Social and Personality Development in Adolescence
QOTD: Do You Relate?
Jill, age 16, talks about how tough being a teenager can be, not always fun.
How teenagers feel: These years can feel hard, not just happy.
Main reasons for stress:
Feeling pushed to fit in socially and be accepted.
Expectations to keep up with certain standards:
How to dress
What weight to be
Who to date
Pressure from things like substance use and sexual experiences.
Worry about being judged or bullied online.
Feeling FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) because of social media.
Emotional state: She feels confused about who she is and tired from all the social pressures.
Chapter 12: Social and Personality Development in Adolescence
Class Info: CFS206, Fall 2025, Carson-Newman University
Overview of Chapter 12
Main topics:
Identity: Figuring out “Who Am I?”
Relationships: Family & Friends
Dating, Sex, & Teenage Pregnancy
1. Identity: Asking "Who Am I?"
Self-Concept: Who am I?
Teenagers start to have a clearer and more accurate idea of who they are:
They think about how they see themselves and how others see them.
Example: “People think I’m outgoing and funny, but I really just use humor because I’m nervous in social settings.”
Teenagers can see that they have many different sides to their identity at once.
Self-Esteem: Do I like who I am?
Knowing yourself better doesn’t always mean you like yourself more:
Knowing who you are doesn't always equal liking who you are.
Because teens can think more deeply, they can judge their own self-concept.
Teenagers might have different levels of self-esteem in different areas:
They might feel good about how they interact with others (e.g., social situations) but bad about other areas (e.g., school grades).
Key patterns:
Girls often have lower self-esteem than boys, especially concerning looks and social success.
Having a higher socio-economic status (SES) often means higher self-esteem, possibly because of better access to resources.
Race and Self-Esteem
What influences self-esteem in racial minority groups:
Self-esteem can stay high if there's little discrimination and a strong sense of racial identity.
Doing enjoyable and purposeful activities can boost self-esteem.
Discrimination leads to lower self-esteem, as well as mental and physical health problems.
Intersectionality (how different social categories like race, gender, class overlap) also affects self-esteem.
Basic Conflicts: Psychosocial Development Stages
Erikson's Stages of Development (how people grow through life):
Babyhood (0-1 year): Trust vs. Mistrust → Goal: Hope.
Toddlerhood (1-3 years): Autonomy (doing things for self) vs. Shame/Doubt → Goal: Will.
Play Age (3-6 years): Initiative (starting things) vs. Guilt.
School Age (7-11 years): Industry (working hard) vs. Inferiority (feeling bad) → Goal: Competence.
Teenage Years (12-18 years): Identity (who I am) vs. Confusion → Goal: Loyalty to self.
Young Adulthood (19-29 years): Intimacy (close bonds) vs. Isolation → Goal: Love.
Middle Age (30-64 years): Generativity (contributing to world) vs. Stagnation (being stuck) → Goal: Care.
Old Age (65+): Integrity (looking back with satisfaction) vs. Despair (regret) → Goal: Wisdom.
Identity vs. Identity Confusion
Teenagers try to figure out who they are as unique individuals:
This means trying out different roles and making choices.
Success leads to:
Clearly understanding who you are.
Feeling confident in your unique skills.
Using your individuality in future plans.
Failure leads to taking on roles that society doesn't accept and having trouble with relationships.
Reliance on Friends and Peers
Pressures from society make teenagers face big decisions, like what to study or what career to choose.
They rely more on friends for information as they become less dependent on adults:
Both boys and girls go through this stage similarly.
Psychological Moratorium
Definition: A time when teenagers can step back from adult duties and try out different roles without pressure.
Erikson suggested this to help ease the stress of figuring out identity.
How practical this is depends on each teenager.
Marcia’s Approach to Identity Development
Psychologist James Marcia explains identity formation through:
Crisis (exploration): A time when teenagers explore different options and make choices.
Commitment: A personal dedication to a chosen path.
Marcia’s 4 Categories of Identity
Identity Achievement:
High exploration, high commitment.
These teens have looked at many options and decided on their identity.
They tend to be psychologically healthy.
Identity Foreclosure:
Low exploration, high commitment.
They commit to an identity without exploring much, usually based on what others decided for them.
They often need a lot of social approval.
Moratorium:
High exploration, low commitment.
They are exploring but haven't committed to an identity yet.
This often comes with more anxiety.
Identity Diffusion:
Low exploration, low commitment.
These teens struggle to form close relationships and are often seen as indecisive or flighty.
Specific Identity Examples
Sarah: Little exploration, little commitment → Identity Diffusion.
Luke: Much exploration, little commitment → Moratorium.
Tim: Much exploration, much commitment → Identity Achievement.
Michelle: Little exploration, much commitment → Identity Foreclosure.
Religion and Spirituality
Definition: Spirituality is a feeling of connection to something greater; it doesn't always mean being part of an organized religion.
Teenagers can now think in abstract ways, allowing them to explore their religious identities.
Statistic: Only 24\% of teenagers see religion as important.
Identity, Race, and Ethnicity
Forming identity can be harder for teenagers from groups that have faced discrimination:
Cultural Assimilation Model: Suggests that different cultures should blend into one main culture.
Pluralistic Society Model: Supports different cultures keeping their unique traits within the larger society.
Bicultural Identity: Individuals from minority groups mix their cultural identity with the main culture, finding a balance.
Anxiety, Depression, and Suicide
Anxiety:
It’s normal to feel stress, but it can become a disorder that makes daily life hard (8\% of teens experience this).
Depression:
Feeling sad sometimes is normal; long-lasting sadness might mean major depressive disorder (3\% of teens experience this).
