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Download Adolescence and Adulthood
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Adolescence: Period between the normal onset of puberty and the beginning of adulthood Puberty: Physical maturing that makes an individual capable of sexual reproduction It is not a universal phenomenon and does not exist as a concept in many parts of the world In preindustrial societies, young people go directly from childhood to adulthood Factors that have led to development of adolescence as a life stage in the US: 1. 2. 3. Education – State laws make education mandatory to the age of 16 Exclusion of youth from the labor force Juvenile-Justice System – society has created a separate legal status for young people Biological Growth and Development Puberty is universal because it is biological The brain and the endocrine system control biological development Spurts of growth in height, growth in weight, changes in body proportions, and development of primary and secondary sexual characteristics occur These changes can cause anxiety and embarrassment, especially if the individual is physically way behind or ahead of others of the same age Undefined Status Adolescent expectations are often vague and it is difficult for adolescents to determine their status Increased Decision Making As children, all decisions are made for you and when you become an adolescent you are suddenly expected to make many decisions, some of which have great longterm importance (choosing a college major) Increased Pressure Adolescents face pressures from many sources: parents, school, and peers The Search for Self Anticipatory Socialization: Learning the rights, obligations, and expectations of a role to prepare for assuming a role in the future Ex: Playing house as a child Dating: Meeting of people as a romantic engagement It is a fairly new concept in America, and emerged after World War I Main purpose is entertainment and amusement Courtship: Interaction between young unmarried men and women Different from dating because courtships’ purpose is eventual marriage while dating may eventually lead to marriage The process leading to marriage can be considered a continuum process Casual dating Steady dating Engagement Marriage Some steps may be passed and sometimes the process stops Rise of industrialization contributed to the development of dating in the US Free public secondary education helped to pave the way for dating Coed schooling Technological advancements after WWI Telephones and automobiles Women’s role in the 1920s Dating serves several important functions in adolescence Form of entertainment Mechanism for socialization Fulfills certain basic psychological needs such as conversation, companionship, and understanding Helps individuals attain status In the later stages of dating, spouse selection becomes an important issue In the 1960s and 1970s the development of birth control pill, a youth counterculture, and feminist movement led to “Sexual Revolution” Norms governing sexual behavior began to change Why do you think those norms began to change? How are the changes of the 1960s and 1970s related to this sexual revolution? Rate of Teenage Sexual Activity Rate of teenage sexual activity has greatly increased over the decades CDC established national health objectives to address the issue during the 1990s Programs encouraged American teenagers to abstain from sexual activity Encouraged the use of effective methods of birth control to those who would not abstain Surveys indicate that the programs did have some success Influences on Early Sexual Activity Factors that influence early sexual activity: Family-income level Parents’ marital status Religious participation Sexual activity of friends Other risk-taking behaviors (like drug use) Consequences of Early Sexual Behavior Teen pregnancy has negative consequences such as: Lower birth weight and higher death rates among babies Teen parents are less likely to finish high school or college Due to lower levels of education, parents have lower lifetime earnings Children are more likely to have learning difficulties Children have higher risk of becoming teenage parents as well Teen mothers face great emotional stress Other consequences include: Exposure to AIDS and other STDs Drug: Any substance that changes mood, behavior, or consciousness Drug Violence Increase in muggings, robberies, and burglaries committed by addicts in search of drug money Violence associated with drug trafficking Largely a result of turf wars between rival gangs that control the drug trade in the US Children as young as 9 are hired as lookouts and the move up the hierarchy to become runners and eventually dealers The Rate of Teenage Drug Use Usage patterns vary by type of drug Marijuana is the most widely used illegal drug among high school students Influences on Teenage Drug Use Friends who engage in drug use Social and academic adjustment problems Negative family life Teenage Attitudes Toward Drug Use Teenagers view some drugs as worse than others. Ex: Marijuana is not a bad drug, but cocaine is Predictors of teenage suicide Alcohol or drug use Triggering events Common events are family crisis, pregnancy, loss of an important person, etc. Age Rates are higher for older teenagers and young adults Sex Females are more likely to attempt while males are more likely to succeed Population Density Underpopulated areas have higher rates, which may be a result of social isolation Family Relations Family violence and rejection from a member of family Cluster Effect Sometimes results in other suicide attempts among teens in a community “Copycat” attempts Life structure: Combination of statuses, roles, activities, goals, values, beliefs, and life circumstances that characterize an individual. Daniel Levinson and his colleagues concluded that there are 3 basic eras of adulthood after studying life structure Early Adulthood Middle Adulthood Late Adulthood Early Adulthood Era Early Adulthood Transition (17-22) Entering the Adult World (23-27) Age 30 Transition (28-32) Settling Down Period (33-39) Middle Adulthood Era Midlife Transition (40-44) Entering Middle Adulthood (45-49) Age 50 Transition (50-54) Culmination of Middle Adulthood (55-59) Late Adulthood Era Late Adult Transition (60-64) Late Adult Transition (65+) Early Adult Transition Ages 17-22 Bridge between adolescence and adulthood Most important task = leaving home, both physically and psychologically Process begins when you go away to college or take full-time employment and move out of parents’ home Entering the Adult World Ages 23-27 Objectives Individual expected to explore a variety of