Adolescent Psych: Chapter 9- Autonomy

Development of Behavioral Autonomy: What 3 concepts influence behavioral autonomy?

1. Decision-making abilities: Decision-making has to do with practice and experience and also cognitive ability 2. Susceptibility to peer pressure: ex. if you over-value peer acceptance, then the more susceptible you are to peer pressure and less behaviorally autonomous you are 3. Level of confidence: ex. lower level of confidence could result in you not having confidence in your own decisions and judgment; allow others to influence or make decisions for them

Moral Development: What are Kohlberg's Three Levels of Moral Reasoning? What are some examples of each?

1. Pre-conventional: Concern with what will happen to you; worrying about punishment/reward; consequences (ex. if you let your wife die, people will be mad at you OR if you steal, you'll go to jail) 2. Conventional: Following societal rules and norms; doing what you're supposed to do according to society, laws, church, etc. (ex. a good husband would steal OR it's against the law to steal) 3. Post-conventional: More abstract and advanced (ex. you're disrespecting people's rights by stealing from them OR life is the most important thing; it's worth stealing)

Political Thinking: What 3 things happen to adolescents who gain political autonomy?

1. Their ideas become more abstract (ex. why do we have laws?) 2. Ideas become less authoritarian and less rigid (younger adolescents are more obedient, trusting, and uncritical of authority, while older adolescents may suggests laws be reexamined and amended) 3. Ideas become more principled (an increase in a consistent set of attitudes; an ideology)

Recent Changes in Autonomy Process: What are the 2 recent changes in the autonomy process?

1. Today's teens spend much MORE TIME AWAY from the direct SUPERVISION of adults than prior generations 2. But today's teens also have become MORE ECONOMICALLY RELIANT on their families than prior generations

What is autonomy? What are the 3 types of autonomy?

Autonomy: an individual's capacity to be independent and behave on his or her own Three Types of Autonomy: 1. Emotional Autonomy: feel separate from parents; handle own stress, motivation (no one's at college to get you out of bed; you have to motivate yourself) 2. Behavioral Autonomy: develop independent decision making (from parents and peers); following through with those decisions 3. Cognitive Autonomy: develop own, personal belief and value systems; resist parent or peer pressures

Emotional Autonomy and Parenting Practices: Describe the best type of family relationship a teen can have. What 3 things can a close relationship lead to in a teen?

Best family relationships are CLOSE, but NOT MANIPULATIVE. Parents ACCEPT teens for who they are as individual Emotionally close relationships lead to: 1. Healthy individuation 2. Positive mental health 3. Facilitation of autonomy

*Just read* Application to Legal Decision-Making: When do adolescents make decisions as well as adult and where should we draw the legal boundary between adolescence and adulthood?

Debate about young people's abilities to make decisions in the real world (short-term vs long-term implications; unrealistic sense of others positions or biases) Difficult debate because decision-making is product of developing cognitive, emotional, and psychosocial factors How do we determine if they should be tried as adults? Class discussion ideas: - Severity of the law broken (stealing vs. murder) - IQ testing (competency) - Psych evaluations

Changes in Decision-Making Abilities: Do decision-making abilities increase or decrease from 7th to 12th grade? What about peer pressure influence?

Decision-making abilities improve from 7th to 12th grade, and peer pressure influence decreases

Individuation: What 4 main things occur within adolescents during individuation? DSSC "Don't Steal Sausages, Carter"

During individuation, teens: 1. DEIDEALIZE parents See parents as people; seeing flaws instead of thinking they're amazing and perfect like you do when you're little 2. Adolescent depends more on self, rather than parents; becoming SELF-RELIANT 3. Feels a SEPARATION in the relationship with parents Not conflict, just moving apart because teens is going in own direction 4. Can maintain CLOSE EMOTIONAL TIES with parents without fear of losing individuality Still has respect for parent, but doesn't have to spend all time with them

Changes in Decision-Making Abilities: What 2 things are these improvements in decision-making due to? What can independent decision-making lead to?

Improvements due to: 1. Control over impulses 2. Decreased need for immediate rewards Independent decision-making often leads to: 1. Family conflicts -(conflicts over daily things, not sharing info with parents; some conflict is healthy to teach teen negotiation skills) 2. Disagreements provide practice in negotiation and compromise

Modern Theories: Individuation What are the main ideas behind individuation? How is it different than other theories?

