1. The Development of Children, Seventh Edition
Cynthia Lightfoot,
Michael Cole,
and Sheila R. Cole
Chapter 15:
Social and Emotional Development in Adolescence

2. Chapter Overview Emotional Development in Adolescence
Relationships with Peers
Sexual Relationships
Relationships with Parents
Identity Development
Adolescent Health and Well-Being
Reconsidering Adolescence

3. I. Emotional Development in Adolescence
The experience of emotions
Regulating emotions

4. Regulating Emotions
Biological processes
Hormones
Frontal lobe

5. Regulating Emotions Social processes Parental warmth
Social expectations

6. I. Apply – Connect – Discuss
In general, girls are considered “more emotional” than boys.
Evaluate this belief in light of research on gender differences in emotional experience and emotion regulation.

7. II. Relationships with Peers
Major Changes
Time spent with peers increases
More time unsupervised
Increased size and diversity of groups
Increased intensity of friendships

8. Friendships Friendship Important developmental functions
A close relationship between two individuals.
Reciprocity
Commitment
Equality
Important developmental functions
Intimacy
Autonomy

9. Gender Differences
Girls have more intense and intimate friendships than boys
Boys may be less intimate with friends because they are less trusting of their friends
Boys also more prone to homophobia
Girls less competitive
Girls focus more on communal goals

10. Cliques and Crowds Cliques Small, intimate peer groups
Serve emotional and security needs

11. Cliques and Crowds Crowds Larger groups Provide opportunities to
meet people
develop romantic relationships
explore their social identity

12. Romantic Relationships
Central to sense of belonging and group status
Can feel neglected when friends start dating
Opportunity to share experiences with friends can enhance friendships
Cultural variations

13. Peer Pressure and Conformity
Homophily
The degree to which friends are similar to each other in terms of behaviors, tastes, views, and goals.
Establishing homophily
Selection
Socialization

14. II. Apply – Connect – Discuss
How does Dunphy’s distinction between cliques and crowds fit your own adolescent experience of peer groups?
Reflect on the social structure of your high school and try to map out the different crowd types and the different cliques within them.
How do the concepts of homophily, selection, and socialization apply?

15. III. Sexual Relationships
Learning About Sex
The Sexual Debut

16. Learning About Sex Learn sexuality from various sources
Parents, peers, media, and educational programs
Great Variability

17. Sexual Debut Significant step from virginity to sexual activity
Cultural differences
Age varies
Gender differences

18. IV. Relationships with Parents
Conflicts
Continual influence

19. Conflicts Issues Personal domain Social conventional domain
Responsibilities and privileges
Curfews
Athletics
Financial independence
Personal domain
Social conventional domain

20. Continuing Influence Forms of influence
Shape types of interactions encountered
Styles of handling situations
Two patterns of family interactions
Constraining interactions
Enabling interactions

21. IV. Apply – Connect – Discuss
Your 16-year-old daughter announces that she intends to leave home and school in order to join a spiritual community that encourages its member to “find themselves” by working toward the common good.

22. Apply – Connect – Discuss
As an informed and sensitive parent, you recognize this as an expression of developing autonomy but, for obvious reasons, believe it would be a terrible mistake for her to pursue such a plan at this point in her life.

23. Apply – Connect – Discuss
Keeping in mind the evidence presented in this section on effective parenting, write your daughter a letter about what you think of her plan.

24. V. Identity Development
The “I” and the “me”
Types of identity
Identity and Culture

25. The “I” and the “Me” Me-self I-self Object-self
Including roles and relationships, possessions, and characteristics
I-self
Subject-self
Reflecting on and guiding the object self

26. Types of identity Mature Identity Ethnic Identity Sexual Identity
“true self”
Ethnic Identity
Sexual Identity

27. Mature Identity Erik Erikson Formalized by Marcia
Identity versus role confusion
Formalized by Marcia
Exploration
Commitment

28. Ethnic Identity Ethnic identity Ethnic minority youth
Individuals’ sense of themselves as a member of a particular ethnic group.
Ethnic minority youth

29. Sexual Identity Sexual identity Sexual minority youth
Individuals’ understanding of themselves as heterosexual, gay or lesbian, or bisexual.
Sexual minority youth
Adolescents who develop identities as gay, lesbians, or bisexuals.

30. Identity and Culture Independent sense of self
Orientation toward being unique, expressing personal thoughts, opinions, goals
Interdependent sense of self
Orientation toward fitting in, promoting the goals of others, “reading” others

31. V. Apply – Connect – Discuss
How does the distinction between an independent and an interdependent sense of self apply to your own sense of self?

32. VI. Adolescent Health and Well-Being
Emotional Health
Sexual Health
Positive Youth Development

33. Emotional Health Problems that may emerge: Internalizing problems
Ie. Depression and anxiety
More common among girls
Eternalizing problems
Ie. Aggression and delinquency
More common among boys

34. Depression Most common psychological problem of adolescence
Risk factors:
Biological inheritance
Characteristics of the environment
Cultural values and stereotypes
Effective treatments
CBT

35. Eating Disorder Girl’s negative body image Examples:
Anorexia nervosa
Bulimia nervosa
EDNOS
Recovery is difficult

36. Positive Youth Development
Relatively new approach
Emphasize strengths and positive qualities

37. VI. Apply – Connect – Discuss
Your school board is once again seeking your assistance, this time to revamp its sex education program, which is considered outdated and out of touch with issues facing today’s youth.
The goal is to develop programs aimed at seventh-graders (12-year-olds) and tenth-graders (15-year-olds).

38. Apply – Connect – Discuss
Outline a general plan for each program.
What topics should each program include?
What “issues facing today’s youth” should be addressed?
Should boys and girls participate in the program together or separately?

39. Apply – Connect – Discuss
Explain how the program would take into account differences between 12- and 15-year-olds.

40. VII. Reconsidering Adolescence
Purpose of a lengthy adolescence
Role of culture
Prolonged education and delayed marriage