brain development say about peer pressure?

-More hightened impact of social rejection = more susceptible - stronger connections between brain regions = less susceptible -better emotional response when shown pictures of different emotions = less susceptible -Key aspect of positive development in adolescence: self-regulation

Why is autonomy especially important in adolescence?

-Puberty: This provokes emotional changes in the adolescent that make him or her turn more towards their friends than their parents. If teens look older they may be treated as older and given more responsibilities. -Cognitive Change: Adolescents can now think abstractly which allows them to think about others' perspectives, think of possible outcomes, and weigh the good and the bad. The adolescent can now create their own system of right and wrong. -Social Roles: Adolescents have more responsibilities (driver's license or job) and have to take on roles that require more indpendence. They have to decide if they want to drink and who they might want to vote for.

What are some findings about the impact of religious involvement?

-Religious adolescents are better adjusted, less depressed than other adolescents. Also, less likely to engage in sex before marriage, drugs, and delinquent behavior. -Some positive affects of having religion have to do with these teens have positive influences like parents and adults who care about them. -Religion could help buffer inter-city black teens from effects of a bad neighborhood. -Religion could protect against effects of family conflict. -Religiosity rather than spirituality is a stronger predictor of staying out of trouble. -It prevents problem behavior better than it promotes positive development. -But these kids more likely to be in foreclosure.

What changes in adolescents decision-making abilities?

-more likely to weigh risks and benefits and look at long-term consequences of their actions -During early adolescence, teens are more drawn to potential benefits than costs and will lean toward decisions that produce an immediate reward. This decreases as adolescence progresses.

What age and what period of adolescence is peer pressure most likely to be given into?

14 years old, middle adolescence.

Preconventional Moral Reasoning

According to Kohlberg, the first level of moral reasoning, which is typical of children and is characterized by reasoning that is based on rewards and punishments associated with different courses of action.

Conventional Moral Reasoning

According to Kohlberg, the second level of moral development, which occurs during late childhood and early adolescence and is characterized by reasoning that is based on the rules and conventions of society.

What are the differences in adolescents versus adults when it comes to legal decision making?

Adolescents are less likely to think about the long-term implications, more likely to focus on immediate consequences, and less able to understand the ways in which other people's positions might bias their interests. They are more likely to say that someone should confess so that they can go home, but in reality that info can be used against them in court.

What are some ways Cognitive Autonomy develops?

Adolescents are more abstract when thinking about moral, political, and religious issues. Their beliefs might be increasingly rooted in general principles. Beliefs beome more founded in adolescents' own values.

What is one of the first signs of individuation?

Adolescents' de-idealization of their parents.

When is the maturation of basic cognitive abilities complete?

Age 16

Individuation

An alternative perspective in the development of Emotional Autonomy (instead of detachment) that is a process that begins during infancy and continues into late adolescence that is the progressive sharpening of an individual's sense of being an autonomous, independent person. It does not involve stress and turmoil. Adolescents accept the rules and are responsible for their actions. A teen who wanted to go to a party that was past curfew would say: "This party may last longer than midnight. If it does, I would like to stay longer. Can I call you at eleven and let you know when I will be home?"

What individuals are especially susceptible to peer pressure?

Asian Americans, adolescents from single-parent families, and adolescents with less supportive or involved parents.

How are Asians and Blacks different from Whites?

Asians are less likely to want and respect peers with a high level of autonomy to the extent that White people do. Blacks grant more autonomy to males.

How does the financial situation of the adolescent play a role in the development of autonomy?

At the same time an adolescent feel psychologically independent they are still financially dependent. Parents may think that they make the rules for the adolescent as long as they are all living under the same roof or the adolescent is being supported by the parents. Adolescents may believe that finances shouldn't be an obstacle in gaining autonomy.

What kind of relationship with their parents do autonomous adolescents have?

Autonomous adolescents are more likely to feel like their parents gave them adequate freedom and they would seek their advice. Strained family relationships, rebellion, and excessive peer involvement are caused by a lack of autonomy rather than its prescence.

Prosocial Behavior

Behaviors intended to help others. This is examined during Cognitive Autonomy.

When does cognitive autonomy occur in relation to behavioral and emotional autonomy? Why?

Between ages 18 and 20. This is after behavioral and emotional autonomy because after developing those two an adolescent starts to think which allows them to develop this.

More educated parents give more autonomy to _________ and less educated give more to ________

Daughters, Sons

When is homesickness less prevalent?

During early adolescence and preadolescence it is more prevalent than middle adolescence.

What time of adolescents do parents' knowledge of their teen decrease and why?

Early adolescence. Parents less likely to supervise child, adolescents are less likely to disclose information.

What are the three types of autonomy?

Emotional Autonomy, Behavioral Autonomy, and Cognitive Autonomy

What are the contradictions between Freud's view of detachment and research on detachment?

Freud says that detachment is about separating oneself sexually from the opposite sex-parent and being in a relationship. He said that if there is no conflict between a parent and child then the child will have a hard time growing up. Research says that most families get along quite well during these years and that adolescents who can balance autonomy and connectedness with their parents are better at balancing autonomy and intimacy in their relationships.

What gender is less susceptible to peer pressure and what ethnic group is less susceptible to peer pressure?

Girls/Blacks

Postconventional Moral Reasoning

In Kohlberg's theory, the stage of moral development during which society's rules and conventions are seen as relative and subjective rather than as authoritative; also called principled moral reasoning.

