Adolescence

Adolescence: The Transitional Years presents the intricate physical, emotional, and behavioral changes that occur during the years between childhood and adulthood. This book provides psychological studies of adolescence and the methods used to gain information about adolescent development.
Organized into 12 chapters, this book begins with an overview of the contributions of psychology to understanding the transition from childhood to adulthood. This text then reviews the changes at puberty, including the sequence of development for girls and boys and the underlying physiological mechanisms responsible. Other chapters consider the cultural variations in the mode of transition from childhood to adulthood. This book provides as well a brief overview of the psychological dimensions of self-identity. The final chapter deals with the educational experience for adolescents and examines the factors associated with different levels of educational attainment.
This book is a valuable resource for developmental psychologists, sociologists, geneticists, anthropologists, theorists, and research workers.

Contenu

Chapter 1 Issues in the Study of Adolescence

The Nature of Adolescence

The Onset of Adolescence

The End of Adolescence

Adolescence as Western Invention

Themes of Adolescence

Searching for an Identity

Establishing Autonomy

Decision-Making about Life Goals

Approaches to the Study of Adolescence

Literary Accounts

Case Studies

Observational Studies

Interview and Questionnaire Studies

Hypothesis-Testing Studies

Age Effect and Cohort Effects

Cross-Sectional Research

Longitudinal Research

Summary

Chapter 2 Physical Development and Status Change

The Secular Trend

Dimensions of the Secular Trend

Factors Affecting the Secular Trend

Effects of the Secular Trend

Transformations of Puberty

The Initiation of Puberty

Typical Physical Changes at Puberty

A Young Girl's Puberty: The Case of Claire

A Young Boy's Puberty: The Case of Mark

Gender Variation and Individual Variation

The Timing of Puberty

Early Maturation

Late Maturation

Status Change and Initiation

Rites of Passage

Initiation Drama and Social Communication

Functions of Initiation Rites

Status Change in Western Culture

Summary

Chapter 3 Identity Development

Psychological Dimensions of Self-Identity

Aspects of Identity

Freud's Theoretical Approach to Adolescent Identity Development: The Transformations of Puberty

Stages of Psychosexual Development

Erikson's Psychosocial Theory

Stage Crises

Differences Between Erikson's and Freud's Views

Senses of Identity in Erikson's Theory

Crisis and Commitment in Identity Status

Identity and Individuation

Sex Differences in Identity Status

Developmental Validity of Identity Status

Methodological Difficulties

Summary

Chapter 4 Sex-Role Consolidation in Adolescence

Opening Exercise

The Surgeon-Patient Riddle

Roles and Stereotypes

Sex-Role Stereotypes

Stereotypes in Behavior

Sex-Role Orientation

Masculinity and Femininity

Father Absence and Cross-Sex Identity

Androgyny

Culture and Sex-Role Orientation

Parental Influences on Sex-Role Orientation

Cultural Expectations for Gender Roles

Developmental History of Sex Differences in Behavior

Spatial Ability

Measures of Spatial Ability

Spatial Ability and Hormonal Influences

Brain Lateralization

Spatial Ability and Genetic Influences

Spatial Ability and Differential Socialization

Beyond Sex Roles

Summary

Chapter 5 Cognitive Development

The Check-Checking Problem

The Nature of Thought in Adolescence

Increased Use of Logic

Hypothetical Reasoning

Abstract Thinking

Thinking About Thinking

Stages in Cognitive Development

Piaget's Cognitive-Developmental Theory

Piaget's Stages

Concrete Versus Formal Operations

Transition from Concrete to Formal Operations

Training Studies

Formal Operations as a Structured Whole

Environment and Formal Operations

IQ and Formal Operations

Methodological Issues

Summary

Chapter 6 Moral Development

Plagiarism

Developmental History of Moral Judgment

Piaget's Position

Kohlberg's Theory

Levels of Moral Judgment

Cognitive and Moral Stages

Moral Stages and Development

The Issue of Sequentiality

The Structured Whole in Moral Development

Moral Judgment and Moral Behavior

Cheating

Obedience

Prosocial Behavior

Effects of Social Environment on Moral Developent

Role-Taking Opportunities

Parental Influences on Moral Development

Sex Differences in Moral Developent

Sex Differences in Moral Judgment

Sex Differences in Moral Behavior

Identity and Moral Judgment

Summary

Chapter 7 Social Interaction in Adolescence

Relationships with Parents

Social Interchanges

Family Role Relationships

The Generation Gap

Developmental Changes in Adolescent-Parent Relationships

The "Launching Center"

Peer Interaction in Adolescence

Sullivan's Interpersonal Theory

The Interpersonal Cognitive System

Dating as Adolescent Social Interaction

Historical Changes in Heterosexual Interaction

Stages of Dating

Dating Adjustment

Dating and Sexual Role-Playing

Summary

Chapter 8 Adolescent Sexuality

The Sexual Revolution

Liberalized Attitudes

Increased Participation in Sexual Behavior

Developmental Aspects of Sexuality

Development of Interpersonal Intimacy

Incidence of Coitus in Early Adolescence

Sexual Intercourse in Late Adolescence

Factors Influencing Sexual Behavior

Sexual Behavior and the Peer Group

Sex Within a Relationship

Sex and Moral Judgment

Puberty and Self-Perception

Social Characteristics Influencing Sexual Behavior

Gender and Sexual Role-Playing

The Double Standard

Sexual Role-Playing in Anthropological Perspective

Sexual Activities

Masturbation

Adolescent Homosexuality

Difficulties with Sex Research in Adolescence

Sample Representativeness

Response Reliability

Summary

Chapter 9 Youth Culture and Political Socialization

Youth Culture and Generational Differences

Cohort Effects

Age Effects

Period Effects

History of Student Protest in the United States

Eighteenth- and 19th-century Protest

Twentieth-Century Protest

Political Events and Youth Movements

Generation Units

Explaining Generation Units: Political Socialization

Political Socialization

Parental Influences on Political Behavior

Peer Influence on Political Behavior

Other Socialization Agents

Factors Associated with Generation Units

Personality Characteristics

Cognitive Development and Political Knowledge

Level of Moral Development

Radicals a Decade Later

Social Structure and Technology

Nonpolitical Generation Units in Adolescence and Youth

Religious Cults

Countercultural Generation Units

Summary

Chapter 10 Juvenile Delinquency

The Case of Juan Hernandez

Delinquent Behavior Versus Official Delinquency

Delinquent Offenses

Self-Reports of Delinquent Behavior

Types of Delinquency

Anonymous and Nonanonymous Disclosure

Seriousness of Delinquent Behavior

Explanatory Approaches to Delinquency

The Glueck Study

The Youth-in-Transition Project

Subcultures of Delinquen…