16 - A DOLESCENCE : P SYCHOSOCIAL D EVELOPMENT Ages 11 to 18

I DENTITY Erikson Identity vs. role confusion “Who am I”

I DENTITY N OT Y ET A CHIEVED Role confusion (Identity diffusion) Don’t know, don’t care Few commitments to goals or values Apathy Foreclosure Premature identity formation Adopting parents’ or society’s roles and values rather than exploring their own Moratorium Postponing identity achievement decisions College may be one way

F OUR AREAS OF IDENTITY FORMATION Religious identity Often similar to parents Political identity – Often similar to parents Vocational identity Sometimes similar to parents Adults often change vocations Sexual (Gender) identity Accepting socially approved roles and behavior of their gender Gender identity disorder Does not identify with their biological sex

R ELATIONSHIPS WITH ADULTS Conflicts with parents Peaks in early adolescence More a sign of attachment rather than distance Distant relationships ignore the other Neglect Can be destructive for teenagers (Even though they want to feel independent)

C LOSENESS WITHIN THE FAMILY Four aspects of closeness Communication Can both talk openly? Support Do they rely on each other? Connectedness Emotional closeness Control How do parents exercise control? Encourage or limit adolescent autonomy

C LOSENESS WITHIN THE FAMILY (C ONT.) Parental monitoring Monitoring of peers, friends, websites Positive – When warm, supportive Negative - When overly restrictive and controlling

P EER P OWER (P RESSURE )

S ELECTING FRIENDS Selection Choosing friends with common values and interests E.g. Academics, music, athletics Facilitation Friends encourage behavior similar to the peer group Positive Studying together, church, sports Destructive Skipping school, drinking, drugs

L EARNING ABOUT SEX Peers Strongly influence sexual behavior Only half U.S. adolescents discuss pregnancy or STD’s before being sexually active Parents Underestimate need for information Wait too long before talking about sex School Preferred by most parents Sex education varies dramatically by nation Abstinence-only programs No significant impact on sexual activity Does education change behavior? Depends more on family, peers, and culture than classes

S ADNESS AND ANGER

S UICIDE Suicidal ideas (Ideation) Ideas are common – completed suicides are not Adolescents are less likely to kill themselves than adults are Gender differences More girls attempt suicide than boys Boys are 4 times as successful Methods Males shoot themselves Females use pills and hanging

D RUG USE AND ABUSE Age Widespread ages then decreases Drug use before 18 = best predictor of later drug use 20% of adolescents never use drugs Gender Boys use more drugs more often than girls “If I don’t smoke, I am not a man.”

H ARM FROM DRUGS

T OBACCO Slows down growth Damages heart, lungs, brains, and reproductive systems

A LCOHOL Heavy drinking may permanently impair memory Damaged hippocampus May impair self control Damaged prefrontal cortex Denial of problems Problems get worse

M ARIJUANA People who regularly smoke marijuana are more likely to: Drop out of school Become teenage parents Be unemployed Affects: Memory Language Motivation

P REVENTING DRUG ABUSE Focus on friends and peers First use is social Delay first use Younger when starting = more likely addiction Massive ad campaigns E.g. Smoking Generational forgetting Each generation forgets what previous generations learned Drug users tend to be more emotional & less reflective Interference with prefrontal cortex

S CARE TACTICS May increase drug use Drugs seem exciting Adolescents recognize exaggeration Show a way to show defiance