Detachment

In psychoanalytic theory, the process through which adolescents sever emotional attachments to their parents or other authority figures. It happens during the development of Emotional Autonomy.

Civic Engagement

Involvement in political and community affairs, as reflected in knowledge about politics and current affairs, participation in conventional and alternative political activities, and engaging in community service.

Do teens take their peers' advice more seriously than their parents' advice?

It depends on the situation. Adolescents are more likely to conform to their peers' opinions when it comes to short-term, day-to-day, and social matters-- styles of dress, tastes in music, leisure activities, etc. Teens are mainly influenced by their parents when it comes to long-term questions concerning education, ocucpation, values, religious beliefs, or ethics. Adoelscence turn to adults for advice about getting along with parents and peers for advice with a relationship with a friend.

Does realizing that parents are people differ between the father and the mother? If so, why?

It takes longer for adolescents to see their fathers as people because they interact less often with their teens in ways that allow them to be seen as people.

What is a way of resolving the problem of where to legally draw the line between child and adult?

Make sure the treatment of adolescents under the law lines up with what we know about adolescent development in ways that are specific to the legal matter in question.

Psychological Control

Parenting that attempts to control the adolescent's emotions and opinions.

Who has the dominant viewpoint regarding moral reasoning that has to do with changes in the structure and organization of thought instead of the content and who developed those ideas to give us what we have today?

Piaget, Kohlberg

What are Kohlberg's three levels of moral reasoning?

Preconventional moral Reasoning, Conventional Moral Reasoning, and Postconventional Moral Reasoning

Moral Disengagement

Rationalizing immoral behavior as legitimate, as a way of justifying one's own bad acts.

What are the two main components of religious development?

Religiosity and Spirituality

How does political thinking change during adolescence?

Teens become less rigid. Younger adolescents are likely to follow the government and not question it. If a law doesn't seem to work them a younger adoelscent will say to just enforce it more while an older one would say to reexamine and perhaps alter it.

Behavioral Autonomy

The capacity to make independent decisons and to follow through with them. (acting independently)

Religiosity

The degree to which one engages in religious practices, like attending services. Plays a greater role in cognitive development.

Spirituality

The degree to which one places importance on the quest for answers to questions about God and the meaning of life. Plays a greater role in identity development.

Cognitive Autonomy

The establishment of an independent set of values, opinions, and beliefs. (thinking independently)

Emotional Autonomy

The establishment of more adultlike and less childish close relationships with family members and peers, especially parents. (feeling independent)

Service Learning

The process of learning through involvement in community service.

What is an important factor that influences an adolescent's political behavior?

The social context in which they come of age.

Which adolescent is psychologically healthier: one who is emotionally autonomous but is detached from parent or one that is emotionally autonomous but connected to parent?

The teen that is emotionally autonomous but is connected to their parent is psychologically better adjusted. All ethnic groups have higher levels of family conflict if they separate from parents in an unhealthy way.

Why are middle adolescence more susceptible to peer pressure and conformity?

There is a higher orientation towards the peer group. They care more about what their friends think of them.

What are some consequences of psychological control?

These kids are more likely to have anxiety, diminished social competence, depression, and other forms of psychological distress.

Which adolescents are more likely to be religious?

Those from rural areas (farms), women, and black and Latinos. Adolescents who live in the South or Midwest.

True or Fakse?: Delinquency and aggression are more common among adolescents who score higher on measures of moral disengagement.

True.

True or False: Adolescents whose parents disapprove of smoking are less likely to smoke than adolescence whose parents don't advise against it. Even if their peers smoke.

True.

True or False: Granting too much autonomy before an adolescent is ready is harmful as well as not letting them have enough when they are ready. This can lead to them seeking too much peer advice.

True.

True or False?: Adolescents are just as consciously aware as adults of the potential rewards and costs of a decisions-- they are just affected by them differently.

True.

True or False?: Adolescents' religious participation is considerable higher in the USA than in other parts of the world.

True.

True or False?: An adolescent is more oriented toward spiritual and ideological matters and less oriented toward rituals, practices, and the strict observance of religious customs. What individual believes > Going to church.

True.

True or False?: Because their are improvements in things like impulse control, planning ahead, and risk assessment well into early adulthood, there is a period during which adolescents may think like adults but behave in a more immature way.

True.

True or False?: During adolescence, the opinions and advice of others-- adults and peers-- become important as well.

True.

True or False?: During middle adolescence (9th-12th grades) conformity to parents and peers declines but peer pressure continues to increase.

True.

True or False?: Girls report feeling more self-reliant than boys.

True.

True or False?: In Latinos there are higher rates of delinquency amoung more acculturated Latinos and among those born in the United States than those who were born abroad.

True.

True or False?: Sex and birth order seem to have little influence over behavioral autonomy.

True.

True or False?: The correlation between adolescents moral reasoning and their moral behavior is especially likely to break down when they define issues as personal choices rather than ethical dilemmas.

True.

True or False?: The importance of religion declines somewhat in the adolescent years. Young children are more likely to state that church is important to them.

True.

True or False?: Women seem to score higher on prosocial reasoning than males.

True.

True or False: Autonomy is something that fluctuates during life.

True. A person who has lost a spouse needs to regain autonomy. Toddlers also explore their autonomy by saying "no" to their parents.