C H A P T E R 6 S E C T I O N 1

ADOLESCENCE IN OUR SOCIETY

ADOLESCENCE

Defined as the period between the normal onset of puberty and the beginning of adulthood.• Puberty: physical maturing that makes an

individual capable of sexual reproduction• Adolescence as a distinct life stage is the creation

of modern industrial society.• Adolescence simply does not exist as a concept in many

parts of the world• However, puberty occurs in all human societies

CONCEPT OF ADOLESCENCE

• Adolescence not universal – in many preindustrial societies, young people go directly from childhood to adulthood once they have taken part in formal ceremonies known as puberty rites• These rites generally occur at ages of 13-14 and differ

from society to society

3 FACTORS OF ADOLESCENCE

1. Education: strict laws make education mandatory up to the age of 16 and most stay in school until they are 18 – then college

2. Exclusion of youth from the labor force3. Development of Juvenile-Justice system

CHARACTERISTICS OF ADOLESCENCE

• The experiences of adolescence are not the same for everyone but there are 5 characteristics generally apply to all adolescents.• Biological growth and development• Undefined status• Increased decision making• Increased pressures• The search for self

BIOLOGICAL GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

• Puberty is the one aspect of adolescence that is found in every society.• Puberty is universal because it is biological rather than

cultural in origin.

• During early adolescence, individuals often undergo spurts of growth in height and weight as well as changes in body proportions.• Human brain does not finish developing until people

are in their early 20’s

UNDEFINED STATUS

• Society’s expectations for children and adults are quite clear• Adolescent expectations are often vague however• While some adults treat adolescents as children,

others treat them as adults• Often difficult for adolescents to determine their

status

INCREASED DECISION MAKING

• Young children have most of their decisions made for them by adults• When children reach adolescence, they must

make many of their own decisions• Seems to be no end to the decisions that must be

made• Some decisions of little long term importance

while others have far reaching consequences

INCREASED PRESSURE

• Adolescents faced with pressure from many sources• Young people under pressure to strike a balance

between parental wishes and peer pressures• Greatest pressure probably comes from peers• Teenagers want to be accepted• Go along with latest fads and fashions – billions of

dollars spent a year targeting teenage consumers• Pressure to establish relationships• Job related pressures

THE SEARCH FOR SELF

• Adolescents are mature enough to think about themselves and about what they want out of life• Most teens can sort through values and decide

what is most important to them• They can establish personal norms that will guide

their behavior and set priorities for their lives• When people know who they are, what they want

out of life, and which values will serve them best, they are in a better position to make the most of adulthood

SEARCHING FOR SELF

• Preparing for future roles is one aspect of finding oneself• Thus anticipatory socialization is quite an

important part of adolescent development• Anticipatory socialization involves learning the

rights, obligations, and expectations of a role to prepare for assuming that role in the future.

C H A P T E R 6 S E C T I O N 2

TEENAGERS AND DATING

DATING

• Dating is a social behavior that is familiar to the vast majority of Americans • Like adolescence, dating is not a universal phenomenon

• Dating, or the meeting of people as a romantic engagement, is most commonly found in societies that allow individuals to choose their own marriage partners.• In some societies, marriages are arranged by parents• Other cases, the future spouses do not even see

each other until their wedding day.• Dating is a relatively recent phenomenon.• It did not emerge as a form of social interaction

between the sexes until just after WWI.

COURTSHIP AND DATING

• Prior to the rise of dating in the U.S., interaction between young unmarried men and women was restricted to courtship.• Courtship differs from dating in that courtship’s

express purpose is eventual marriage.• Dating is the means though which most

individuals eventually do select their marriage mates in modern American society

COURTSHIP AND DATING

• Think of dating as a continuum: it begins with casual dating, progresses to steady dating, and then moves on to engagement, and eventually marriage• As individuals move along the continuum, the

degree of commitment given to the relationship increases.• In modern relationships the interaction may stop

at any point along the continuum and some stages may be bypassed• Thus this relationship system is very flexible

COURTSHIP AND DATING

• Courtship was not casual and roles were strictly defined• To court a woman, a young man was expected first to

meet her parents and ask their permission. Also expected that the man’s intentions would be honorable and above all, marriage-minded.• Courtship was conducted in the parlor of the woman’s

home under close supervision or in a social situation among a group of people• If the relationship continued for any length of time,

marriage was the expected outcome.• Young people did have fun together during courtship,

but its main purpose was to find a spouse.

EMERGENCE OF DATING

• Rise of industrialization contributed greatly to the development of dating in the U.S.

• Prior to Industrial Revolution, the economy of the U.S. was based primarily on agriculture.

• The timing of marriage was determined by the age at which a man acquired the property necessary to support a family.

• Meaning marriage was delayed until a young man’s father was willing to transfer a portion of the family land to the son.

• Because family property was involved, parents exercised considerable control over the marriage choices of their children.

EMERGENCE OF DATING

• During Industrial Revolution many people moved away from farms and into the cities. As a result, young adults became less dependent on their parents for economic security.

• This economic freedom reduced parental control over courtship and set the stage for the development of dating.

• Free public education also helped to pave the way for dating – public schools were co-ed

• Trend toward dating accelerated in the years after World War I.

