Chapter 8 IQ's

Question 1

According to Erikson, what is an identity crisis?

Answer 1

A period during which a teen is troubled by their lack of identity

Question 2

How do peer groups help adolescents with an identity crisis?

Answer 2

They protect individual teens from experiencing unpleasant emotions by merging their individual identities with that of a group -> group forms a secure based from which the young person can explore their own identity

Question 3

ethnic identity

Answer 3

• Teens from minority ethnic groups must form both an individual identity and an ethnic identity
• 3 stages of ethnic identity formation: unexamined ethnic identity, ethnic identity search, ethnic identity achievement
• Adolescents with strong and favourable ethnic identities have higher self-esteem and optimism

Question 4

what is teen conflict with parents typically about (and not typically about)?

Answer 4

• about: everyday issues (chores, school, the way their parents talk to them, their parents’ concerns about their safety, etc.)
• not about: who they are dating, drugs, their appearance, and sex

Question 5

research findings about friendships and popularity

Answer 5

• Kid’s beliefs in the importance of popularity increases throughout elementary school and peaks in early adolescence (12-15)
• As teens approach adulthood, the quality of friendship matters more than popularity -> friendships become more intimate – they share more about inner feelings/secrets with friends
• Adolescent friendships are more stable than those of younger children
• Teens often choose friends who are committed to the same activities they are

Question 6

clique vs. crowd

Answer 6

• Clique: 4-6 young people who appear to be strongly attached to one another
• Crowds: (aka reputation-based group), a combination of cliques, which include both males and females

Question 7

unexamined ethnic identity

Answer 7

haven’t shown much interest in ethnic identity (young kids)

Question 8

ethnic identity search

Answer 8

comparing your own ethnic group to others and trying to arrive at own judgements

Question 9

ethnic identity achievement

Answer 9

developing strategies for solving conflicts between competing dominant culture and their ethnic group

Question 10

Aggression in cliques

Answer 10

• Cliques often have a lot of within-group aggression aimed at maintaining the group’s status hierarchies.
• aggressive acts are typically perpetrated by dominant members against lower-status members

Question 11

what happens after crowds break up?

Answer 11

They break down into heterosexual cliques and then into loose associations of couples

Question 12

when is conformity to peer pressure the greatest?

Answer 12

Between 13-15

Question 13

heterosexual relationships

Answer 13

• Most teens display gradual progression from same-sex friendships to heterosexual relationships (more rapid progression for girls than guys)
• Development of teen romantic relationships varies cross-culturally and is dependent on whether teens feel closer to their parents (and will then have less desire for relationships) or closer to their friends (and will then have more desire for relationships)
• Some teens date for love, others for companionship, and girls also date for self-disclosure and psychological intimacy

Question 14

homosexual relationships

Answer 14

• Homosexual teens are more comfortable revealing their sexuality to parents and peers than past cohorts were
• Boys will notice and act on same-sex attraction earlier than girls
• Homosexual girls express more certainty in their sexuality than boys do
• Many homosexual teens experience some degree of attraction to both sexes before identifying as gay or lesbian (usually identified by age 15)