Chapter 11 Summary
The chapter includes a detailed discussion on adolescent development, explaining the stage in detail to help the reader understand more about the teenage period. The adolescent development discussion defines adolescence by giving a brief history of the concept. The chapter encourages one to reflect on their teenage life to gain more insights into the phase (Erford & Tucker, 2016). The author describes the adolescent period as troubling for young adults while transitioning from childhood to adulthood, involving biological, physical, and social transitions.
Physical Development in Adolescents
The first section of this chapter discusses physical development amongst adolescents, including the various changes that are noticeable during the puberty stage, like the change in hormones. The section focuses on the development of female and male adolescents with a detailed description of the changes females and males undergo while at puberty (Erford & Tucker, 2016). In this part, the authors still give complete insight into adolescents’ health, including their eating patterns and appetite. They acknowledge the increase of appetite amongst adolescents, thus, encouraging them to be advised on taking balanced diets and engaging in physical activities to avoid obesity.
Cognitive Development in Adolescents
In the eleventh chapter, the authors introduce cognitive development as the second section that offers a lengthy discussion on the brain development of young adults at puberty. In this section, the learner can understand that cognitive development or growth occurs at two distinctive periods: in early adolescence of 12-13 years old and during mid-adolescence (Erford & Tucker, 2016). As adolescents go through physical development, their brains undergo a structural change. Piaget’s theory of the formal operation stage is discussed in detail, and its validity or application is evaluated.
Moral development amongst teenagers occurs at varying intensity, thus, creating a platform for them to freely discuss ethical issues and choices. It is a great step in ensuring they develop morally at the teenage stage. Correspondingly, other approaches like Erikson’s and Marcia’s theories are brought to the reader’s attention to help explain identity development and gender and ethnic considerations relative to the general development of teenagers.
Chapter 12 Summary
The chapter discusses the emotional development of identity in the adolescent years. It provides a general discussion on how hormonal changes tend to influence emotions. The chapter offers detailed info about anxiety and depression as the common emotional problems that affect most adolescents. The text further describes the signs and symptoms of adolescents having depression and those most vulnerable to depression. A detailed discussion on the connection between depression and suicide in adolescents is detailed (Erford & Tucker, 2016). Erikson’s and Marcia’s theories are brought to the reader’s attention to help explain identity development and gender and ethnic considerations relative to identity development.
In the social development section, the influence of family and peers on the development of adolescents is well articulated. In the discussion about how family influences the development of adolescents, the authors bring up the concept of parenting style as a crucial element in influencing the development of an adolescent. The authors identified four parenting styles identified by the writers, which include the authoritarian, authoritative, ignoring, and permissive parenting styles, which have a significant role in the development of an adolescent’s social life.
In the social development section, the authors further describe Seltzer’s social identity theory and discuss the various relationships adolescents engage in, like romantic and peer relationships, and how these relationships affect the development of adolescents. In this section, topics such as drug and substance abuse, delinquent behaviors, violence and gang engagement, adolescent sexuality, career development, and various stages of vocational decision-making are addressed by the authors.
Parenting Styles
The authoritarian parents are demanding and rigid, using harsh punishment and angered by the slightest change of behavior. Strict parents believe they are always right and their adolescent children should follow their instructions without question. With this type of parenting, the parent-child relationship is tense, and adolescents tend to shy away from opening their problems to their parents or elders (Erford & Tucker, 2016). Adolescents raised in this form of parenting have low self-esteem, are rebellious, and are greatly affected by peer pressure.
Authoritative parenting involves considerable control, rules, and vivid expectations from the parents, and consequences are developed in a mutual agreement. Parents using this form of parenting are caring and raise adolescents with high self-esteem and are less likely to be rebellious and engage in destructive behaviors. Adolescents raised under authoritative parenting are self-reliant, responsible, confident, and competent. In the permissive parenting style, parents cannot stand conflict and give in quickly, and parents are less involved in their adolescent children’s lives (Erford & Tucker, 2016). Adolescents raised under permissive parenting are anxious since the consequences and rules are unclear. On the other hand, adolescents raised with ignoring parents are typically left to decide and plan life for themselves. These adolescents lack self-esteem and are not competent since they are likely to engage in destructive behavior to gain their parent’s attention.
Seltzer’s Adolescent Social Identity
Seltzer develops a model that explains how the changes during puberty result in a state of anxiety and instability. The model is described as frameworklessness since adolescents are caught in between the familiarity of childhood and the unfamiliarity of adulthood. Seltzer’s theory states that adolescents’ peers are essential during the puberty stage because they share the frameworklessness sense (Erford & Tucker, 2016). After all, the peers are the same age, have similar feelings, and associate themselves with individuals who share commonalities.
References
Erford, B., & Tucker, I. B. (2016). An advanced lifespan odyssey for counselling professionals.