Discussion Questions – week 2, summary Hamilton, S.F. & Hamilton, M.A. (2009). The transition to adulthood: Challenges of poverty and structural lag. In Lerner, R.M. &Steinberg, L. (Eds.) Handbook of adolescent psychology: Third edition (2) (pp. 492 - 526). John Wiley and Sons · What influence does the family have in adolescence transition? Is it possible to make this process faster or slower by family influence? · Is it really postponing marriage the same like postponing a transition to adulthood? Is it adult a young married couple supported by their parents or working student who live without parents, taking care of yourself? · Most of the institution help young people gain social capital, skills, opportunity – but is it not necessary to have already specific social capital or another specific condition to gain opportunity to enter some of these programs? · Is the Czech Repulic a country that invests into higher education although its economy doesn´t reach of specific level so absolvents haven´t appropriate job or income? · Do the institutions have full support from the Czech Republic in their work with adolescent who are in the term of the transition to adulthood ( for example housing policy)? · What kind of effect does young people’s education level have on their adolescence? Could young people become professionally successful already at their young age? · The transition to adulthood is defined by changes in institutional roles and relationships (e.g. establish own household, marry and become parents and so on), but there are many variations among young adults in these changes (connected for example with opportunity to, in some sense, reverse each of these changes). Do you think that some changes exist which are common for all adolescents within the transition to adulthood? Can you remember what the change was pivotal for your transition to adulthood? · The authors assert that: “The value and meaning of having a life plan depend on being in a society that affords enough personal freedom so that choices are possible and enough stability so that the future is partly predictable.” Do you think then, that for example in some war area is the life plan less valuable and meaningful than in a peace area? Or are you able to imagine situation when a life plan is absolutely valueless because of society, where person lives? · What do you think about models of education that were evolved in Germany, Denmark and Switzerland (that are described by Hamilton), where apprentices are educated in work places? Can be this way how to educate young people more efective than high schools, that are usually quite teoretical and general? Do adolescents need rather practical and factural skills, or more general education (accomplishments) to get a job and earn good money? Steinberg, L., & Morris, A. S. (2001). Adolescent development. Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 83-110 · Can problematic behaviour between young people and their parents influence adolescent future life? (for example agression between partners, agression toward children) · Does the etnicity influence process of adolescence? How? · In adolescence parents allowed child more participate on decisions: but how does it influence younger siblings? Does it their relationship with parents change earlier or is it treated with elder sibling longer like with younger? Or there is double standard for siblings and have it influence on siblings relationship? · how has been changed finding the self in adolescence, when it is not now specific just for adolescence but it is became life span goal to find “true self”? · It wouldn´t be better if the researchers would find the protective factors in life of adolescent in place of find problems, problem behaviour and some else? · Is opinion of peers more important than opinion of parents for adolescent? Because results of recent researches show that parents opinions are more important for adolescent but this text doesn´t describe it. · What is the role of one’s self-esteem in their maturation process? What is the cause behind the differences in adolescent self-esteem between men and women, and between white population and African Americans? · How does the relationship between siblings develop in the course of their adolescence? · The authors claim that “…many of the problems experienced by adolescents are relatively transitory in nature and are resolved by the beginning of adulthood, with few long-term repercussions.” They offer Sampson and Laub´s (1995) explanation, that among crucial mechanisms of “aging out” of certain types of problems are the settling-down effects of marriage and full-time work. What other mechanisms could be important in this “natural resolving” according to you? · According to the authors, there is evidence that conflict between adolescents and parents, especially mothers, increases around the onset of puberty. What do you think, why this conflict increases around the onset of puberty especially between adolescents and mothers? What can be the factors that are influencing primarily adolescents´ relationship with mothers in these situations? · “Several studies have indicated that the quality of family relationships may affect the timing and course of puberty, with earlier and faster maturation observed among adolescents raised in homes characterized by less closeness and more conflict (Graber et al 1995, Kim & Smith 1998) and among girls from homes in which their biological father is not present (Surbey 1990).“ Can you think of some possible explanation for these findings? · „Researchers interested in adolescent development have paid shockingly little attention to the anture and function of teenagers‘ romantic relationships…“ What could be the possible explanations of this „gap“ in research? · „ Research over that past decade indicates that both genetic and nonshared enviromental influences , such as…., are particularly strong in adolescence.