Page 137 - Understanding Psychology

Summary and Vocabulary
Adolescence is the transition period between childhood and adulthood.
Physical and Sexual Development
Chapter Vocabulary
initiation rites (p. 94)
puberty (p. 95)
menarche (p. 96)
spermarche (p. 96) asynchrony (p. 96) rationalization (p. 102) identity crisis (p. 105)
social learning theory (p. 107) clique (p. 111)
conformity (p. 111) anorexia nervosa (p. 114) bulimia nervosa (p. 115) gender identity (p. 117) gender role (p. 117) gender stereotype (p. 117) androgynous (p. 117) gender schema (p. 122)
In his theory of adolescence, G. Stanley Hall por- trayed the adolescent as existing in a state of great storm and stress. Other psychologists and social scientists, such as Margaret Mead, regard adoles- cence as a relatively smooth continuous develop- ment out of childhood and into adulthood.
Main Idea: All adoles- s cents experience dra-
matic changes in their physical size, shape, and capacities, as well as biological development related to reproduction.
s The rate and pattern of sexual maturation varies so widely that it is difficult to apply norms or standards to puberty.
Personal Development
s The onset of puberty marks the end of childhood; both boys and girls experience a growth spurt just before puberty.
Main Idea: The transi- tion from childhood to adulthood involves changes in patterns of reasoning and moral thinking, as well as the development of one’s identity.
s During adolescence, most people reach the stage of formal operations thinking in which thinking becomes abstract and less concrete.
s According to Erik Erikson, building an identity is a task that is unique to adolescence; most adoles- cents must go through an identity crisis, a time of inner conflict during which they worry intensely about their identities.
Main Idea: Adolescents undergo many changes in their social relation- ships, adjusting to new relationships with par- ents and the influence of peers.
s One of the principal developmental tasks for ado- lescents is becoming independent of their families.
s Belonging to a peer group fulfills the need for closeness with others and gives the adolescent a means of establishing an identity.
s Parents and peers exercise influence in shaping adolescent behavior and attitudes.
Social Development
Main Idea: Females and males have physical and psychological gen- der differences. Our beliefs about what we think it means to be male or female influence our behavior.
s During adolescence, individuals develop attitudes about gender and expectations about the gender role they will fill.
s Most psychologists agree that nature and nurture interact to influence gender differences.
s The roles of men and women in society are changing.
Gender Roles and Differences
Chapter 4 / Adolescence 123