8. Social Development in Adolescence 2 Flashcards
(21 cards)
What is moral development?
- involves the change of thought, feeling and behaviour in response to standards of right/wrong
What is Kohlbergs stages of moral development?
- preconventional level
- stage 1: punishment and obedience
- stage 2: instrumental purpose - conventional level
- stage 3: ‘good boy-good girl’
- stage 4: social order maintenance - postconventional level
- stage 5: social contract
- stage 6 universal ethical principles
What is the preconventional level in Kohlbergs stages of development?
early to late childhood
- individual has no internalisation of moral value
- worry about avoiding punishment
- motivated by self-intent
stage 1: punishment and obedience
- behaviour is driven by avoiding punishment and obeying authority without question
stage 2: instrumental purpose
- right behaviour means acting in ones best interests and recognising that others also have interests
What is the conventional level in Kohlbergs stages of development?
adolescence
- individuals abide by certain standards, but they are other peoples standards
- concerned with meeting external social expectations
stage 3: good interpersonal relationships
- good behaviour is about living up to social expectations and roles
- emphasis in trust and loyalty to others
stage 4: maintaining social order
- right behaviour involved fulfilling ones duties, respecting authority and maintaining social order
What is the postconventional level in Kohlbergs stages of development?
late adolescence and onwards (not everyone reaches)
- morality is completely internalised
- concern for fidelity to self chosen moral principles
- universal ethical principles
stage 5: social contract and individual rights
- moral behaviour is understood in terms of individual rights and standards agreed by society
stage 6 universal ethical principles
- morality is based on abstract reasoning using universal ethical principles
- laws are valid as they are grounded in justice
What are criticisms of Kohlbergs theory?
- moral reasoning may not lead to moral behaviour
- Kohlbergs early research was with white and relatively privileged male PPs
- emphasises justice over other moral values
- culturally biased: evidence suggests those from other cultures move through stages at different rates and put emphasis on different values
What factors influence moral development?
- neural and cognitive development
- education
- social media
- cultural norms
- peers and family
- identity development
What are the neural corelates for moral-decision making?
- activation of the left middle temporal, cingulate and medial frontal gyrus and right precuneus is associated with moral decision making
- no single region of the brain is responsible
What is antisocial behaviour?
- behaviour by a person which causes, or is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to persons not of the same household
Wat does moral development in adolescence coincide with?
- sensitive period of cognitive and neural development
- also an increased propensity to take risks, sensitivity to positive/negative stimuli and sensitivity to the influence of peers
How does the MAOA gene explain the development of antisocial behaviour?
nature explanation (‘warrior gene’)
- low activity variant of the MAOA gene is associated with increased aggression
- gene is linked to the X chromosome and produces the MAOA protein which breaks down excess NTs
- excess NTs lead to an increases propensity towards aggression
What interacts with MAOA to predict later antisocial behaviour?
- maltreatment in childhood
- environment can protect against genetic predisposition
What did Caspi et als study find in terms of MAOA gene and maltreatment?
low MAOA activity and severe maltreatment had highest levels of…
- conduct disorder
- disposition towards violence
- conviction for violent offense
- antisocial personality disorder symptoms
What are two other protective factors for the development of aggressive adolescent behaviour?
religiosity:
- adults who remain part of a religious community are less likely to engage in antisocial behaviour, have lower levels of drug misuse etc
peers:
- can act as models for prosocial/antisocial behaviour
- can provide support in the presence of unsupportive/confrontational familial relationships
What is delinquency?
- according to acts prohibited by criminal law such as theft, burglary, robbery, violence, vandalism and drug misuse
What is conduct disorder?
- persistent delinquency
- repetitive and persistent pattern of behaviour in which the basic rights of others or major age-appropriate societal norms/rules are violated
- manifested by the presence of at least 3/15 criteria in the past 12 months
What factors influence the risk of delinquency and conduct disorder?
- family factors: parental conflict, disrupted families, parenting and child abuse
- social factors: school area, community area, peer influence and SES
- individual factors: impulsiveness, low IQ and low educational achievement
What are the routes to adolescent delinquency?
- early onset
- behaviour begins in childhood
- biological risk factors and child-rearing practice are combined risk factors - late onset
- behaviour begins around puberty
- conduct problems arise from peer context of early adolescence
What did Averdijk et al find in terms of prevention and intervention of adolescence delinquency?
- PATHS (promoting alternative thinking strategies) only resulted in significantly less contact with the police
- PATHS and triple P (cognitive behavioural parenting program) combined resulted in worse conflict resolution competence
- all other effects were either statistically significant or negligible
What factors foster resilience in adolescence? (Arthur et al)
- belief in moral system/religiosity
- high social skills
- rewards and opportunities for prosocial family interactions
- rewards and opportunities for prosocial involvement in the community and school
What factors foster resilience in adolescence? (Farrington et al)
- low neuroticism and few friends are promotive factors: predict low probability of delinquency
- high intelligence and educational attainment protect against the risk factor of poor child-rearing
- high family income protects against the risk factor of a convicted parent
