Adolescence The transition period from childhood to adulthood – term first coined by Stanley Hall

Is adolescence getting longer or shorter?

Physical Development It all begins with puberty Puberty: the period of sexual maturation, during which a person becomes capable of reproducing.

BRAIN DEVELOPMENT During adolescence – frontal lobe continues to develop Growth of myelin sheath – speeds up neurotransmission Impact: better judgment, impulse control, planning for future Frontal lobe development SLOWER than limbic system development (emotional responses system) – explains impulsiveness and risky behavior

Cognitive Development Have the ability to reason but……. The reasoning is self-focused. Assume that their experiences are unique. Experience formal operational thought Egocentrism = imaginary audience phenomenon

Lawrence Kohlberg and his stages of Morality Preconventional Morality Conventional Morality Postconventional Morality

Preconventional Morality Morality of self- interest Their actions are either to avoid punishment or to gain rewards.

Conventional Morality Morality is based upon obeying laws to 1.Maintain social order 2.To gain social approval I won’t speed down Hampton because my friends and family will look down on me. Besides, the world would be chaotic if everyone did it.

Postconventional Morality Morality based on universal ethical principles. I won’t speed down Hampton b/c a society w/o laws is not good. If I feel the law is unjust then I’ll try to change it.

Moral development summary Video:

Critics of Kohlberg Skepticism about postconventional morality – Based on an individualist society; so biased towards non European/non American cultures No consideration of feelings – moral feelings According to Jonathan Haidt, who gives a social institutionists account of morality, moral feelings come before moral reasoning

Major critic: Carol Gilligan Gilligan would go on to criticize Kohlberg's work. This was based on two things. First, he only studied privileged, white men and boys. She felt that this caused a biased opinion against women. Secondly, in his stage theory of moral development, the male view of individual rights and rules was considered a higher stage than women's point of view of development in terms of its caring effect on human relationships. The “caring for others” moral reasoning occurs in the conventional stage, while the masculine universal understanding of morals is postconventional.