CHAPTER 4: ADOLESCENCE



Chapter 4: Adolescence

TERMINOLOGY

adolescence

puberty

menarche

Puberty and Menstruation

Age of Onset; Emotional reactions

Puberty—period of life during which sexual organs mature and ability to reproduce emerges. Levels of sex hormones involved with development—primary sex characteristics and secondary sex characteristics

Age of 10—most white girls, black girls earlier

Gender differences: timing of changes between boys and girls different: girls begin and complete puberty 2 yrs earlier; quantity and quality of change different:

Menstruation—obvious physiological difference

Early and Late Maturation

Early—different from other girls, and way ahead of boys same age. May feel awkward and self conscious

Late --- in synchrony with male peers Low status in Junior high—“little girls”.

Menstruation

Menarche—first menstrual period

Menstrual Pain—50 – 75% adolescents and young women report pain ea month. (Dysmenorrhea) painful cramps

Leading cause of absence from school/work

Highly anxious women/more menstrual pain

The Controversial Premenstrual Syndrome

Symptoms; Psychological reactions; Controversy

Psychological factors

Coping With Premenstrual Syndrome

Premenstrual Syndrome

Controversy—definition (200 symptoms?); idea that all menstruating women experience it—at mercy of “raging hormones”; myth created by culture

Small number--5% significant symptoms

Mood swings: research doesn’t support—research by Hardie used definition of mood more depressed or emotional—none of 83 met criteria.

Psychological cultural explanation: PMS a fact of life. Jokes and references everywhere

Hormonal factors may cause premenstrual problems in small %,

Other factors important:

Psychologica factor: anxiety and strong endorsement of traditionally feminine gender roles

Cultural factors: PMS well established in society, emphasis on biological explanations

Coping:

Cultural Attitudes Toward Menstruation

Menstrual Joy—very little research—all negative

Chrisler research: encouraged to think about positive side, more likely to feel well-being, excitement, and bursts of energy

Attitudes toward menstruation

Menarche carries important messages, because sudden and dramatic event during sexual maturation

Contradictory messages—positive and negative both

Myths and taboos

euphemisms

Conspiracy of silence: little attention paid to onset of menstruation.

Menstruation: embarrassing event—needs to be concealed, hygienic crisis.

Tampax study in 1981:

Women aware of negative social impact—awareness may lead to poor self-presentation strategies. Non menstruating women more positive about interviewer and more

Self-Concept and Identity During Adolescence

Identity—self rating of personal characteristics

Body image—attractiveness more important for girls than boys, from preschool on. Most important dimension teen girls

Good looks and physical beauty

Body Image and Physical Attractiveness

Eating disorders—culture emphasizes female beauty ideal of extreme thinness.

Adolescent girls more concerned with body weight and appearance than males

Dramatic increase in rates of eating disorders since 1980’s—goes along with increase in body dissatisfaction in teen girls.

Media

Women of color--invisible

Physical appearance vs. Athletic competence---appearance strongest predictor of self worth in females.

Males—athletic competence. Concerned with how bodies perform, compared with females preoccupation with how bodies look.

Girls in athletics found to have higher self esteem, along with long term health benefits

Feminist Identity

Ethnic Identity

Self-esteem—evaluation of yourself, negative to positive.

Recent studies: counter reports that female youth much lower than male

Meta analysis: over 200 studies, late adolescence finds somewhat larger gap between boys/girls--European-American. Black teens less discrepancy

Social class difference found

Education and Career Planning

Young Women’s Experiences in Middle School and High School

Early Experiences in Math and Science

Subtle biases-discouraging to women

Male peers

Extracurricular groups—girls not joining

Feelings of incompetence despite high performance

School programs—encouraging science for females

Parents & Teachers—support females’ interest in nontraditional fields—seek nonsexist career guidance

Higher Education

Demographics—females: more likely to pursue higher ed

Women—56% university grads in Canada; 56% students enrolled in US college/university

The Academic Environment

Career Aspirations

1. Adolescent males and females have equivalent aspirations with respect to advanced degrees, and they also aspire to similarly prestigious careers.

2. Adolescent females are more likely than adolescent males to choose careers that are nontraditional for their gender.

3. Adolescent females are more likely than adolescent males to emphasize the importance of marriage and children.

4. Parents are more likely to let daughters make their own decisions about careers.

Personal characteristics

Parents' backgrounds

Career Aspirations Versus Reality—begin middle or high school with career goals, until message of need to have boyfriend---lose sight of goals.

Romance—boyfriend may not support career ambitions, so less dedicated student

Downscaling Dreams—2/3 of group women studied—diminished aspirations—more energy directed toward romantic relationships.

Interpersonal Relationships During Adolescence

Family Relationships During Adolescence

Family as basis of identification

Mothers

Discussing emotions

Friendships During Adolescence

Romantic Relationships During Adolescence

Heterosexual Relationships

Lesbian Relationships

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download