1. Adolescent psychology
Self, Identity, and Emotional Development

2. Today The “Self” in Development Identity Development
Emotional Development
Personality Development

3. Self-understanding Individual’s cognitive representation of self
Social cognitive construction
Provides rational underpinnings of identity
Complex developmental process
Dimensions in Adolescence:
Abstraction & idealism (remember Piaget?)
Differentiation
Fluctuating self
Contradictions within self
Real vs. Ideal Self…possible self +/-
True vs. False Self … “when can I be me?”
Social Comparison
Self –consciousness
Self-protection
Not coherent or integrated (yet)
Differentiation: contextual & situation variations in describing self
Contradictions tend to decline toward late adolescents…emerging adulthood
Adolescents are less willing to admit to engaging in social comparison
More likely to be self conscious about self understanding: especially about parts of self visible to public
Conflicted nature of adolescents leads to need to self protect. Tend to emphasize positive and not see negative aspects as central to self
Integration of self is task of early adulthood…also integration of beliefs and world view

4. Self Understanding: A Social Cognitive Construction
Can vary across relationships & social roles
Can differ depending on whether the adolescent is in the role of student, athlete or employee
Can differ depending on whether they describe themselves when they are with their mother, father, close friend, romantic partner, or peer
Might create different selves depending on their ethnic & cultural background & experiences (Lalonde & Chandler, 2004).

5. Self-Esteem & Self Concept: Defined
What's the difference?
Self-esteem
Also referred to as self-worth or self-image
Global evaluative dimension of the self
For example, an adolescent or emerging adult might perceive that she is not merely a person, but a good person.
Self-concept
Refers to domain-specific evaluations of the self.
For example an adolescent may have a negative academic self-concept because he is not doing well at school, but have a positive athletic self-concept because he is a star swimmer.

6. Self-Esteem Measuring self-esteem in adolescents can be difficult
Reflects perceptions that do not always match reality
Fluctuates across the life span
Tends to decline in adolescence…Why?
Self-esteem & school performance in adolescents?
What contributes to self esteem in adolescents?
Body image, perceived physical attractiveness
Contexts: Family cohesion, general peer group approval
Consequences of low self esteem
Depression, suicide, eating disorders, delinquency, homicide, substance abuse

7. Fostering Self-Esteem In Adolescents
Identify the causes of low self-esteem & the domains of competence important to the self
Provide emotional support & social approval
Foster achievement
Help adolescents to cope

8. Behavioral Indicators of Self Esteem

9. Identity Erikson revised… Identity vs. identity confusion
Who am I? What am I about? Where am I going?
Many new roles
Psychosocial moratorium: gap between childhood security & adult autonomy
Role & Personality Experimentation
Try on different roles and personalities
Deliberate effort on the part of adolescents to find their place in the world.

10. Facets of Identity Identity is composed of many pieces:
Vocational/career identity
Political identity
Religious identity
Relationship identity
Achievement, intellectual identity
Sexual identity
Cultural/ethnic identity
Interest
Personality
Physical identity

11. Contemporary View of identity Development
Lengthy, gradual process
May not begin or end with adolescence
What does happen in adolescence then?
Physical, cognitive, & socioemotional development has advanced to the point where they can begin to synthesize identities on a path to adult maturity
Identity is not stable through the remainder of life span
Flexible & adaptive
Multiple Identities?

12. Identity Statuses
James Marcia believes that Erikson’s theory of identity development implies four identity statuses, or ways of resolving the identity crisis:
identity diffusion
identity foreclosure
identity moratorium
identity achievement

13. Terms to know…
Crisis: period of identity development during which adolescent is choosing among meaningful alternatives (exploration)
Commitment: part of identity development in which adolescents show a personal investment in what they are doing to do

14. Statuses of Identity
(crisis)

15. Family Influences on Identity
Parenting style
Individuality
self-assertion - ability to have & communicate a point of view
separateness - expressing how one is different from others
Connectedness
mutuality - sensitivity to & respect for others’ views
permeability - openness to others’ views

16. Culture & Ethnic Influences
Ethnic identity - a basic aspect of the self ; includes a sense of membership in an ethnic group, along with the attitudes & feelings related to that membership.
Bicultural identity - adolescents identify in some ways with their ethnic group & in other ways with the majority culture
For ethnic minority individuals identity development can mean having to bridge several cultures to define one’s self

17. Intimacy & Identity
Higher levels of intimacy are linked to stronger identity
Why do you think this is true?

18. Activity time…(remember this?)
Lets explore YOUR identity development !
Take out a piece of paper
List a minimum of 10 facet of your identity
Roles, responsibilities, group membership, beliefs, values, abilities, career....
Then rank the importance of each facet
1 – most important
10 – least important
Do the same thing, except focus on the facets of your identity 5 years ago
How has your identity develop?

19. Emotional Development
Early adolescence is a time when emotional highs & lows occur more frequently
Moodiness is a normal aspect of early adolescence
Most adolescents eventually emerge from these moody times & become competent adults
For some adolescents, intensely negative emotions can reflect serious problems

20. Hormones, Experience, and Emotions
As adolescents move into adulthood, their moods become less extreme, perhaps due to their adaptation to hormone levels over time
What fosters adaptation?
Both hormonal changes & environmental experiences are involved in the changing emotions of adolescence

21. Emotional Development
Emotional Competence
Example
Being aware that the expression of emotions plays a major role in relationships.
Adaptively coping by using self-regulatory strategies to decrease intensity & duration of emotional states
Being able to discern other’s emotions
Knowing the expressing anger on a regular basis toward a friend can cause problems in the relationship
Reduce anger by walking away and doing something to take help you cool off
Perceive other is sad rather than afraid

22. Emotional Development
Emotional Competence
Example
Understand that inner emotional state doesn’t have to match outer expression. Adolescents begin to understand how their emotionally expressive behavior may impact others & take that understanding into account in the way they present themselves.
Being aware of emotional states without becoming overwhelmed by them
Recognize that one can feel angry yet regulate emotion & appear more neutral
Differentiating between feeling anxious, angry, sad…And focus on coping rather than becoming overwhelmed by these feelings.

23. Personality Development
Self is the central aspect of personality
Traits & Temperament
In terms of personality traits, identity development can lead to both
stability - the achievement of an identity
change - the exploration of new identities & modification of personality traits

24. Personality Development
Big 5 Factors of Personality
openness to experience
conscientiousness
extraversion
agreeableness
neuroticism (emotional stability)

25. Personality Development & Temperament
An individual’s behavioral style & characteristic way of responding.
Through increasing capacities & interactions with the environment, temperament evolves or becomes elaborated across childhood & adolescence into a set of personality traits
3 Temperament Categories (Thomas & Chess)
Easy child
Difficult child
Slow to warm up child

26. What are some signs?...What can we do?
Worst
Best
Expect to have self-esteem w/o becoming competent
Let feelings run the show
Silently scream instead of making self known
Don’t learn about power
Avoid the struggle to find self
Live in the extremes
Become competent…
Master feelings
Break the silence
Get healthy power
Face the serious stuff
Find an identity
Begin learning how to stake out the extremes