Development in Adolescence

Development in Adolescence

Physical Development
Puberty - Fast-paced physical changes occurring during adolescence.
Emergence of primary and secondary sex characteristics
New concept psychologically - lowered age physical maturation, but increased age psychological maturation
Early maturing males, On time maturing females (early maturing girls can lead to earlier sexual activity and eating problems)

Development in Adolescence

Identity vs. role confusion (Erikson, 1963).
Job, self, ethnic, Is one chosen? By self or others (foreclosure)?
Adolescent increasingly moves towards more independence (varies by culture).
Stress and storm? - due to longer stay at home

Peers become important (part. 9th grade). According to Harris, may be more influential than parent
Parental influence can counteract the negative affects of peers (authoritative parenting for Caucasian and authoritarian for African- and Asian-American better than permissive)
What declines is time spent with the family group

Risky behavior may increase - invincibility fallacy - sex, driving, smoking, etc.
Piaget - naïve idealism (formal operation schemes that need to be equilibrated to work in the real world), adolescent egocentrism (imaginary audience, everyone looking at me), personal fable (exaggerated sense of own uniqueness)

Satisfaction with Life by Age

Research has shown that there is very little change in life satisfaction as we age - it doesn't decrease.

Development in Early Adulthood (18-35)

Car, vote, drink, 1^st marriage (23 for women 25 for men)
Intimacy vs. Isolation (Erikson) - The ability to form committed adult relationships.
Cognitive abilities improve - develop adult thought - more complex, adaptive, more abstract, can deal with inconsistencies, contradictions
Top physical shape
Adopt a dream - drive to be someone, find our place

Marriage and Divorce

Divorce - U.S. has highest divorce rate in world. (50% 1st marriages)
Successful marriages predicted by:
Similarity in age, religion, attitudes, ethnicity, personality, intelligence, education level (not living together before marriage)
Most frequent reason for happy marriage - Spouse seen as friend/like spouse, Marriage viewed as long term commitment, Willingness to openly, calmly communicate about prob.

Development in Middle Adulthood (35-65)

1 generation from teens, recognize self as mortal
Increased farsightness (40)
Monetary and emotional commitments (home, children, parents)
Generativity vs. Stagnation (Erikson)
Ability to find meaning in one’s life work, increased emphasis on needs of others.
Midlife transition, - less likely, if life turned out as planned or accept life as is
midlife crisis? Perhaps not
Menopause (approx 50) - 70% relieved, liberated, not affected, only about 10% become depressed
Empty-nest syndrome - most mothers and fathers don’t suffer when last child leaves home - mothers report increased marital satisfaction and personal changes, increased self-confidence

Development in Older Adults

Physical - spine disks decrease in size, posture and height change
Vision – lens (presbyopia – mid to late 40s)
Hearing - difficulty with the higher frequency sounds
Smell and taste - can lead to health problems
Much individual variation - Importance of active lifestyle
Integrity vs. Despair - The ability to see one’s life as meaningful, satisfying or disappointment?
Memory - problem with recall, not recognition, also may be less confident with answers
Fluid -Reasoning ability, memory capacity, info processing speed, ability to learn
Crystallized - skills, strategies, factual knowledge, ability to apply knowledge
Fluid intelligence may decline because of decreased use of these abilities after one leaves school. Older individuals do better on tests that measure general information, vocabulary, reasoning ability, and social judgment

Alzheimers

Progressive and incurable dementia
Loss of neurons in hippocampus (memory problems), neurofibrillary tangles (twisted, stringy masses), plaques (deposits of protein and other matter)
Heredity
High IQ, cognitive activities, anti-inflammatory drugs, Vitamin E

Death and Dying