Chapter 11 First Half

Transition of Adolescence

1. PHYSICAL CHANGES >
PUBESCENCE-Secondary sex characteristic-boys
go through voice change, grow facial hair and
muscle growth. Females experience breast
growth and wider hips. The physical changes
are triggered by the pituitary gland.

PUBERTY-Primary sex characteristics the
structures necessary for reproduction develop
fully. Females is signaled my menarche the
first occurrence of menstruation. Growth
continues until about 17 year of age. Boys no
clear-cut marker although the capacity to
ejaculate is used as an index. Growth
continues until about age 20. Puberty arrives
about 2 years later in boys than girls. Girls
who mature early are often socially isolated.
Boys who mature late have been found to feel
more inadequate, insecure and to think less
of themselves.


2. COGNITIVE CHANGES >
Think more abstractly and more efficiently use
deductive reasoning skills.

Erik Erikson's identity theory:
Identity emerges out of an "identity crisis."
An identity crisis usually ends with a commitment
to a specific career and personal value system.

James Marcia combined these 2 factors of crisis and
produced 4.

IDENTITY FORECLOSURE > a premature commitment to
visions, values, & roles
MORATORIUM > delaying commitment for a while to
experiment with alternative ideologies
IDENTITY ACHIEVEMENT > arriving at a sense of self
& direction after some consideration of
alternative possibilities.
IDENTITY DIFFUSION > an inability to make identity commitments.

Jeffrey Arnett - looked at the research on 3
relevant issues for adolescence turmoil.
PARENT-ADOLESCENT CONFLICTS increase
VOLATILE EMOTIONS AND EXTREMES OF MOOD
RISKY BEHAVIORS > indicate that even when
conflicts arise, most teens continue to enjoy close
relationships with their parents.


3. ADOLESCENT SUICIDE >
PARASUICIDES or attempted suicides > are not
consciously trying to end their lives; are excessive
emotional turmoil, bewilderment, and nervous distress;
tend to be desperate cries for attention, help, and support.
Girls are more likely to attempt suicide, and boys are more
likely to complete suicide.
Suicidal ideation – thinking about committing suicide is
common among high school students, so common that
it is almost a “normal” preoccupation.

4. THE EXPANSE OF ADULTHOOD
Social Clock > is a person’s idea of a developmental schedule
that specifies what he or she should have accomplished by
certain points in life.

5. EARLY ADULTHOOD (Age 20-30)
Demographically Dense > refers to the fact that more role
changes occur during this period than any other.

Jeffrey Arnett > Young adults are not marrying or having children
as early as in the past; they are using this new time of growth
to discover their identities more fully.

Erikson’s Sixth Stage > Intimacy > can one learn to open up to
others , truly commit to others & give of oneself unselfishly.
The ability to establish & maintain intimate relationships
depends on having susessfully weathered the identity crisis
of adolescence.

Jacob Orlofsky > 5 intimacy statuses
• Intimate – are capable of forming open & close
relationships with both male & female friends
& are involved in a committed relationship
• Preintimate – are capable of mature, reciprocal
relationships they haven’t yet experienced a
committed relationship because they are
ambivalent about making commitments.
• Sterotyped – have relationships that are superficial
& not very close; see others as objects to manipulate
rather than to share with.
• Pseudontimate – are typically involved in a relatively
permanent relationship, but it resembles the stereotyped
relationship in quality.
• Isolate- avoid social situations & appear to be loners
whose social interactins consist of casual conversations
with a few acquaintances.

World of Work > People in their twenties change jobs on the
average of every 2 years. Once men begin working full-time
they stay in the workforce until they retire. Women often have
a discontinuous pattern. They move in out of the workforce at
different points in their lives.

Marriage & Family Life > The average of first marriage for
women is about 25; for men it is about 27. Most are choosing
not to have children, but the majority plan to do so. After the
arrival of the first child There’s a shift in responsibilities with
more marital conflict and a decline in marital satisfaction & mental
health. In dual-earner families women typically bear greater
responsibilities in the realms of child care & housework. Unlike
heterosexual couples gay & lesbian couples are more likely to
share the workload.

6. MIDDLE ADULTHOOD (Age 40-65)
Erikson’s Theory: Generativity Vs. Stagnation
Generaitvity – a concern for the welfare of future generations.
Being a “generative person helps the self by establishing
meaning & purpose at the same time it helps others in direct
& literal ways.

Stagnation – is characterized by self-absorption & self-indulgent
preoccupation with one’s own needs.

Confronting the Aging Process
Around 1900 the life span was 50 years. Great strides in health,
wealth, and social well-being have expanded the life span. Midlife
is a new concept. There are physical transformation: changes in
vision, the onset of wrinkles, weight gain, tooth & gum problems
and more bodily aches & pains, even height decreases as the
vertebrae compresses. After early adulthood people perceive
themselves to
be younger than they actually are. Woman find it harder to accept
growing older. There’s a double standard of perception that
women’s attractiveness declines with age than men’s does.

Transistions in the Parenting Role
Children have grown up and moved out and parents are now
feeling the “empty nest syndrome.” Sometimes younger siblings
still at home feel saddened. The post-parental period often provides
couples with more freedom and time to devote to each other, to
travel, and to pursue new leisure interests. Marital satisfaction
starts climbing to higher levels once again.

Transistions in the Work Role
Stable career pattern – have more responsibility, earn more money, & wield more influence
• Some work at a frantic pace, struggling to accomplish their goals
• Others are content with their work achievements & shift their attention to family and leisure.
Changing career pattern – seeking to begin a different type of work.
• Looking for a new line of work because they have been forced out of a job by cutbacks
• Seeking new challenges
• Women entering or reentering he workforce

Midlife Crisis?
May bring a period of increased reflection as people contemplate
the remainder of their lives; heard their social clocks ticking as
they struggled to achieve their life goals;

7. LATE ADULTHOOD (age 65)
Erikson’s Theory: Integrity Vs. Despair
Integrity > able to look back on their lives with a sense of
satisfaction & to find meaning & purpose there.

Despair > the tendency to dwell on the mistakes of the past,
bemoan paths not chosen, and contemplate the approach of death
with bitterness.

Retirement
Average age has been decreasing; usually a gradual process; is
construed as something of a mixed blessing; can pose a problem
for those forced to leave work because of ill helth, mandatory
retirement policies, or job elinimation; Those most likely to be
affected are blacks, Hispanics, and women.
Changes in Support Networks
A receipe for successful aging, older adults must learn to avoid
social isolation by compensating for loss, carefully selecting their
friends, and optimizing their existing or potential relationships.