Development Analysis Paper

Risk and Protective Factors

Risk factors:

Use and abuse of alcohol and other drugs

Unsafe sex, teen pregnancy, teen parenting

School underachievement, failure, dropout

Delinquency, crime, violence

Poverty

Undernutrition

Marketing of unhealthy products and lifestyles

Protective factors:

Family creativity in coping with adversity

Good family relationships

Spirituality and religiosity

Social support in school setting

School-based health services

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Puberty

Girls begin puberty (9-17 years) about 2 years earlier than boys (11-16 years)

Setting the context and preparation for puberty and its physical changes

Consequences on multiple levels:

Biological

Psychological

Social

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The Developing Adolescent Brain

During adolescence there seems to be another period of overproduction of gray matter just prior to puberty, peaking at about 11 years of age for girls and 12 years for boys, followed by another round of pruning.

The frontal lobes are key players in the “executive functions” of planning, working memory, and impulse control, and the latest research indicates that they may not be fully developed until about age 25 (Blakemore & Robbins, 2012)

Cold cognition problem soving (adolescents is alone and calm) vs. hot cognition problem solving( adolescent is with peers, emotion based, impulsive).

The research indicates that in situations of cold cognition, adolescents or even preadolescents as young as 12 or 13 can reason and problem solve as well as or better than adults(Blakemore & Robbins, 2012).  

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The Developing Adolescent Brain

“Higher order” brain centers, like the prefrontal cortex, not fully develop until young adulthood

Compared to adults, adolescents:

1. Less levels of maturity, responsibility, impulse control, and self-regulation

2. Less autonomous, more susceptible to peer pressure

3. Less capable of weighing potential consequences and considering future implications of behavior

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Adolescent Health

Nutrition, exercise, and sleep:

Few adolescents maintain a healthy nutritional balance during their time in adolescent flux.

Adolescents need to engage in at least 60 minutes of physical activity per day.

Shifts in circadian rhythms cause teens to be more alert late at night and to wake later in the morning.

Sleep deprivation has been linked to:

Poor food choices

Poor school performance

Changes in mood, aggressive behavior

Police-reported traffic collisions

Acne

Illness

Unsafe use of equipment

Substance use, including caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol

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Psychological Development in Adolescence

Cognitive Advances

Development in three main areas:

1. Improving reasoning skills – ability to consider a range of possibilities, to think hypothetically, and to engage in logical analysis

2. Abstract thinking – ability to imagine things not seen or experienced

3. Meta-cognition – ability to think about thinking

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Psychological Development in Adolescence

Piaget’s fourth stage, Formal Operational Thought – ability to use symbols to solve problems

Profound advancements in social cognition – processing, storing, and using of information about other people

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Cognitive Development and Personality

There are effects of adolescents’ thought in personality and behavior:

Idealism: What it may be like

Hypocrisy: Pretending to be what they are not

Pseudostupidity: Approaching problems at too much a complex level and failing

Egocentrism: Imaginary audience

Introspection; Spending a lot of time thinking themselves

Mind elevation Institute (2015)

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Adolescent Identity Development

Erikson: Identity vs. Role Confusion – finding my place in the world?

Many components:

Psychological (responses to physical changes)

Social (Develop relationships with many elements of the social environment)

Cultural (multicultural identities)

Gender – Sexual (Orientation and gender identity)

Spiritual (search for meaning)

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Lessons from Self Psychology

Heinz Kohut (1913-1981)

Self-object needs

Mirroring

Idealization

Twinship **

The need to be like others…