General Psych 2

Adolescence and Adulthood – Mod. 9 & 10

March 30, 2004Class #17

Module 9: Adolescence

Physical Growth Sudden spurts

Challenges to Self-Esteem Numerous stressors

School, opposite sex, respect from others, sense of self-worth, etc.

Sexual Interests Becomes a focus as do temptations to drink, smoke,

etc. Ethnic Identity

The part of a person’s identity that reflects the racial, religious, or cultural group to which he or she belongs

Lawrence Kohlberg(1927-1987)

Lawrence Kohlberg was, for many years, a professor at Harvard University

He became famous for his work there beginning in the early 1970s

He started as a developmental psychologist and then moved to the field of moral education

Adolescents and Morality:Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Reasoning

Kohlberg believed...and was able to demonstrate through studies...that people progressed in their moral reasoning (ethical behavior) through a series of stages He believed that there were six identifiable

stages which could be more generally classified into three levels

Level I: Preconventional Morality

Level I: Typical of most children under the age of nine – behavior

tends to be selfish in nature Stage 1:

Moral values reside in external events (bad acts) The child is responsive to rules and evaluative labels,

but views them in terms of pleasant or unpleasant consequences of actions, or in terms of the physical power of those who impose the rules

Very selfish – may do things just to stay out of trouble Obedience and punishment orientation or to gain

concrete rewards Stage 2:

Basically the same as in stage one as bottom line is to satisfy one’s own needs but occasionally others as well

Level II: Conventional Morality

Level II: By early adolescence, moral values reside in performing

the right role, in maintaining the conventional order and expectancies of others as a value in its own right – uphold laws and social order

Stage 3: Good-boy/good-girl orientation Orientation to approval, to pleasing and helping

others Conformity to stereotypical images of majority or

natural role behavior Action is evaluated in terms of intentions

Stage 4: Authority and social-order-maintaining orientation

Orientation to "doing duty" and to showing respect for authority and maintaining the given social order for its own sake

Level III: Postconventional Morality

Level III: Abstract reasoning that not everyone develops…

Stage 5: Morality is defined in terms of institutionalized rules

that have a rational basis Society vs. Individual (any conflict favors society)

Stage 6: The standards conformed to are internal, and action-

decisions are based on an inner process of thought and judgment concerning right and wrong

Social laws are very important but conscience is what dictates behavior – not what others might think

Society vs. Individual (any conflict favors individual)

The Heinz Dilemma: Scenario 1

A woman was near death from a unique kind of cancer. There is a drug that might save her. The drug costs $4,000 per dosage. The sick woman's husband, Heinz, went to everyone he knew to borrow the money and tried every legal means, but he could only get together about $2,000. He asked the doctor scientist who discovered the drug for a discount or let him pay later. But the doctor scientist refused.

Should Heinz break into the laboratory to steal the drug for his wife? Why or why not? See page 145 of your book for answers from

people in different stages of Kohlberg’s moral development theory

The Heinz Dilemma: Scenario 2

Heinz broke into the laboratory and stole the drug. The next day, the newspapers reported the break-in and theft. Brown, a police officer and a friend of Heinz remembered seeing Heinz last evening, behaving suspiciously near the laboratory. Later that night, he saw Heinz running away from the laboratory.

Should Brown report what he saw? Why or why not?

The Heinz Dilemma: Scenario 3

Officer Brown reported what he saw. Heinz was arrested and brought to court. If convicted, he faces up to two years in prison. Heinz was found guilty.

Should the judge sentence Heinz to prison? Why or why not?

Dilemma II: The case of the promised rock concert…

Scene 1: Judy is a 16-year-old girl. Her mother promised her that she could go to

a special rock concert coming to their town if she saved up from baby-sitting and lunch money to buy a ticket to the concert.

Judy managed to save up the fifteen dollars (the ticket cost) plus another twenty dollars and proudly told her mother she had enough saved to have a “good time at the concert”. Her mother said great, this shows what you can do when you put your mind to it.

But later that same evening her mother read a front page article on the dangers of the upcoming concert…how there would be a “bad element” present doing drugs. It was also mentioned that tattoos and piercings would be taking place as well.

She called Judy and Judy’s 17 year-old sister in for a “family meeting” and for nearly an hour lectured on the evils of drugs, sex, and rock and roll.

She told Judy that she had to spend the money on new clothes for school instead.

What Kohlberg stage is Judy’s mother at??? Why??

Dilemma II: The case of the promised rock concert…

Scene 2: The next day Judy screamed at her mother calling her a liar that should

never be trusted The strong-willed Judy later decided to go to the concert anyway. That Saturday she told her mother she was forgiven that she was

spending the day with a friend going shopping. In reality, Judy and her friend went to the performance and had a great

time A week passed without her mother finding out. In confidence, Judy then told her older sister, Louise, that she had gone

to the concert and had lied to her mother about it. Louise wonders whether to tell their mother what Judy did.

What Kohlberg stage is Judy at??? Why??? If Judy’s sister was at the top level what would her actions

be??? Why???

