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Recall that high school students in America and Europe spend twice as much time with peers compared to their parents. Note also that by the time an adolescent in the United States is a senior in high school, only 15% of her waking hours will be spent with family. What impact does this "age segregation" have upon the socialization of adolescents? What direction would you like the age segregation trend to take and what reasons would you provide to support your conclusion? (That is, continue social and educational programs in their currently age segregated fashion? decrease the degree of segregation? increase the degree of age segregation?) |
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Consider the variety of different adolescent groupings such as cliques, crowds, and gangs. First, describe both the potentially positive and negative effects each grouping can have on the social development of adolescents. Second, describe the potential positive and negative influences each grouping has on the formation of self- and social-identity in adolescents. |
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What are the social and environmental factors that place children at greater risk for the development of antisocial behavior during adolescence? Once a child has been labeled as having antisocial tendencies, is there a way that this tendency can be stopped or perhaps even reduced? Furthermore, how might an intervention to help reduce antisocial tendencies among youth be designed? |
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Brown proposed a model for mapping the social world of adolescents using two dimensions, the degree of involvement in peer culture and the degree of involvement in adult institutions. Use this model to map the ideal location for a socially well-adjusted adolescent. Next, use Brown's social mapping model to identify the location of a poorly adjusted adolescent. Consider your own degree of involvement in peer culture compared to adult institutions. Where would you place yourself on Brown's social mapping model? Besides being a "descriptive" model, how might the social mapping model be used in treating antisocial behaviors, bullying, and health-compromising behaviors such as drug abuse and high-risk sexual activity? |
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There is a great deal of emphasis on popularity in the media with portrayals in movies and television shows, such as the film Mean Girls. What long-lasting effects does an adolescent's popularity have on their future cognitive and social development? In your opinion, can one's degree of popularity among peers during adolescence be used as a predictor of academic and financial success in adulthood? Support your opinion with research findings. |
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Describe the change in the teenage population between 1955 and 1975. What effect did this population change have on adolescents? Why do social scientists study patterns of change in adolescent population? |
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Some observers have proposed that age segregation has fueled the development of a separate and troublesome youth culture. In fact, this belief was first published in a book over 50 years ago, The Adolescent Society (Coleman, 1961). Do you support this hypothesis about a separate youth culture? How has the culture and climate of adolescent students changed over the last 5 to 6 decades? How has it stayed the same? |
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| 8 | |
Imagine that you are the principal of a public high school. You've just found out that your school has a higher prevalence of peer bullying than any other school in the state. The superintendent of your district has asked you to give a presentation about the types of bullying and harassment that students at your school are experiencing and witnessing. She wants to know if there are different effects for students who observe another student being victimized versus students who personally experience the harassment or bullying. She has also asked you to discuss, in general, the consequences of peer victimization. Discuss why your school may be particularly at risk for student-to-student bullying. In your opinion, what is the most effective way for students to prevent bullying from reoccurring? |
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