Chapter 3 part 4 Flashcards
adolescence and adulthood
what is adolescence?
transition from childhood to adulthood beginning around 10-12 years with puberty and ending at 18-21 years
when does your brain grow the most during your lifetime?
during adolescence
what is puberty?
a period of rapid skeletal and sexual maturity that occurs during early adolescence
what happens when you mature sexually?
you are capable of reproducing and your brain has changed to allow for this and sexual attraction
how long does puberty last?
a few years (rapid change)
what areas of the brain change during puberty?
amygdala and prefrontal cortex
how does the amygdala change during puberty?
it is in charge of aggression and sexual behavior and is up to the amygdala to generate these emotions and urges
how does the prefrontal cortex change during puberty?
it matures and stops you from acting on the emotions produced by the amygdala (not doing drugs or getting in fights)
what happens when you do drugs or drink heavily during adolescence?
you do permanent damage to your prefrontal cortex and are stuck in the stage of adolescence forever
why do adolescents do a lot of risky behaviors?
because their prefrontal cortex development lags behind the amygdala’s development. they have these new emotions and can’t control them well
what is adolescent egocentrism?
belief that others are as preoccupied with the adolescent as they are
what is personal fable?
adolescents feel like they are their own person with very unique experiences and they are invincible
what is the negative side of personal fable?
it creates a feeling of isolation because the adolescent feels they are the only one experiencing these things
why do we need personal fable?
to establish our own identity
what is imaginary audience?
belief that everyone is noticing and watching the adolescent ex: they are worried everyone is judging them for the zit they have on their face when in reality everyone else is preoccupied with themselves
what is identity development?
stage in adolescence in which you must find out who you are, what you stand for, and where you are going in life
what is identity status?
where an adolescent is in developing their identity
what are the two dimensions of identity status?
exploration and commitment
what is exploration?
trying on different roles, personalities, and beliefs to see what fits you best
what is commitment?
deciding your identity path
James Marcia’s theory of identity status
a table that shows where an adolescent is based on where they are in commitment v. exploration
what is the term for having not explored nor commited?
identity confusion
what is the term for having explored but not commited?
identity moratorium
what is the term for having not explored but commited?
identity foreclosure
