Adolescence The transition period from childhood to adulthood – term first coined by Stanley Hall.

Adolescence

The transition period from childhood to adulthood –

term first coined by Stanley Hall

Is adolescence getting longer or shorter?

Physical Development

• It all begins with pubertyPuberty: the period of sexual

maturation, during which a person becomes capable of reproducing.

BRAIN DEVELOPMENT• During adolescence – frontal lobe continues to

develop• Growth of myelin sheath – speeds up

neurotransmission• Impact: better judgment, impulse control, planning

for future• Frontal lobe development SLOWER than limbic

system development (emotional responses system) – explains impulsiveness and risky behavior

Cognitive Development

• Have the ability to reason but…….•The reasoning is self-focused.

Assume that their experiences are unique.•Experience formal operational thought

•Egocentrism = imaginary audience phenomenon

Lawrence Kohlberg and his stages of Morality

• Preconventional Morality• Conventional Morality• Postconventional Morality

Preconventional Morality

• Morality of self- interest• Their actions are either to avoid punishment or to gain rewards.

Conventional Morality

Morality is based upon obeying laws to

1.Maintain social order

2.To gain social approval I won’t speed down Hampton because

my friends and family will look down on me. Besides, the world would be chaotic if everyone did it.

Postconventional Morality

• Morality based on universal ethical principles.

• I won’t speed down Hampton b/c a society w/o laws is not good. If I feel the law is unjust then I’ll try to change it.

Moral development summary

• Video:

Critics of Kohlberg

• Skepticism about postconventional morality– Based on an individualist society; so biased

towards non European/non American cultures• No consideration of feelings – moral feelings• According to Jonathan Haidt, who gives a

social institutionists account of morality, moral feelings come before moral reasoning

Major critic: Carol GilliganGilligan would go on to criticize Kohlberg's work. This was based on two things. First, he only studied privileged, white men and boys. She felt that this caused a biased opinion against women. Secondly, in his stage theory of moral development, the male view of individual rights and rules was considered a higher stage than women's point of view of development in terms of its caring effect on human relationships. The “caring for others” moral reasoning occurs in the conventional stage, while the masculine universal understanding of morals is postconventional.