Adolescence Puberty and Problems
- adolescence
- chapter 10
- what is adolescence?
- adolescence extends from 13-18 years.
- around age 13,puberty begins,consisting of:
- rapid physical growth
- changes in body proportions
- sexual maturation
- personality shifts
- from 16-18 years,adolescents seek 2 establish a personal identity & independence from their family
- exploration,experimentation,& self expression r common:
- new uses of language
- clothing & musical tastes
- friendships & intimate/ sexual relationships
- during 16-18 years,adolescent:
- test limits & boundaries set by parents (conflicts occurs more frequently between adolescents & parents)
- discover area of their abilities & weaknesses
- make mistakes while learning many skills & problem solving strategies
- adolescence-nutrition
- although both male & female adolescents have an increased appetite ,they have a tendency 2 skip nutritious meals & instead consume many empty calorie,high fat,unhealthy-type foods
- because of their body image,many adolescents will engage in fad diets,or diet by eating less or not @ all
- adolescence- eating disorders
- anorexia nervosa & bulimia involve:
- an abnormal obsession with body w8
- fear of becoming over-w8 & obese
- distorted view of 1’s body image
- affects teenage girls more than boys
- anorexia nervosa adolescents r perfectionist,they often diet & engage in excessive exercise.
- they can die from the condition
- bulimia adolescents consume huge amounts of food that r then purged from the body by vomiting or using excessive amounts of laxatives.
- they often suffer from eroding teeth & throat complications
- adolescence safety
- the leading cause of death among us teenagers 2day is death from accidents involving alcohol &/ or drug use while driving
- suicide is the 2nd leading cause od death:
- more females attempt suicide
- males r more successful @ killing themselves
- gay & lesbian youth r about 6 times more likely than non-gay youth 2 attempt suicide
- adolescence sex
- although teen pregnancies have declined,levels r still high as well as 4 sexually transmitted disease
- the most common of std’s during adolescence include chlamydia,herpes,& venereal disease
- almost half of all new std’s r contracted among those between 15 & 24 years.
- 1 in 4 teen girls between 15 & 19 years hs @ least 1 std
- adolescence-cognitive development
- piaget referred 2 this period as “formal operations”,where adolescents gain the ability 2 understand people,events,& circumstances with flexible abstract reasoning.
- 4 example,adolescents use scientific reasoning where they quickly generate hypothesis about something & logically work through alternatives while solving a problem (trial & error).
- adolescence- distorted thinking
- pseudostupidity consist of “blowing things out of proportion” & than reacting indecisively (unable 2 make decisions or good decisions)
- imaginary audience is the belief that they r the center of every1’s attention & as a result they become self-conscious about their appearance & actions.
- personal invincibility is the belief that bad things will not happen 2 them & as a result they engage in risky behaviors.
- unprotected sex,drinking & driving
- apparent hypocrisy is the incongruence between what they say they believe & how they act
- parenting adolescents
- parents must learn 2 allow their adolescent children 2 individuate (separate) from the family system:
- gradually relinquishing control
- placing increasing amounts of personal responsibility on the adolescent so as 2 help them 2 become self-regulated
- parents must discover ways 2 help teens learn 2 make good decisions that minimize potential harm 2 themselves & others.
- open communication becomes key.
- requires patience & effort
- what is early adulthood/
- early adulthood spans from 18-45 years
- during this time the young adults typically:
- become more mature in family status
- become btr @ solving their own problems
- learn from their mistakes
- support themselves financially
- live by themselves or in an intimate relationship
- parenting young adults
- during the earlier ages of early adulthood,parents begin 2 support their child’s individuation by sharing power & allowing them 2 make their own decisions
- re-nested families: occurs when young adult children experience some type of economic or personal crisis or transitional life event (such as job loss or divorce) & then they turn 2 their family 4 support & live in their home.(mostly males)
- becoming a grandparent
- 2day,it is not unusual 4 some1 in their late 30’s or early 40’s 2 become a grandparent
- most grandparents take an active role in raising & providing care 4 their grandchildren
- however,this depends on proximity: (how far grandparents & grandchildren live from each other)
- caring 4 aging parents
- because human life expectancy is longer,caring 4 an aging parent is more common 2day
- yet not all families desire nor can afford 2 purchase care-giving services 4 elderly members & thus they take on the responsibility themselves
- more ethnic minority than white families
- the majority of adult children caregivers r women (most r middle-aged,married,parents themselves,& working full-time)
- creates stress on marriage & can lead 2 ‘burnout” &/or elderly abuse
- parenting in single-parent family systems
- chapter 11
- what R single-parent family systems?
