Adolescence 

  

• Period between normal onset of puberty to the beginning of adulthood.-         

*In pre-industrial societies, people passed this stage in life after performing necessary puberty rites.  *In U.S. adolescence didn’t exist before the Civil War! 

       Anticipatory socialization- adolescent preparing to take on new adult roles

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Puberty- physical maturing that makes an individual capable of sexual reproduction.

Puberty rites (men & women)

• differ from society to society

• average age is 13yrs. old

Examples:       Demonstrations of strength and endurance (simulation)

       Ritual filing of the teeth (volunteer)

• Tattooing or scarring of the body (powerpoint)

There are 3 factors that make adolescence a life stage:

1. Education- students living at home while

in college

2. Exclusion of youth in the workforce- child

labor laws

3. Development of the juvenile justice system-

different sentencing guidelines based on age

Ex. Lee Boyd Malvo- 16 yr. old sniper

4 Characteristics of Adolescence

1. Biological Growth & Development

2. Undefined Status

3. Increased Decision Making

4. Increased Pressure

Biological Growth & Development

• Puberty is universal

• Endocrine system- hormone-producing glands

• Spurts in height & weight in short amount of time

• Pimples! 80% of adolescents have acne- results in anxiety/embarrassment

Undefined status- some adults treat teenagers like adults, some treat them like children

• Marriage at 14-18 w/o parental consent in U.S.

• Voting age- 18

• Drinking age- 21

• Driver’s License- 16-18

• Service in Armed Forces- 18

Increased Decision Making

• What courses should I take in school?

• What sports should I play?

• What car/job should I have?

• College, tech school, take a year off, work for the family?

• Choosing a mate & career- MAJOR decision!

Increased Pressure• Relationships with family and friends

• Job- finding one, keeping one, juggling school work/grades, scheduling free time

• Teenagers want to fit in: Parental curfews true friends or not? Advertisements to lure teens into brand name clothes, certain music, movies, etc.

TV Shows

Teenagers and Dating

• Dating is NOT universal!

• Dating didn’t exist before WWI- it was called courting.

Courting

•Very few dates with the person you chose to marry!

• If left alone in a room, one foot had to be on the floor& the door always open.

4 forms of dating

1. Recreation

2. Socialization

3. Attain status

4. Fulfill psychological needs

List at least 20 recreational activities to do on a date! Keep it clean!

Dating PatternsTraditional

(up to 1960)•Male to female contact

•Visible sign of commitment•Certain times of the week to make plans for the weekend

Contemporary•Both contact each other•Group friendship at first

•Parents don’t have as much control

For many of the Old Order Amish young people, pairing up begins at Sunday evening singings. The boy will take the girl home in his buggy. The couple is secretive about their courtship. Several days to two weeks before the wedding, the couple is published in church and their intentions to marry are made known. Weddings are in November, or at the very latest in early December. That's after the busy fall harvesting season is over. Weddings are on Tuesdays or Thursdays-the least busy days of the week on an Amish farm. The wedding is held at the home of the bride and the sermon and ceremony will last about four hours. Weddings usually begin at 8:30 a.m. There are no kisses, rings, photography, flowers or caterers. There are usually 200 or more guests. After the wedding there is a dinner of chicken, filling, mashed potatoes, gravy, ham, canned fruit, plus many cookies, cakes and pies.

Was used to set the time a gentleman caller could spend courting a young girl. The girl's father would light and raise or lower the candle the height he felt appropriate as the courter arrived. If the father thought the young man was a good prospect for his daughter, the candle was set high. On the other hand, if he disapproved, he made sure the candle was set very low. Everyone knew that when the candle burned down to the top of the candleholder, it was time to say goodnight.

Amish Case Study (2001)

Community records: Out of 200 Amish members, there hasn’t been one divorce!

Question: Maybe our societal views on dating should change to lower our devastating divorce rate- which is 1.5 out of 2 marriages in 2005 ended!

Stages of dating

1. Casual (recreation/amusement)

2. Steady (no interest in anyone else)

3. Engagement (ring and a date)

4. Marriage

Sequence of dating•Degree of commitment increases w/ each stage

(boyfriend/girlfriend)

•Stages may be skipped (love at first site?)

•Can be stopped at any time (runaway bride)

How did the Industrial Revolution change courting in the U.S.?

1. Cars- easier to communicate (neighbors)

2. Males no longer on farms- become

independent, workplace acquaintances

3. Creation of co-ed public school system

4. Establishment of child labor laws allows

for more “free time”

5. Women in the workforce in the 1920’s!

Willard Waller- (Penn State) sociologist that studied dating people.