Portions of previous slides taken from: http://www.haverford.edu/psych/ddavis/p109g/kohlberg.dilemmas.html

Limitations to Kohlberg’s Theory

Cross-Cultural Studies Levels 1 and 2 appear universal; Level 3 does

not Moral judgments in some cultures do not fit

into Kohlberg’s stages Gender and Morality

Men concerned with the abstract, impersonal concept of justice

Females concerned with protecting enduring caring relationships and fulfilling human needs

Erik Erikson (1902-1994)

Erikson was a follower of Sigmund Freud who broke with his teacher over the fundamental point of what motivates or drives human behavior… For Freud it was biology or more specifically the

biological instincts of life and aggression For Erikson, who was not trained in biology

and/or the medical sciences the most important force driving human behavior and the development of personality was social interaction

Erik Erikson (1902-1994)

Felt we developed in psychosocial stages… Emphasized developmental change throughout the

human life span In Erikson’s theory, eight stages of development unfold

as we go through the life span Each stage consists of a crisis that must be faced According to Erikson, this crisis is not a catastrophe but

a turning point of increased vulnerability and enhanced potential

The more an individual resolves the crises successfully, the healthier development will be

Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development

Trust vs. Mistrust Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt Initiative vs. Guilt Industry vs. Inferiority Identity vs. Role Confusion Intimacy vs. Isolation Generativity vs. Stagnation Integrity vs. Despair

Trust vs. Mistrust

Experienced in the first year of life… A sense of trust requires a feeling of

physical comfort and a minimal amount of fear and apprehension about the future

Trust in infancy sets the stage for a lifelong expectation that the world will be a good and pleasant place to live

Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt

Occurs in late infancy and toddlerhood (1-3 years)… They start to assert their sense of independence,

or autonomy They realize their will Parents need to allow them to do things for

themselves If infants are restrained too much or punished too

harshly, they are likely to develop a sense of shame and doubt

Initiative vs. Guilt Occurs during the preschool years…

As preschool children encounter a widening social world, they are challenged more than when they were infants

Active, purposeful behavior is needed to cope with these challenges

Children are asked to assume responsibility for their bodies, their behavior, their toys, and their pets

Developing a sense of responsibility increases initiative

Uncomfortable guilt feelings may arise, though, if the child is irresponsible and is made to feel too anxious about being independent

Competence vs. Inferiority

From about age 5 or 6 to puberty… Children develop a sense of industry and

curiosity and are eager to learn Or they feel inferior and lose interest in

the tasks before them

Identity vs. Role Confusion

Adolescents come to see themselves as unique and integrated persons with an ideology

Or they become confused about what they want out of life

Intimacy vs. Isolation Individuals experience this during the

early adulthood years… At this time, individuals face the developmental

task of forming intimate relationships with others Erikson describes intimacy as finding oneself yet

losing oneself in another If the young adult forms healthy

friendships and an intimate relationship with another individual, intimacy will be achieved; if not, isolation will result

Generativity vs. Stagnation

Individuals experience this during middle adulthood… A chief concern is to assist the younger

generation in developing and leading useful lives…

This is what Erikson means by generativity

The feeling of having done nothing to help the next generation is stagnation

Integrity vs. Despair Individuals experience this during late

adulthood In the later years of life, we look back and

evaluate what we have done with our lives Through many different routes, the older person

may have developed a positive outlook in most of all of the previous stages of development

If so, the retrospective glances will reveal a picture of a life well spent, and the person will feel a sense of satisfaction (integrity will be achieved)

If the older adult resolved many of the earlier stages negatively, the retrospective glances likely will yield doubt or gloom (despair)

Module 9: Adulthood

What developmental changes occur in adulthood? Physical Changes Cognitive Changes Social Changes

Physical Changes

Physical growth continues in early adulthood

In middle adulthood, physical changes slowly emerge, including loss of sensory sharpness

Most are well into late adulthood before bodily functions show noticeable impairment

Cognitive Changes

Important cognitive abilities improve until at least age 60

Adult thought becomes more complex and adaptive than adolescent thought Thinking becomes more dialectical

Not until late in adulthood do some intellectual abilities decline in some people

Cognitive Changes Crystallized intelligence

One’s accumulated knowledge such as vocabulary

This continues to increase with age Fluid intelligence

One’s ability to reason and problem solve For example: to think critically about TV commercials

Unfortunately, decrease with age (fortunately this is a slow decrease until at least age 75)

Social Changes Early Adulthood: Individuals become concerned

with occupational choices as well as issues of love Experiences of parenthood are accompanied by

personal, social, and often occupational changes Middle Adulthood: People become concerned with

producing something that will outlast them, usually through parenthood or job achievements Erikson’s crisis of generativity Around age 40, people go through a midlife transition

Social Changes Late Adulthood

Most between 65 and 75 are active and influential politically and socially

During old age people become generally more inward looking, cautious, and conforming

Coping skills are increasingly developed to take into account the limits of one’s control

Relationships found to be more satisfying, supportive, and fulfilling than earlier in life

Death and Dying

With onset of old age, people become aware that death is approaching… Some experience a sharp decline in mental

functioning, or terminal drop, a few years or a few months before death

According to Erickson, awareness of impending death brings about the crisis of ego integrity versus despair

Death and Dying Longevity is not related to higher levels of

education, income, or occupation Longevity is associated with certain

personality characteristics such as being curious, conscientious, and not overemphasizing the importance of negative events in life

Longevity is associated with diet, physical and mental exercise, and a sense of control over one’s life