“ Why should be the genetic influences particularly strong in adolescence? I would assume the genetic factors to have steady impact on individua over the life span. Susman, E.J. & Dorn, L.D. (2009). Puberty: It’s role in development. In Lerner, R.M. & Steinberg, L. (Eds.) Handbook of adolescent psychology: Third edition (1) (pp. 116 - 151). John Wiley and Sons. · Can genetic predispositions in family induce early start of girl and boys puberty? · Which other examination procedures (except MRI) are used in examination of brain structures and functions of adolescents? · Which outcomes bring difference between being adult physically and mentally (specific when the difference is growing)? · The exact start and end of puberty, changes in brain and other biological researches of puberty… Do we not create from natural term of human something strange? Puberty in view of Susman seems as ilness. · According to paper by Susman and Dorn, ‘sequence’ is one of three characteristics of puberty changes. What does ‘sequence’ mean and how various authors describe it? · Why weren‘t psychologist researchers so deepely interested in puberty up till the 1980s? What kind of changes took place in this period? · Why does the onset of menstruation in one group of girls come as early as in their 7th-9th year of age, while others have to wait up until they’re around 12 years old? · The research of Ellis, Bates, Fergusson, Horwood, Petit and Woodward (2003) – findings at females: What could be the other possible variables excerpt fater absence that may cause these findings? · How adolescents can manifest their efforts to gain independence from their parents? Is this independence important for them? · Which one of below mentioned possibilities presently affect adolescents behavior the most? Authoritative parents, peers or mass media? Was the situation any different in the past? · Why is it important for adolescents to have someone, who can share their values and opinions and someone to whom they can relate themselves? · Can the access to education and training be related not only to family income and education but also to personal characteristics? · May the internet have an impact on building social capital for young people? Researchers primarily focus on negative phenomena of adolescence. Is it possible to find some positive manifestations which could be surveyed? (e. g. adolescence as stimulation of social change?) · Society wants adolescents to grow up without problems. Is it possible to perceive adolescence as a natural process, which is important for making adolescents independent on their parents? E. g. Czech adolescents used to leave their parents´ household younger. Nowadays it is more common to stay with their parents (for example to the age of 30). Is it possible, that such a sensitive approach to problems of adolescence could threaten their own future family life? (they might be less independent, reliable…) · Could the influence of media (internet, books, social nets) be comparable to the influence of parents, friends and education? Do you think, it is typical for today´s society, or it is only old phenomenon enhanced by new technology? (e. g. series of suicides resulting from reading poem The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang Goethe) · Adults perceive adolescents as inferior human beings who are still developing their character. Is it possible to change this stereotype? Could it be better to take adolescent as partners? Or do you think that authoritative approach is the best? · Do you think that introduction of tuition fee at Czech universities will have positive or negative impact? · There have been many studies focusing on early maturation. What are the implications of these studies for preventive girls programs? · Many adolescent problem behavior studies have come to a number of general conclusions about risky behavior. According to these conclusions, how is such behavior related to earlier development? Why is it important? · Which stereotypes of popular and rejected adolescents were confirmed in research? How does it affect unpopular adolescents? · Researchers have provided a lot of evidence for parents’ differential treatment of their children. How could such treatment affect adolescents? And how are the treatment differences perceived by adolescents? · How would you achieve more understanding and toleration of adolescent behavior and emotional changes by their parents and teachers? · How could negative perspective of view on adolescents as oppositional, emotionally labile, stormy, stressed and in need of constant monitoring; influence their self-esteem? · Which problems can bring early maturation to adolescent girls? What can be a reason of this early maturation? · How can family relationship (warm family, less cohesive family, authoritative parenting) influence peer relationships and friendships of adolescents? · Which behavior and characteristics of adolescents are most strongly driven by genetic factors? · What about psychological characteristics of adulthood, how can we define an adult? What should one achieve / be to be called an adult? · Does one have to be mature to be an adult?/ What is the difference? · What does play the biggest role in delaying transition to adulthood in Czech republic? (Is it poverty or something else?) · Do the adolescents want become the adults nowadays? (considering the crisis) E.g. universtiy students- Are they trying to finish their education sooner or because of the benefits that sudying does have, they study as long as possible? · How people in general view „puberty“? Is it connected also with positive phenomens or nothing more than „problems“? (looking back- Do people see their own puberty as (happy times“?) · As Hamilton said, the normal scenerio is, if young adults leave their parents household and establish their own. But nowadays large number of young adults (at least in Czech republic) stay withh their parents in their thirties. So, what do you think are the reasons? · To what extent is determining SES family of the child or his own activity for formation of social-economic status in contempory Czech society? What do you think is more important? · Do you think that there is some relation between overcaming poverty and less responsibility? Do you think, that young adults and adolescents coming from rich family with high SES are less responsible? And what about egoism? Are adolescents, who have everything, what they want, more selfish then poor people, who have to try hard? · Quite large number of research claims, that adolescents, who have responsive but also firm, demanding parents, reach better school performance and psychosocial maturity (in Steinberg). What do you think about that? What is your own experiences? Were your parents firm? Do you think today, that it was good for you? · Is there any kind of asset buildings/institutions in Czech Republic? · If so, what are their meaning in sense of purpose and agency, human capital and social capital? · Can we determine the value of what „kind“ of adult is more life-adapted? If the one who experienced emerging adulthood (prolonged transfer to adulthood) or the one who had to take responsibilities of life of adults earlier (at 18 e.g.)? · What examples of maintaining ties to both majority and minority cultures in adolescence (during ethnic identity development) do we know? · What affects adolescent´s self-esteem at most? · Is there any gender difference? · What led researchers of the past decade to consider the adolescence as the time of disturbation (time of storm and resistance)? What is the real face of adolescence according to current knowledge?