Myers PSYCHOLOGY 8th Edition in Modules

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Myers PSYCHOLOGY (8th Edition in Modules)

• Module 10
• Adolescence

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Adolescence

• Adolescence
• the transition period from childhood to adulthood
• extending from puberty to independence
• Puberty
• the period of sexual maturation
• when a person becomes capable of reproduction
• Begins at about age 11 for girls and 13 in boys
• Follows a surge of hormones which trigger 2 years
  of rapid physical development.

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Adolescence

• Throughout childhood, boys and girls are similar
  in height. At puberty, girls surge ahead
  briefly, but then boys overtake them at about age
  14.

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Adolescence

• Primary Sex Characteristics
• body structures that make sexual reproduction
  possible
• ovaries- female
• testes- male
• external genitalia
• Secondary Sex Characteristics
• Non-reproductive sexual characteristics
• female- breast and hips
• male- voice quality and body hair
• Menarche (meh-NAR-key)
• first menstrual period

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Puberty

• Girls and boys start feeling the beginnings of
  attraction for each other (or their own gender)
  about a year or two before puberty begins.
• Heavier girls and girls without biological
  fathers at home are likely to reach puberty at
  earlier ages.
• Just as in earlier stages of life, the sequence
  of events in puberty is more similar across
  individuals than the timing.
• Early maturing boys tend to be more popular,
  self-assured, and independent, though also more
  at risk for alcohol use and premature sexual
  activity (page 126). The opposite seems true for
  early maturing girls.

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Body Changes at Puberty
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The Adolescent Brain

• Synaptic pruning (elimination of less-necessary
  neurons) increases considerably during
  adolescence, allowing the brain to work more
  efficiently.
• The limbic system develops ahead of the frontal
  lobes, which may explain some of teenagers
  emotionality and impulsiveness.

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Cognitive Development During Adolescence

• Improved reasoning ability allows increased
  social awareness and moral reasoning ability.
• Improved ability to take others perspective
  allows adolescents to imagine what others are
  thinking of them.
• Teenagers tend to think of their private
  experiences as unique No one else has ever
  felt like this.
• Ability to think abstractly allows adolescents to
  imagine an ideal world and criticize society.
• Adolescents become better at thinking logically
  about abstract concepts
• May seek a deeper conception of God and existence
• May engage in heated debates with others
  regarding perceived hypocrisy, etc.

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Kohlbergs Moral Ladder

• As moral development progresses, the focus of
  concern moves from the self to the wider social
  world.

Morality of abstract principles to
affirm agreed-upon rights and personal ethical
principles
Postconventional level
Conventional level
Morality of law and social rules to
gain approval or avoid disapproval
Preconventional level
Morality of self-interest to avoid punishment or
gain concrete rewards
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Bob chooses his behavior based on the rewards he
hopes to receive. Bob is in the
_____________stage of moral development,
according to Kohlberg.

• Conventional
• Preconventional
• Nonconventional
• Postconventional

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Billy chooses his behavior based on his ideal of
respect for all living things, even if his
choices violate written laws. Billy is in the
__________ stage of Kohlbergs moral ladder.

• Conventional
• Postconventional
• Preconventional
• Nonconventional

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Eriksons Stages of Psychosocial Development
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Eriksons Stages of Psychosocial Development
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Adolescence- Social Development

• Identity
• ones sense of self
• the adolescents task is to solidify a sense of
  self by testing and integrating various roles
• Intimacy
• the ability to form close, loving relationships
• a primary developmental task in late adolescence
  and early adulthood

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According to Erik Erikson, the task of the
adolescent is to

• A. find intimacy.
• B. establish an identity.
• C. become autonomous.
• D. conquer their sense of inferiority.

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Adolescence- Social Development

• The changing parent-child relationship

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Peers and Parents

• Arguments occur more often by adolescence and are
  usually over trivial things like chores and
  homework. For most, these arguments are not
  destructive.
• Teens who feel close to their parents tend to be
  healthy and happy and do well in school.
• Peer influences are significant and the social
  psychologist Aronson (2001) suggests that the
  atmosphere in most high schools is poisonously
  clique-driven and exclusionary. (page 131).
• However, teens seem to believe that their
  parents influence matters most for important
  choices like choosing a college and career.
• Graduation from adolescence to adulthood is now
  taking longer.

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Adolescence

• In the 1890s the average interval between a
  womans menarche and marriage was about 7 years
  now it is over 12 years.