UNIT 2CHAPTER 6:

THE ADOLESCENT IN SOCIETY

SECTION 1: ADOLESCENCE IN

OUR SOCIETY

Exactly, who is an adolescent?

•An individual who has matured to experience the onset of puberty, but not yet considered a fully matured adult.•Puberty – the physical maturing of the sexual reproductive system•Females experience MENARCHE•Males experience SPERMARCHE

The Concept of Adolescence is NOT Universal!!!

• In many pre-industrial societies there are only two (2) life stages: childhood and adulthood. • Children become adults after the performing of certain rites of passage, usually around the

ages of 13 or 14 years.• Examples: filing of teeth, performance of strength/endurance, performance of skill set, etc

• In post-industrial societies, such as in the U.S., adolescence was a concept that form after the mid-1800s.• 3 Factors in the Development of Adolescent Concept:

1. Education (must attend school until 16 years of age)

2. Child-labor laws (cannot work until 16 years of age)

3. Development of the Juvenile-justice system (separate legal status for young people).

Characteristics of Adolescence

1.Biological Growth and Development

2.An Undefined Status

3.Increased Decision Making

4.Increased Pressures

5.The Search for Self

Adolescents Around the World• Adolescent Girls in Nigeria:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyTAs-XFqWw&list=PL82C563AF47FA7B3E

• UNICEF Adolescents Around the World

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6oxjMw57mY

SECTION 2: TEENAGERS AND

DATING

Courtship vs. Dating

Courtship

• The expressed purpose is eventual marriage.

• Expected to be monogamous, focused goal on getting to know the other person, planning and defining the roles expected within the eventual marriage.

• There is usually close supervision to ensure that the reputations of both parties are not tarnished.

Dating

• May or may not to eventual marriage.

• May begin with casual dating, with few expectations of monogamy.

• May lead to serious dating and monogamy as the relationship progresses.

Homogamy• The tendency of individuals to marry persons with whom they have similar social

characteristics.

• Sociologists and Psychologists have concluded that relationships are more likely to endure if the couple shares a common background and similar experiences.Example #1:

Both were born and raised in upper class families. One family attended a Methodist church and the other family attended a Presbyterian church. Both attended summer camps while growing up and participated in the cotillion when they turned 18. Both attended well-respected private colleges or universities and graduated in the top 10% of their class.

Example #2:

Both were born in the state of Michigan and moved to the state of Tennessee between the ages of 9 and 14. Both set of parents were not particularly religious, but usually attended synagogue on major religious holidays or milestones during the year. Both were average students in high school. One decided to enlist in the military directly out of college and the other decided to work in their parents’ business during the first 4 years after high school. They met for the first time at the age of 24 at a mutual friend’s backyard BBQ party and began dating the following weekend.

Dating Patterns:

Traditional Dating Patterns

• The male initiated and planned the date• Behavior expectations were well defined based on their social status.• Behavior not in line with the expectations were quickly reprimanded.• Dates were arranged early in the week; last minute dates signaled to the person that they were not their first choice.• Steady dating (monogamy) was established if dating endured over a period of time.

Contemporary Dating Patterns

• Very informal expectations• Both men and women initiate and plan the date• Friendship is emphasized• Group dating is the norm at the beginning• Monogamy is not expected at the beginning

SECTION 3:CHALLENGES OF ADOLESCENCE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPuv4mvp9Ms

Teenage Sexual Behavior• Social norms in sexual behavior shifted in the U.S. during the 1960s and 1970s due

to:• The development of the birth control pill• Youth counterculture• Feminist movement/”Sexual revolution”

• Rate of Teenage Sexual Activity• The rate of reported sexual activity among 15 to 19 year olds has significantly increased

since the 1970s.• The rate of births per 1,000 unwed teenage females increased from 22 in 1970 to 43 in

1990s, but have significantly dropped since the early 1990s.

Pair-Partner Discussion:

What factor(s) may have influenced these changes in teenage sexual Activity?

What are some influences on Early Sexual Activity?

1.Family-income level

2.Parents’ marital status

3.Religious participation

What are some consequences of early sexual activity?

1. Pregnancya)Low birth weightb)More likely to have Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)c) More likely to have learning disabilityd)Lower lifetime earningse)More likely to experience significant emotional distress

2. Sexually Transmitted Diseases (including AIDS)

Teenage Drug Use• Drug: any substance that changes mood, behavior, or level of consciousness.

Influences on Teenage Drug Use• Having friends who regularly engage in drug us• Having social and academic adjustment problems, and• Living in a hostile and rejecting family setting.

Teenage Suicidehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BByqa7bhto

Sociological View of Suicide

• Religious views• Family issues

Predictors of Teenage Suicide• Alcohol or drug use• Triggering events• Age• Gender• Population density• Family relations• Cluster effect