Factors Influencing the Youth Culture.pdf

Factors Influencing the YouthCultureChapter #7 cont’d

• Developmental trend or task:adolescents pull away from parents toestablish their own identities.• Erikson: stage 5 = Identity vs. Rolediffusion• Establish a sense of identity; try new ways ofthinking & behaving; try new styles ofappearance, new ideas, new groups of friends,new interests.

• Identity Achievement: the end resultof a teen who has a firm sense of selfafter engaging in a long search Highself-esteem• Identity Diffusion: the end result of ateen who has not been able to achievea sense of identity; low self-esteem,may have trouble making/keepingfriends.

Peter Blos, 1967• Separation-individuation process• Explains how teen gradually pull away fromtheir parents and become independent• Involves the restructuring of teens entirenetwork of significant others• Sexual maturation is often considered thephysiological cue that begins thetransformation of a child into an adult.

Socialization:• Refers to the process by which childrenare shaped into responsible members ofa specific society• Involves acquiring of norms and valuesof their culture, learning to control theirimpulses, and developing their selfconcept• The family is the primary agent ofsocialization• Secondary agents include: school,peers, media, church

Role Models

Role Models• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-N4EDFa-YY

• One aspect of self-concept is genderidentity-one’s concept of maleness orfemaleness• It is a central organizing principle in amale or female self-image, and his theconstruction of his/her social world• Gender socialization is perpetuated inboth overt and covert manners withinfamilies

Gender & Socialization• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3K30NNovAsM&feature=related• John Peters, 1994 = tendency in NorthAmerican culture for parents to bemore protective of females and morepermissive of males• Girls tend to be socialized toward dependence• Boys tend to be socialized towardindependence

• Gender identity is also taught throughparental expectations and demandsregarding household chores• Gender appropriate chores and family roles• Gender identity is a function of nurture ( it islearned)• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsy3BblcjCA

Parenthood• Transition to parenthood happens:• For women; when they become pregnant;bonding occurs during birth, nursing, a periodof intense inter-dependence• For men; occurs more slowly, usually followingthe birth and continues as the infant becomesolder and less dependent on mother• Each generation has new beliefs, expectationsand social norms about child-rearing! Whatideas have changed over the last 40 years???

David Dupuis, 1998 study• Marital status, family values, andreligious beliefs and practices all have animpact on a person’s decisions of whento have children and how many to have• Marriage leads people to want children (or is it that people marry because theywant kids???)• One aspect of family history that doesnot appear to have an impact on childbearingattitudes is parental divorce.

Dupuis Cont’d• However, if child was over 15 whenparents divorced, there may be animpact on child-bearing intentions• Religiosity does play a role in family size• Young adults with no religion tend to have thesmallest average # of children• The greatest impact on decisions about parenthoodwas education level• The more education that women have, the fewerchildren they bear ( career interruptions,restrictions)

• Declining fertility rates are directlyrelated to women’s rising level ofeducation and increasing labourmarket participation• The more education that men havethe more children they tend to father (better paying jobs for support) havingchildren has less of an impact onmen’s careers

Trends associated withParenthood• Fertility declined and childlessnessrose during Depression ( 1930’s)unemployment, fewer married• 1960’s introduction of birth control pills• Birth rates fell

Susannah J. Wilson 2001• First trend is for women to postponechild-bearing until later in life, despite thefact that this significantly reduces thelikelihood that they will become parents• 2 nd trend is that people who expresseddoubt about the stability of theirrelationships were much more likely toremain childless• All studies indicate that the desire tohave children is greater for marriedadults than unmarried

• Reproductive technologies enablewomen to have children into their 40’s• Largely an option only in industrializednations and for those who have thefinancial means