Adolescence
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Updated
2009-06-04 12:39
Identity Formation
| Research | Findings |
|---|---|
| Erikson's Psychosocial Theory | Adolescence is a stage of life where an identity crisis is resolved by identity formation. |
| Smith and Crawford (1986) | Supports Erikson. 60% of secondary school pupils reported at least on instance of suicidal thoughts. |
| Kahn (1985) | Supports Erikson. Students who had been assessed as low in identity development had less success in later relationships. |
| Siddique and D'Arcy (1984) | 2/3 of adolescents interviewed showed mild or no psychological distress. |
| Marcia's theory of identity formation | Built on Erikson's theory by identifying four statuses in identity development, differing in levels of crisis and commitment. |
| Waterman (1985) | Supports Marcia. Found that as age increased, identity diffusion decreased/identity achievement increased. |
| Kroger (1996) | Supports Marcia. Identity achievers functioned better under stress than those still in moratorium, who were more anxious + avoided intimate relationships. |
| Meilman (1979) | Challenges Marcia. Identity achievement comes later on than predicted and may not be permanent (Only 50% by age 24) |
| Archer (1982) | Reported a simplification in the stages. Only 5% in just 1 stage, 90% in two stages. |
| Coleman's Focal Theory | Stress occurs when adolescents have to deal with too many issues at one time. |
| Coleman + Henry (1990) | Most adolescents navigate adolescents by putting some issues on hold. |
| Eccles (1993) | Alternative to Focal Theory. Stress may occur due to mismatch between adolescent's developing needs and the role offered to them in western society. |
Relationships with Parents and Peers
| Research | Findings |
|---|---|
| Cooper (1998) | Autonomy: Adolescents who are securely attached have fewer problems. |
| Waterman (1982) | Identity formation: Parental style affects development of identity. Domineering parents -> identity foreclosure, democratic parent -> moratorium/achievement. |
| Archer and Waterman (1994) | Identity formation: Weak connectedness with parents -> Identity confusion stage. |
| Steinberg and Morris (2001) | Conflict: authoritarian parents have more conflicts. |
| Montemayor (1982) | Conflict: On average, adolescents have conflict with parents every 3 days, for 11 minutes. |
| Montemayor (1993) | Two way process. Fathers less stressed if closer to adolescent children. |
| Benin (1997) | Conflict: Parents may be cause of the conflict - marital dissatisfaction highest in marriage with adolescents. |
| Larsen (1991) | Cultural differences - Indian relationship with parents is closer. |
| Frey + Rothlisberger (1996) | Adolescents have twice as many relationships with peers than parents. |
| Ainsworth (1989) | Peers serve 4 functions: Source of intimacy, feedback on social behaviour, source of social influence, provide attachment relationships. |
| Piaget (1932) | Peer relationships more egalitarian than parent relationships. |
| Blos (1967) | Autonomy: Peers act as a secure base/way station to independence and help adolescents avoid loneliness. |
| Kirchler (1991) | Autonomy: Failure to develop peer relationships may lead to difficulty forming adult relationships in future. |
| Steinberg + Silverberg (1986) | Autonomy of ppts increased with increased peer involvements. |
| Erikson (1968) | Identity formation: Peers help us explore new ideologies. |
| Brown + Lohr (1987) | Identity formation: Adolescents who did not belong to social cliques had lower self esteem., |
| Brown | Peer conformity: Adolescents reported more pressure to conform to peer norms than family activities. |
| Bendt (1979) | Conformity greater for pro social behaviour. |
| Ryan and Lynch (1989) | Peer relationships: Individual differences - adolescents with democratic parents rely less on their peers. |
Cultural differences in adolescent behaviour
| Research | Findings |
|---|---|
| Gilani (1995) | Autonomy: Found that in Asian families, family comes first and teenage girls were expected to conform rather than become independent. |
| Bacon (1963) | Achievement: In collectivist cultures eg Mexico, parents place more value on obedience and responsibility than individual achievements. |
| Mead (1928) | 'Storm and stress' not universal. In Samoa, rites of passage into adulthood eradicate transitional period so less stress. |
| White and Burke (1987) | Formation of identity is easiest with integration into society. |
| Duncan (1994) | Adolescents who had experienced poverty had lower IQ. |
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