relationships and career opportunities Development of a dream of adult accomplishment Age 30 Transition Ages 28-32 Difficult period Divorce is common, shift in direction for future developments, and make a place for themselves in the world Time to look back on choices that have been made up to this point Novice Phase: 1st three periods of early adulthood era Time when men prepare for entry into the adult word Major task = make a place for themselves in the adult world and construct a life structure that fits them and works in the adult world Settling Down Period Ages 33-39 Major task = “making it” Becoming One’s Own Man (B.O.O.M.) First step is separating oneself from a mentor (someone who fosters an individual’s development by believing in the person, sharing the person’s dreams, and helping the person achieve those dreams Midlife Transition Ages 40-44 Bridge between early and middle adulthood Characterized by self-examination and individuals question their life structures Take stock of their likelihood of achieving the dreams formed during early adulthood According to Levinson, men and women go through the same stages of development in adulthood, but they differ in terms of their social roles and identities Men and women deal with the developmental tasks in each stage differently Some argue that the differences exist because the developmental processes for men and women are different Arguments led to the suggestion of 3 phases for women Leaving the Family Entering the Adult World Entering the Adult World Again Phase I – Leaving the Family Involves leaving home, making a psychological break from the parents, and developing a life plan For many women the emphasis is less on career and more on marriage Specifics of life plan are likely to be determined by marriage Even when women plan to combine marriage with a career, marriage is often considered the more important step Phase II – Entering the Adult World This is determined by marriage and children Women’s job advancement possibilities are limited when they remain out of the labor force while their children are young Break in employment, due to birth of children, separates women from men Phase III – Entering the Adult World Again Once children reach school age, many mothers who left the labor force seek employment again These women find themselves in a situation (usually in their 30s) similar to that of men in their 20s Labor Force: All individuals age 16 and older who are employed in paid positions or who are seeking paid employment Composition It is changing and one of the biggest changes involves the number of working women and the types of jobs they hold Women hold at least ½ of the professional jobs in the U.S. Profession: High-status occupation that requires specialized skills obtained through formal education Ex: engineer, lawyer, teacher, dentist, etc. Another changing aspect is the rise of minority workers and American workers now have a higher level of education Unemployment Unemployment: Situation that occurs when a person does not have a job but is actively seeking employment Unemployment Rate: % of the civilian labor force that is unemployed but actively seeking employment Unemployment rate varies according to such factors as age, gender, race, and cultural background It is nearly impossible to employ every adult member of society Opinion polls and research indicate that vast majority of workers in the US, regardless of what they do, are satisfied with their jobs Level of satisfaction varies according to factors such as: income, age, control over their work, those who got to use their skills and talents, and those who received a lot of recognition and appreciation Ex: workers with higher incomes reported greater satisfaction than those with lower incomes One solution for dissatisfied workers is to look for new jobs Statistics indicate that the average worker will change careers from 5-6 times in a lifetime Improved health care has enabled more and more people around the world to live longer than every before. Remember “Graying of America”? Gerontology: Scientific study of the processes and phenomena of aging Sociologists are most interested in social gerontology (study of nonphysical aspects of the aging process) Life at 65 is much different than life at 85 Gerontologists place individuals 65 and older into 3 groups Young-Old (ages 65-74) Main focus is adjustment to retirement Middle-Old (ages 75-84) Main focus is physical and mental decline and death Old-Old (ages 85 and older) Same main focus as Middle-Old In American society we tend to identify individuals by their jobs The loss of the work role is a great shock, but research indicates that work-role loss affects a much smaller number of retired people than is generally assumed Many elderly people consider retirement as one of the least stressful events in life Gerontologists feel that the level of adjustment to retirement reflects a person’s earlier attitudes and behaviors Income, health, social networks, and identity affect adjustment to retirement Failure to adapt to retirement can have negative consequences Suicide rates are high among people over the age of 65, particularly among white men As an individual ages, body cells begin to die. As a result, elderly people do everything more slowly than they did when they were younger Although they tend to slow as they age, most people remain mentally alert For some people aging is accompanied by marked mental decline, or dementia. Alzheimer’s Disease: An organic condition that results and the progressive deterioration of brain cells Most common form of dementia Progress is slow but steady, and usually lasting about 8-10 years from first symptoms to death Take on an increasing significance for middle-old and old-old Dependency: Shift from being an independent adult to being dependent on others for physical or financial assistance Dependency changes an individual’s status in society and necessitates new role behaviors Often strains the parent-child relationship Elderly generally do not fear death Elderly people are at the end of their lives and see fewer prospects for the future so they have less to lose Having lived longer than they expected, many feel they are “living on borrowed time” Facing deaths of friends and family who are close to them in age helps prepare them for their own deaths For many older Americans retirement is accompanied by a feeling of freedom allowing them to try new things: Travel Taking college classes Pursuing activities (crafts, golf, gardening, etc) Becoming active in politics Beginning a second career Volunteer work In order to enjoy this freedom one must plan ahead for retirement