More common in girls than boys.
Suicide:
It's the second most common cause of death for those aged 15-24.
Suicide rates have tripled over the last 30 years due to things like depression and social media pressure.
2. Relationships: Family & Friends
The Quest for Autonomy
Teenagers increasingly want more independence and control over their lives:
Getting autonomy (self-rule) is a key task during this time.
It grows slowly, moving from parents being fully in control to more balanced relationships.
Think about your own experiences trying to gain independence as a teenager.
Culture, Gender, and Autonomy
Western cultures (like the US) often encourage teenagers to seek independence early.
Collectivist cultures (where the group is more important than the individual) often show delayed independence, focusing on family duties:
This isn’t necessarily bad, as cultural expectations match how teens grow up there.
There are differences in independence levels by gender; boys often get more freedom earlier than girls.
Generation Gap
Definition: A difference in attitudes and beliefs between parents and teenagers:
Little gap in areas like working hard and being open-minded.
Bigger gaps in views on religion and parenting styles.
Overall, the generation gap is generally smaller than people think.
Conflicts with Parents
While teens usually get along well with parents, arguments can happen because of:
The desire for independence.
Different ideas about what’s appropriate.
Teenagers’ more advanced ways of thinking compared to parents.
Common arguments are about personal style, music, and clothes.
Conflicts are most common in early adolescence and decrease as parents adjust.
Culture and Conflicts
Finding a good balance between teenagers and their cultural background, which shapes family conflicts.
Peer Relationships
Interactions with friends become very important during teenage years, providing a way to compare oneself to others:
Teenagers compare their own skills and ideas with those of their friends.
Older adults can't offer helpful comparisons because they are past the teenage developmental stage.
Cliques and Crowds
Teenagers group their friends:
Clique: A small group (2-12 people) who spend a lot of time together.
Crowd: Larger, loosely connected groups with similar traits but less direct interaction.
Membership in cliques and crowds is often based on being similar to others in the group.
Gender Relations
In early adolescence, social groups are often separated by sex.
Puberty brings changes, leading to an interest in interacting with the opposite sex:
Mixed-gender activities increase, and cliques become less distinct.
LGBTQ+ teens might face unique difficulties in navigating social and dating interactions.
Popularity
Teenagers know how popular they are:
Categories:
Popular Adolescents: Generally well-liked; high social standing.
Controversial Adolescents: Have mixed opinions, liked by some and disliked by others.
Rejected Adolescents: Mostly disliked; low social standing.
Neglected Adolescents: Get little attention from friends; not really liked or disliked.
Popular teens participate more in activities and share more about themselves than rejected or neglected peers.
Peer Pressure
Definition: Influence from friends to act or believe in a certain way:
During childhood, focus is on parents; in adolescence, it shifts to friends.
The need to conform (fit in) decreases as teenagers become more independent.
Juvenile Delinquency
Crime rates are higher among teenagers and young adults.
Undersocialized Delinquents: Lack discipline, show early aggression, and might have ADHD.
Socialized Delinquents: Generally follow society's rules; minor crimes usually don't continue into adulthood.
3. Dating, Sexual Behavior, & Teenage Pregnancy
Dating in the 21st Century
How views on dating have changed:
Traditionally, dating led to marriage, but now some see it as old-fashioned.
More casual relationships, called “hooking up,” are common.
Fewer teens are dating, but it’s still part of social life.
Sexting (sending sexually suggestive messages or images) is more common but has risks.
Functions of Dating
Different aspects of dating serve important purposes:
Building closeness (especially later in the teenage years).
Providing fun and social status.
Helping teenagers understand who they are.
LGBTQ+ teenagers face extra hurdles when navigating dating.
Dating, Race, and Ethnicity
Cultural influences on dating rules:
Immigrant parents might set strict dating rules to keep cultural values.
This can lead to disagreements between parents and children about dating choices.
Sexual Behavior
Puberty causes sexual organs to develop and new feelings to emerge:
Masturbation often happens before sexual intercourse; it’s a big step in development.
More teenagers are waiting to have sex; rates of sexual intercourse among teens have recently dropped.
Attitudes Toward Premarital Sex
Historically, there was a double standard for premarital sex (different rules for males and females):
The current norm is permissiveness with affection (sex is okay if there's love or a relationship).
Cultural differences still affect how premarital sex is viewed.
Sexual Orientation
Different sexual orientations include:
Heterosexuality: Attraction to the opposite sex.
Homosexuality: Attraction to the same sex.
Bisexuality: Attraction to both sexes.
Asexuality: No sexual attraction.
Pansexuality: Attraction regardless of a person’s sex or gender.
Gender Identity
Sexual identity is different from gender identity:
Gender Identity: How people see their own gender.
Transgender: When someone's gender identity doesn't match the sex they were assigned at birth.
Non-binary: Not identifying strictly as male or female.
Intersex: Having unusual combinations of male and female physical characteristics.
Why? Determinants of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
What influences sexual orientation and gender identity:
A mix of genetic (from parents), physiological (body-related), and environmental (surroundings) factors.
Less common sexual orientations often come with tough experiences:
Family and peer rejection.
Higher risk of harassment.
More likely to experience depression and suicide.
Society's attitudes have improved among younger generations.
Teen Pregnancy
Fewer teenage pregnancies over the last 20 years:
In 2023, birth rates for US teenagers were at a record low.
Reasons for the drop include:
More awareness of the risks of unprotected sex.
Fewer teens having sex.
More use of birth control.
Even with improvements, US rates are still much higher than in other developed countries.
Old approaches like virginity pledges haven't really helped reduce teen pregnancy rates.