Adolescence Lecture Flashcards

Intended Learning Outcomes

By the end of this lecture, students should be able to:

• Define adolescence and its key developmental tasks.

• Recognize common myths about adolescents.

• Discuss the central role of autonomy in adolescent development.

Defining Adolescence

• Adolescence is defined as the period of transition between childhood and adulthood.

• Historically, it spanned ages 12-18.

• It extends from the onset of puberty to legal independence.

• There's an observed prolongation of adolescence, leading to the concept of "emerging adulthood."

Developmental Tasks

Adolescence involves several critical developmental tasks:

• Forming social and emotional relationships.

• De-idealizing and separating from parents.

• Centralizing peer relationships.

• Developing more complex abstract thinking.

• Development of identity.

• Increasing autonomy

• Emotional and behavioral.

Self-Determination Theory (Ryan & Deci, 2017)

• It is a well-researched theoretical framework incorporating six mini-theories.

• Basic Psychological Needs Theory: Focuses on autonomy, competence, and relatedness.

• Relationships Motivation Theory: Emphasizes the mutually autonomy-supportive nature of close relationships.

Basic Psychological Needs Theory

• Autonomy-supportive parenting in adolescence predicts need satisfaction, higher wellbeing, lower problem behaviors, and the pursuit of intrinsically valued goals.

• Teacher support of autonomy protects against school absence for adolescents with chronic pain (Vervoort et al., 2014).

• Controlling/coercive parenting in adolescence predicts need frustration, more emotional and behavioral problems.

• This can lead to a mutual escalation of conflict.

• It can negatively impact later relationships outside the family (Kim et al., 2001).

The Adolescent Brain

• Previously, it was thought that the brain did most of its development in the first 5 years.

• Adolescence is now recognized as a period of dramatic change in the brain.

• Key processes include:

  • Synaptic pruning

  • Myelin formation

  • Hormonal changes

Synaptic Pruning

• It is described as a complex filing system being reviewed and tidied up.

• Occurs around the time of puberty.

• Unwanted or unused connections are discarded.

• This results in significant restructuring of the brain.

• Adolescents are estimated to lose up to 17% of their grey matter.

• Synaptic Pruning is likely linked to the onset of mental health problems.

Myelin Formation

• It involves a thickening of myelin, which allows messages to travel around the brain more quickly and efficiently.

• Neural firing becomes 3000 times quicker.

• This allows adolescents to rapidly improve skills.

• Pruning creates a more differentiated, specialized brain.

• Myelin integrates the brain more effectively.

Hormonal Changes

• More cortisol leads to worry, anxiety, and stress.

• The teenage amygdala is less able to deal with fear and anger.

• Decision-making becomes more difficult under stress.

• More varying serotonin can increase the risk of low mood.

• Increased dopamine leads to sensitivity to rewards, potentially increasing risk-taking behavior.

• Melatonin is released later at night for adolescents than adults, which, combined with early school starts, leads to social jet lag.

Sleep

• Adolescent sleep patterns differ from adults, as shown by research in the last decade.

• Individual differences exist, with approximately 25% not being affected.

• Melatonin is released later, leading to a later sleep schedule.

• Teenagers ideally need 9-10 hours of sleep, but due to school start times, most get 6-7 hours or less.

• Lack of Sleep is linked to low mood and poorer learning.

Myths About Adolescents

• Early ideas of adolescence included the concept of "storm and strife,"

• Characterized by emotional turmoil, behavioral difficulties, and conflict.

• Freud addressed this, as well as Erikson, who addressed identity crises.

• “Teenage Angst” is another early idea.

A Note on “Angst”

• Sartre (1946): "[Man] is condemned to be free: because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does."

• Beauvoir (1958): "I had lost the sense of security that childhood gives, and nothing had come to take its place."

• Beauvoir (1976): "An apprenticeship in freedom."

• Beauvoir (1972): "Society cares about the individual only insofar as he is profitable. The young know this. Their anxiety as they enter in upon social life matches the anguish of the old as they are excluded from it."

Parenting Adolescents

• 75% of adolescents report happy and peaceful relationships with a parent (Rutter et al., 1976).

• For the other 25%, there were usually pre-existing problems.

• High intensity relating is "not the norm" in families with adolescents (Steinberg, 1990).

Steinberg & Steinberg (1994)

Parents of adolescents may experience:

• Lower self-esteem

• Increased anxiety and depression

• Diminished life satisfaction

• A need to adjust to de-idealization

• Contextual factors

Lothar & Latendresse (2005)

• Studied 3 cohorts of children.

• Median parent income was 80k-125k.

• The study compared adolescents from high-income families to an inner-city control group.

• Adolescents from high-income families had an increased incidence of depression, anxiety, & substance use.

• Achievement pressures, isolation, over-reliance on peers, and popularity were linked to drug use (availability).

Resilience

• Most major psychiatric disorders have their onset in adolescence.

• Protective factors include:

  • Supportive family members

  • Development of skills and interests

  • Emotional regulation

  • Academic achievement

Key Terms

• Synaptic pruning

• Myelin formation

• Sleep

• Peer relationships

• Parenting changes

• Autonomy

• Basic psychological needs theory

• Resilience