Adolescent Psychology

“The children of today now love luxury. They have bad manners. They show disrespect to adults, and love to talk, rather than work or exercise. They contradict their parents, chatter in front of company, gobble down their food at the table, and intimidate their teachers.”

Would it surprise you to learn that this quote is attributed to Socrates (469-399 B.C.)? As children grow through middle childhood and into adolescence, they assert their autonomy more and more, becoming less likely to conform with parental influence as they form their own identities. Review the stages of development covered in this course (including cognitive, socioemotional, and physical) and the main concepts you have learned in this module, including autonomy, identity formation, and relationships.

What have you learned about development during adolescence that might explain how this quote can apply to modern day adolescents, as well as those who lived centuries ago? Although there might be general similarities, are there some differences that modern-day parents need to consider as well? What advice might you give a modern-day parent for relating to his or her teen, based on what you have learned? Based on your readings for this course, do you think research on development supports adolescence as a time of turmoil, identity formation, and/or peer pressure? Remember to support your responses. Write your initial response in 4-5 paragraphs. Support your statements with citations from your text, online notes and other scholarly sources. Apply APA standards to citation of sources.