Individuation • GRADUAL SEPARATION as one adopts own beliefs/attitudes and accepts responsibility for their choices and actions • This theory suggests there doesn't have to be STRESS/CONFLICT, and teens gradually separate to become their own person

Changes in Decision-Making Abilities: Older adolescents show more sophisticated abilities in what 4 areas? RFCV "Very Fat Camels Run"

Older adolescents show more sophisticated abilities in: 1. More aware of risks 2. Considering future consequences - (something now could affect me in the future) 3. Turning to a consultant - (turning to someone you trust for advice) 4. Recognizing vested interests - (recognizing why friends/people are trying to convince you to do things)

Prosocial Reasoning, Behavior, and Volunteerism: What 3 effects can prosocial behavior such as helping others and community service have on adolescents? Does this change actual prosocial behavior (helping people or empathizing with others)?

Prosocial behavior (like helping others or community service) can: 1. Teach adolescents to look at things from other people's point of view 2. Make them more tolerant and sophisticated 3. Increase social responsibility But changes in actual prosocial behavior, such as helping others or empathizing with others, are not consistently found in adolescence

Development of Emotional Autonomy: What are the main ideas of Psychoanalytic Theory by Anna Freud? What is detachment? What typically comes along with detachment?

Psychoanalytic Theory: Physical changes of puberty and sexual impulses increase family tensions and cause detachment Detachment: Emotional separation from parents due to sexual maturity Conflict and rebellion is normal part of detachment in adolescence

Religious Beliefs: In what 3 ways do religious beliefs change during adolescence (similar to political)? Does religious importance and participation increase or decline during adolescence? Why? When does importance tend to reemerge?

Religious ideas become more: 1. Abstract 2. Principled 3. Independent • The stated importance of religion and participation in an organized religion declines during adolescence • Because internal beliefs are viewed as more important than behavioral participation/practices • Importance tends to reemerge during adulthood (often after having children)

The Development of Cognitive Autonomy: What is cognitive autonomy? How does cognitive autonomy progress? What are some examples of consistent values that change little over time or culture?

• Changes in the adolescent's beliefs, opinions, and values (moral, political, and religious) • Generally from specific, concrete, authority-based beliefs --> general, abstract, self-chosen beliefs Consistent values that change little over time or culture: 1. Good marriage and family life (may be slightly different in different culture; ex. patriarchy) 2. Successful career 3. Meaningful life

Peer Pressure: When is conformity to peers highest? What kind of things are influenced by peers? By parents? What type of parenting facilitates teens who are more easily influenced by their peers, especially in antisocial situations? What type of parenting makes teens less susceptible to antisocial peer pressure but more so to positive peer pressure?

• Conformity to peers is higher during early and middle adolescence • Peers' opinions are more influential for day-to-day matters (music tastes or clothing style) • Parents are more influential regarding long-term issues, basic values • Adolescents whose parents are AUTHORITARIAN or INDULGENT are most easily influenced by peers • Adolescents from AUTHORITATIVE home are less susceptible to antisocial peer pressure but more so to positive peer pressure

Changes in Feelings of Self-Reliance: Do boys or girls report feeling more self-reliant? Why is this ironic? Adolescents with a strong sense of self-reliance report what 2 things?

• Girls report feeling more self-reliant than boys • Because boys are usually given more freedom and opportunity for independence than girls - (even though girls are more emotionally mature, better decision-makers, have better judgment, etc.) • Adolescents with strong sense of self-reliance report having: 1. Higher self-esteem 2. Fewer behavior problems

Moral Development: What is moral development? What did Lawrence Kohlberg do? What was he most interested in?

• How individuals think about and make moral judgments (like in moral dilemmas) Lawrence Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Reasoning: • He used morally challenging stories (Heinz - steal drug for sick wife?) • He was more interested in the reasoning behind people's explanations than whether the answer was right or wrong

Value Similarities and Differences: Again, what sort of areas do parents and teens generally agree in? What are some gender differences in values (what do females and males value)?

• Parent and teen generally agree in areas of education, religion, racial issues, life choices • Gender differences: F higher importance on marriage and family M higher importance career and money

Moral Development during Adolescence: Does moral behavior always match moral reasoning? What influences how a person acts when facing moral dilemmas in the real world? Is Post-Conventional Moral Reasoning common or rare? Once we reach post-conventional reasoning, do we use it in all situations?

• Research has shown that moral behavior does not always match moral reasoning • Contextual factors influence how a person acts when facing moral dilemmas in the real world (if it's trivial, then your behavior is more flexible) • Post-conventional reasoning is relatively rare • No. We actually use all 3 in different situations (ex. pre-conventional: slam on the brakes when you see a cop to avoid a ticket)