• More and more Americans acquired telephones and automobiles which gave young people added freedom of movement

EMERGENCE OF DATING

• 1920s period of increased social and political equality for women• More women entered workforce and took active

roles in the community• As a result, the interaction between single adult

men and single adult women increased• Under these social changes, dating was a much

more practical form of interaction than was the former courtship system

HOMOGAMY

• Is the tendency of individuals to marry people who have social characteristics similar to their own

WHY DATE?

1) Dating is a form of entertainment – it allows young people to get together to simply have fun (casual dating)

2) Dating is a mechanism for socialization – it teaches individuals about members of the opposite sex and how to behave in social situations and learn appropriate role behaviors, and to define their self concepts

3) Dating fulfills certain basic psychological needs such as conversation, companionship, and understanding

4) Dating helps individuals attain status – people are judge in part by whom they date

5) Dating aids in spouse selection

TRADITIONAL DATING PATTERNS

• Most characteristic of dating during the 1940s and 1950s• The responsibility for arranging a date fell to the man• He was expected to contact his intended dating

partner, suggest a time and place for the date, select the activity, and pay for any expense that arose• Dating behavior quite ritualized – both parties knew

what was expected of them• Pressure to confirm to expected behavior was strong

and would be met with strong disapproval if not followed

TRADITIONAL DATING PATTERNS

• Dates generally revolved around set activities like going to the movies or sporting events • If a couple continued to date casually over a

period of time, the relationship often developed into one of steady dating• Steady partners were not necessarily expected to

get married

CONTEMPORARY DATING PATTERN

• No set stages of dating – much more informal• Greater equality in dating as both genders

actively initiate dates – either can pay or go Dutch

CHANGES OF ADOLESCENCECHAPTER 6 SECTION 3

TEENAGE SEXUAL BEHAVIOR

• Norms governing sexual behavior vary widely from society to society

• During the 1960 and 70s, the development of the birth control pill, a youth counterculture, and the feminist movement led to what has been called the “sexual revolution”

• During this revolution, the norms governing sexual behavior began to change

• For many people, human sexuality became a topic that was openly discussed and explored

• As a consequence, sexuality if a familiar feature of American culture today

INFLUENCES ON EARLY SEXUAL ACTIVITY

• Family income level• Parents’ marital status• In general, teenagers from high-income two-parent families

have lower rates of sexual activity than teenagers from low-income one-parent families

• Religious participation

• Generally, teenagers whose friends engage in premarital sex are more likely to be sexually active than those whose friends are not sexually active• Early sexual behavior is also associated with other

risk-taking behaviors such as drug use and delinquency.

TEENAGE DRUG USE

• A drug is any substance that changes mood, behavior, or consciousness• Drugs exist in many different forms • Drug violence• Marijuana is the most widely used illegal drug

among high school students• Why do teenagers use drugs?• Having friends who regularly engage in drug use• Having social and academic adjustment problems• Living in a hostile and rejecting family setting

TEEN SUICIDE

• Rate of suicide among young people in the United States has more than doubled in the past three decades

• “a youth suicide occurs once every 2 hours in our country, 12 times a day, 84 times a week . . . Well over 4,000 times a year”

• Suicide is the third (behind accidents and homicides) leading cause of death among people aged 15 to 24 and fourth leading cause of death among 10 to 14 year olds• Studies suggest that the actual number of suicides is higher

than the stats say because many deaths are recorded as accidents

THE SOCIOLOGICAL VIEW OF SUICIDE

• Sociologists acknowledge that suicide is an act committed by individuals, but they are more interested in the social factors that affect suicide rates

• According to sociological perspective, variations in suicide rates can be understood by studying the structure of society and the experiences of people

• Emile Durkheim’s classic study Suicide is still the most comprehensive sociological analysis of suicide to date• Durkheim was interested in why some societies than others• According to Durkheim, variations in suicide rates can be

explained by the level of social integration in a group or society

SOCIAL INTEGRATION

• Is the degree of attachment people have to social groups or to society as a whole

• In Durkheim’s view, high levels of social integration can lead to increased rates of suicide because group members place the needs of the group above their own personal needs

• Suicides resulting from low levels of social integration are much more common than those resulting from high levels of integration• Suicide cause by low levels of social integration is the form

most commonly found in modern industrialized societies

PREDICTORS OF TEENAGE SUICIDE

• Most teenagers adapt to the changing expectations from childhood to adulthood• For some, however, the confusion and self-doubt

common in adolescence are often blown out of proportion – teenagers tend to focus so much on the present that they do not realize that most problems can be solved with time and patience• Sometimes social isolation and self-doubt lead to

frustrations that may push adolescents toward suicidal behavior

SOCIAL FACTORS AFFECT RATES OF TEENAGE SUICIDE

• Alcohol or drug use – risk of suicide increases along with adolescent’s use of alcohol and drugs

• Triggering events – Most common: fear of punishment, loss of or rejection by an important person, unwanted pregnancy, family crisis, poor school performance, fight with friend or parent

• Age – risk of suicide increases with age• Sex – females are 3 times more likely than males to attempt suicide

but males are much more likely to succeed• Population density – studies show under populated areas have higher

rates of teenage suicide than heavily populated – because of higher rate of social isolation

• Family relations – weakening of social bonds• Cluster effect – “copycat” suicide attempts

• Chief among these factors are social isolation and the weakening of social bonds