Challenges of Adolescence

Chapter 6 section 3
Pgs. 135-143
 Challenges of Adolescence
• The characteristics of adolescence that mark it as a
distinct life stage gave rise to pressures and
problems not generally found in childhood.
• Teenagers face important developmental tasks
which include carving out an identity, planning for
the future, becoming independent, and developing
close relationship.
• Research has focused on the problems that
teenagers face.
– Sexual behavior
– Drug abuse
– Suicide
 Teenage Sexual Behavior
• The norms governing • Traditional sexual
sexual behavior vary values in the U.S. are
widely from society to an outgrowth of
society. Puritan and Victorian
views of sexual
• In western countries, morality.
traditional sexual • According to these
values include strict views, sexual activity
norms against should be confined to
premarital sexuality. marriage.
 Teenage Sexual Behavior
• In the 60’s and 70’s the development of birth
control, a youth counterculture, and the feminist
movement led to what is known as the Sexual
Revolution.
• The norms regarding sexuality began to change
and people began to discuss the topic openly, as a
consequence sexuality became a familiar feature
in American culture.
 Teenage Sexual Behavior
• Sexual references are • As a consequence
common in the there has been a
programs see in the 98 dramatic increase in
percent of American adolescent sexual
households that own
television sets. behavior.
• In addition advertisers • As a result social
have been using the scientists have begun
lure of sexuality to sell to study the topic
their products.
 The Rate of Teenage Sexual
Activity
• According to the CDC…
– IN 1970 29% of unmarried women were
sexually active by 1995 the rate was up to 50%.
– The CDC programs encourage American
teenagers to abstain from sexual activity until
marriage.
• Social scientists have developed a number of
explanations for why adolescents engage in sexual
activity.
 Influences on Early Sexual
Activity
• Several factors can • Religious participation
lead to early sexual – Teenagers who actively
activity. participate and practice
– Family income level their religion tend to
wait until marriage and
– Parents marital status
have different views on
– Religious participation sexual activity.
– Peer Pressure
– Drug Use
 Consequences of Early Sexual
Activity
• Teenage Pregnancy – Children of teenage
– Babies born to parents are more likely
teenagers have lower to experience learning
birth rates difficulties
– Teenage parents are • Have an increased risk
less likely to finish of becoming teenage
high school parents themselves
– Teenage parents have • Teenage mothers often
lower lifetime earnings face significant
emotional stress
due mainly to the
above fact.
 Consequences of Early Sexual
Activity
• Sexually Transmitted • AIDS is a fatal disease
Disease caused by a virus that
attacks the immune
– 4 million teenagers
system
contract an STD each
year • Few teenagers say they
• Gonorrhea think they are personally
• Syphilis at risk but in the 1990’s it
• Chlamydia was the 7th leading cause
• Herpes of death among those 15-
• AIDS 24.
 Teenage Drug Use
• Drug: an substance that changes mood, behavior,
or consciousness.
– Drugs exist in many forms
• Medicines
• Alcohol
• Cigarettes
• Marijuana
• Cocaine
• Heroin
• Ecstasy
• Meth
Read pages 137-140 and write down facts you see in the section
 Teenage Suicide
• The rate of suicide of American teenagers
has more then doubled in the last three
decades.
– A youth commits suicide every 2 hours in our
country
• That is 12 times a day, 84 times a week and 4,000
times a year
• Suicide is third only to accidents and homicides as
the leading cause of death among those 15-24.
The Sociological View of Suicide
• Sociologists are • Durkheim looked at
interested in the social why some societies or
factors that affect the groups have a higher
suicide rate. rate of suicide than
others.
• Emile Durkheim’s • He said variations in
study is still the suicide rates can be
leading reference for explained by the level
this topic. of social integration in
a group or society.
 Social Integration
• The degree of attachment people have to
social groups or to society as a whole.
– Groups with high or low social integration have
a higher rate of suicide.
– High levels of social integration can lead to
increased rates because the group members
place the needs of the group above their own
needs.
• Example: Elderly members of the Inuit tribe of the
Arctic
 Social Integration
• Suicide resulting from low levels of social
integration are much more common.
– Social disorganization which can result from
many factors such as social change, increased
geographic mobility, war, natural disasters, or
sudden changes in economic conditions.
– During this time the social bonds that give us a
sense of solidarity are weakened.
 Predictors of Teenage Suicide
• Certain social factors • Teenage suicide rate
factors are the same as
appear to affect the many adult factors.
rate of teenage suicide. • The leading factors still
– Alcohol and Drug use being social isolation and
– Triggering Event a weakening of social
bonds.
– Age
• Teenagers should realize
– Gender they are not alone in their
– Population density problems and there are
– Cluster effect sources of help available.