Challenge and Change

1. Challenge and Change An Adolescent Perspective

2. Adolecence • A transition between childhood and adulthood • Defined by World Health Organization as persons between 10 and 19 Lets Consider: Do you agree with this age range? Do you think this is consistent across all cultures?

3. Adolescence • The term was made popular by psychologist G. Stanley Hall in 1904. • He specifically applied the term to define the transition between childhood and adulthood • This definition grew as society began to institute laws against child labour and secondary schools became more popular (late 1800s) • School attendance prolonged the period of children’s dependence on parents and delayed the transition to adulthood • Young people now could develop psychologically, socially and academically more slowly. • This gave children longer to mature and assume their positions and responsibilities in the adult world (largely at their own pace)

4. Margaret Mead • This American anthropologist was a pioneer in the study of cultural and biological factors that influenced adolescence • She travelled to Samoa in 1925 to undertake participant observation on a group of Samoan adolescent girls • She wanted to find our if stress during adolescence was caused by adolescence itself or by society • She observed and interviewed 68 girls between the age of 9 and 20 • She observed that for Samoan girls adolescence was largely stress free • She believed that the reason was due to the sexual freedom Samoan girls experienced and conclude that these roles (“norms”) were dictated by their culture

5. Current Interpretations • In 1983 Derek Freeman criticized Mead as based on his own observations of Samoan girls he found that Samoans had very restrictive sexual practices and concluded that Mead must have been duped by teenaged girls embarrassed to discuss sexual questions with an outsider • In 2009 this debate was explored by anthropologist Paul Shankman • Shankman concluded that both researchers were correct in their findings but differed in their interpretations of Samoan culture due to different societal norms and values evolving in the USA between 1925 and 1983 • As well Samoans had largely been converted to Christianity and themselves had a different, more conservative, outlook on sexuality

6. What to make of all this • Adolescence is certainly marked by biologic changes in the human body • The length of the Adolescent transition varies from culture to culture and time period to time period (based on shifting Norms and Values) • Stress associated with this time period is largely a construct of those Norms and Values What Norms and Values lead to stress for the average Canadian Teen?

7. Adolecence and Egocentrism • Psychologist David Elkind theorized that there are a number of key components to the adolescent stage of life • The primary feature is the immaturity of the thinking process • The argumentative nature of teens comes from the an under developed reasoning capacity • The time period is marked with extreme indecisiveness due to exaggerated self consciousness. • Decision making is often difficult and teens often keep many avenues open as they explore various alternatives and solutions to problems • Often Idealistic and Critical… they tend to envision an ideal world and criticize the real world they have inherited from Adults

8. This “risk” of Adolescence • Elkind also studies the tendency among teenagers to think they are invincible and invulnerable • These beliefs lead to risk taking behavior not exhibited by other age groups (extreme sports, thrill seeking activities, substance abuse) • All of these behaviors stem from the Egocentric nature of an adolescent • There is a heightened sense of self-awareness and self-consciousness that is apparent among many teens • Teens also believe that others are interested in them as much as they are interested in themselves (the “imaginary audience”) • Teens imagine a captive audience observing and scrutinizing every move • This “personal fable” leads to a belief that they are special, or unique, and somehow above reproach and rules that govern society

9. Socialization • The was that a person learns the roles, norms and values of society is through the process of socialization • Socialization begins in childhood with the “Family” • The Family is often referred to as the primary “agent of socialization” What is a Family?? How is the Definition Changing?

10. Influece of Social Groups • As one enters adolescence other socialization agents become increasingly influential • In modern society peer group and media have a huge role in how a teen understands the world around them and interprets the norms and values of society • New social realities are often experienced due to all the unique forces, positive and negative, that surround adolescents. • Political convictions, religious beliefs and personal convictions may all be challenged • Individuals may experience cognitive dissonance with respect to making choices that are contradicted by different socialization agents • For example: Family may have a different perception of illegal drug use or when to become sexually active than a Peer group.

11. Culture and Identity • Culture and Ethicity are key factors in how an individual comes to view themselves during adolescence • Achieving a positive “Ethnic Identity” is influenced by prejudice or discrimination from a more “dominant” culture and perceived or real barriers to achieving their goals • This extra stress may explain behaviors and trends among some adolescent groups who belong to a particular ethnicity • For example Aboriginal Youth are more likely to acquire substance abuse problem and also experience a higher youth suicide rate

12. The Stress of it all….. • Allison Davies outlined a number of important forces that cause anxiety and stress in adolescents • He theorized that the socialization process includes a phenomenon known as “socialized anxiety”. • This is the tension and discomfort felt by individuals that motivate and influence behavior. • For example high school students feel anxious about being accepted to college or university • This motivates them to get good grades • A measure of successful socialization among teens can be related to the amount of imposed or learned anxiety that an individual is exposed to • In the proper amount, social anxiety can be an important factor pushing the individual toward maturity. Do you Agree??

13. The Macro Approach and Generational Change • Before today we looked at societal change as often being driven by shifting societal norms and values altering as a new “generation” comes of age. • Generational replacement is used to describe the phenomenon by which changes in adolescent attitudes are important markers of social change • The ideas and values an individual acquires during adolescence will inform and shape that person’s world view well into adulthood and potentially for life • Examining popular beliefs and social trends of youth with influence and power (high school seniors) is likely to produce observations of future social shifts toward a popular social issue What do you think this indicates about a social issues surrounding the environment???