He made a bold conclusion that dating had little to do with mate selection and more to do with having fun!

•Mother/Father of my

children

•Inheritance is sizable

•Popularity & good looks

• False sense of tremendous wealth

• Education

THEN TODAY

Homogomy- individuals marry people who have social characteristics similar to their own

ANSWER:

Cinderella is a fairy tale!

1. Pregnancy & AIDS2. Drugs 3. Suicide

TEE

Early sexual activity = Negative Health Consequences

Do you know what the 6th leading cause of death is among adolescents?

Here are two of the many you need to remember!

#1

Sociologists attribute this horrifying statistic to three causes:

Do you have any guesses?

1. Unprotected sex

2. Drug use

3. Rape

Comprehensive AIDS website

Aids Memorial Quilt

HerpesGonorrhea

Genital Warts

Crabs

Syphilis

The U.S. teenage pregnancy rate is

5x that of Germany, Japan, or France.

Background to the social problem:• In the 1960’s, the Sexual

Revolution happened and the Birth Control Pill was developed.

• Love-Inns & Swinging parties were common.

STAT:

In 2005- 99% of TV programs had sexual material in the script

TV Censorship timeline

Reasons for early sexual activity:

• Socio and economical factors

2 parents & high income- lowest rate

Single parent & low income- highest rate

• Religious participation

• Drug use & peer pressure

Consequences of early sexual activity:

• Teenage mothers become drop-outs

• Teenage mothers have lower paying jobs

• Children of teenagers have more learning difficulties

• Children of teenagers have a higher rate of becoming teenage parents themselves

STAT: Over 10% of mothers are teenagers!

#2 problem

Cocaine and Heroin ads

Harrison Narcotic Act (1914)-outlawed heroin and cocaine for recreational or medicinal purposes

• Extreme mood swings

• Increase in criminal activities

• Crack cocaine is #1 drug in gang violence

• Marijuana- leading drug in high schools

• Cigarettes- 20% of teenagers are addicted to nicotine by the age of 17

• Alcohol abuse by teens has decreased slightly in the past decade

WHY do teens use drugs?#1 reason…

2. Social and academic problems

3. Living in a hostile or rejecting family setting

Department of Health & Human Services

Problem #3

Best resource for suicide information:Center for Disease and Control

Predictors:

•Alcohol and/or drug use- Why?

1. Low level of self-control

2. Use it as a method to commit suicide

3. Easily frustrated & more likely to act on impulse

Disclaimer: Suicides stats. are often wrong. Many are reported as accidents

(single-car/no brake marks) or drug overdoses.

More predictors cont.-

• Triggering Events- unwanted pregnancy, poor grades, family crisis, loss/rejection of an important person

• Age- 3rd leading cause of death among people

aged 15-24

(1. Accidents 2. Homicides)

• Gender- Females are 3x more likely to attempt

suicide but fail (pills/superficial cuts)

Males more likely to succeed b/c they

use weapons

Suicide predictors cont.-• Family Relations- violence in the home, intense

marital conflicts, recent loss of parent due to divorce or death.

*Suicide is more common in families whose parent/s

show rejection or hostility towards their children.*

• Population Density- under populated areas have a higher suicide rate b/c there are fewer social services and more social isolation

Geographically, fewer suicides happen where?

East coast, West coast or Midwest? Western

• Cluster Effect- one suicide often leads to a COPYCAT suicide within a community. The news acts like a fuse with already unstable teens.

Social Factors that affect suicide rates:

Emile Durkheim (1897)- famous for the most comprehensive case study of suicide to date!

He wanted to know why some groups within a society have higher suicide rates then others. He concluded this:

It depends on the their level of social integration.

Social Integration- the degree of attachment one has to a social group or society.

• Opposite ends of the spectrum; if you place your groups’ needs above your own because you are very socially integrated- you have an increased risk.

Eskimos in GreenlandIn many societies, primarily nomadic or very poor ones, it is not uncommon that old members of the tribe will commit suicide to avoid continuing life as weak and pitiable creatures that are a burden on their community. Among the Eskimos, such motives appeared to be quite frequent, and a person might be placed in a kayak on the ocean to sail toward the sunrise, or be left behind in the wilderness. Last recorded case- 1939.

Inuit Eskimos

Iluilissat Ice fjord

• People w/ low levels of social integration have the highest rate of suicide.

What groups are you involved in?

• Rates also increase during periods of social disorganization

Examples: natural disasters, war, sudden change in economic conditions