- a single-parent family system is created from:
- divorce,desertion,or separation
- death of an adult
- giving birth 2 a child out of wedlock
divorce is the most common reason.
- single-parent family systems R composed of:
- an adult male or female parent
- & 1 or more children under 18 years of age who typically reside in separate households following a divorce.
- single-parent family systems
- account 4 about 32% of all u.s.family types with children
- more prevalent among african americans
- single-parent family systems
- R typically headed by women who have sole custody
- those headed by men R on the rise
- many of these include unmarried cohabitating partners
- divorce
- divorce is a process rather than an event
- is experienced by the whole family system rather than the adults al1
- often the functioning of the parent-child relationship is disrupted because adults become more focused on their own needs rather than on the needs of their children.
- divorced parents create new rules,roles,& interaction patterns.
- children often learn 2 sets of patterns because they R now members of 2 single-parent family systems composed of the custodial parent & the non-custodial parent.
- the non-custodial parent also reorganizes interaction patterns,boundaries,& rules that govern how he or she relates 2 the single-parent family system headed by the custodial parent.
- these often include visitation rights & major decisions that directly affect children’s welfare.
- divorce-child outcomes
- when parents divorce,children go through 3 stages:
- initial stage-
- occurs after parents inform children of their decision 2 separate.
- it is marked by high levels of stress,a mood of unhappiness,& sometimes aggressive conflicts.
- transition stage:
- commences about 1 year after the parents’ separation & lasts 4 up 2 3 years
- @ this time high emotionalism hs decreased & new family system patterns R established in terms of life style,home structure (rules),& visitation with the non-custodial parent.
- re-stabilization stage:
- occurs about 5 years after the separation when the new single-parent family system or step family hs been completely established,is functioning,& all members R familiar with the family’s structure
- boys have more adverse reactions 2 parental divorce
- girls react more adversely 2 parents remarriage
- preschoolers
- increase aggressiveness
- negative attention-getting behaviors such as whining or destroying toys
- regress from toilet training
- school age children
- drop in their school performance
- fight with their siblings & peers
- lie & steal
- adolescents
- drop in their school performance
- experiment with drugs,sex,& delinquency
- become depressed
- increase conflicts with parents
- divorce-child custody
- before the 1920’s,child custody was automatically assigned 2 the father;women had no legal rights
- 2day child custody is awarded 2 either or both parents depending on the what is the “best interests” 4 the welfare of the child.
- 2day,90% of all divorce child custodies R awarded 2 the mother.
- divorce-uncivil parents
- many times divorced parents press their hurtful feelings on their children that is often unhealthy & establishes difficulties with parental loyalty:
- cut down is when parents make negative or derogatory comments about the other parent
- messenger is when the parents solicits a child 2 be a messenger as means of communicating with the other parent.
- i-spy is when parents employ the child 2 find out what the other parent is doing
- single-parent families headed by fathers
- 2day,the idea that men R jst as capable as single-parent mothers in caring 4 their children is a new concept.
- fathers R particularly competent when they have been actively involved in child care since a child’s infancy & when they willingly accept child custody after divorce.
- single-parent fathers tend 2 share household tasks with children rather than secure help from outside & expect daughters 2 help more than sons
- single-parent mothers tend 2 perform all these tasks themselves rather than expect children 2 cooperate that causes role strain.