What Do You Remember About Adolescence

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What Do You Remember About Adolescence?

• "...And these childrenthat you spit onas they
  try to change their worldsare immune to your
  consultations.They're quite awareof what
  they're going through..."David BowieQuote taken
  from the 1985 Film
• The Breakfast Club

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On-Line Gaming Addiction Its Effects On
Adolescent Social Development

• Ashley Neal Callicutt, Ed.S.
• Charles Crews, M.Ed., LPC
• Texas AM University - Commerce

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Normal Adolescent DevelopmentAccording to The
American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychology

• Early Adolescence (12-14 years)
• Middle Adolescence
• Late Adolescence (17-19 years)

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Early Adolescence

• Movements Toward Independence
• Struggle with sense of Identity
• Moodiness
• Improved ability to use speech to express
  oneself
  
• More likely to express feelings by action
• Close friendships gain importance
• Less attention shown to parents (occasional
  rudeness)
  
• Realization that parents are not perfect
• (Identification of their faults)
• Search for new people to love in addition
• to parents
• Tendency to return to childish behavior
• (Fought off by excessive activity)
• Peer group Influence interests and clothing
  style
  

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• Career Interests
• Mostly interested in present and near future
• Greater Ability to work
• Sexuality
• Girls are ahead of boys
• Same sex friends and group activities
• Show-off qualities
• Greater interest in privacy
• Experimentation with body (masturbation)
• Worries about being normal
• Ethics Self Direction
• Rule and limit testing
• Occasional experimentation with cigarettes,
  marijuana, and alcohol
  
• Capacity for abstract thought

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Middle Adolescence

• Movement Towards Independence
• Self-involvement, alternating between
  unrealistically high expectations and poor
  self-concept
  
• Complaints that parents interfere with
  independence
  
• Extremely concerned with appearance and with
  one's own body
  
• Feelings of strangeness about one's self and
  body
  
• Lowered opinion of parents, withdrawal of
  emotions from them
  
• Effort to make new friends

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• Independence continued
• Strong emphasis on the new peer group with the
  group identity of selectivity, superiority and
  competitiveness
  
• Periods of sadness as the psychological loss of
  the parents takes place
  
• Examination of inner experiences, which may
  include writing a diary
  
• Career Interests
• Intellectual interests gain importance
• Some sexual and aggressive energies directed into
  creative and career interests
  
• Sexuality
• Concerns about sexual attractiveness
• Frequently changing relationships

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• Sexuality Continued
• Movement towards heterosexuality with fears of
  homosexuality
  
• Tenderness and fears shown towards opposite sex
• Feelings of love and passion
• Ethics and Self-Description
• Development of ideals and selection of role
  models
  
• More consistent evidence of conscience
• Greater capacity for setting goals
• Interest in moral reasoning

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Late Adolescence

• Movement Towards Independence
• Firmer identity
• Ability to delay gratification
• Ability to think ideas through
• Ability to express ideas in words
• More developed sense of humor
• Stable interests
• Greater emotional stability
• Ability to make independent decisions
• Ability to compromise
• Pride in one's work
• Self-reliance
• Greater concern for others

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• Career Interests
• More defined work habits
• Higher level of concern for the future
• Thoughts about one's role in life
• Sexuality
• Concerned with serious relationships
• Clear sexual identity
• Capacities for tender and sensual love
• Ethics and Self-Direction
• Capable of useful insight
• Stress on personal dignity and self-esteem
• Ability to set goals and follow through
• Acceptance of social institutions and cultural
  traditions
  
• Self-regulation of self esteem

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Stages of Social-Emotional DevelopmentEricksons
Eight Stages of Man (The Child Development
Institute)

• According to Erickson
• The socialization process is made up of eight
  stages
  
• Each stage is referred to as a psychosocial
  crisis which must be resolved before going on to
  the next stage
  
• Satisfactory learning and resolution of each
  crisis is necessary for subsequent learning and
  resolution of latter crises
  

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8 stages of Psycho-SocialDevelopment According
to Erickson

• Basic Trust vs. Mistrust (Hope)
• Autonomy vs. Shame (Will)
• Initiative vs. Guilt (Purpose)
• Industry vs. Inferiority (Competence)
• Identity vs. Identity Diffusion (Fidelity)
• Intimacy vs. Isolation (Love)
• Generativity vs. Self-absorption (Care)
• Integrity vs. Despair (Wisdom)

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Industry vs. Inferiority Occurs during school
age (continues up to and includes some junior
high school)

• Skill Mastery Includes
• Relating with peers according to rules
• Progressing from free play to play that is
• structured by rules and may demand formal
• teamwork
• Mastering academics

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Successful vs. Unsuccessful Resolution

• The successful child
• Trusting
• Autonomous
• Industrious
• The Unsuccessful child
• Mistrusting
• Future Doubting
• Noting that the shame and guilt filled child
  will
  
• experience defeat and inferiority

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Identity vs. Identity Diffusion

• Adolescence, from about age 13 to age 20
• (Answers the question, WHO AM I?
• Skill Mastery Includes
• Successful role experimentation
• Development of a clear sexual identity

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Successful vs. Unsuccessful Resolution

• The successful child
• Develops a sense of self-certainty
• Develops a set of socially congruent and
  desirable ideals
  
• Anticipates achievement
• The unsuccessful child
• Develops a negative identity, highlighted by
  feelings of inferiority
  
• Self-consciousness and self-doubt

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Why Adolescents Join Teams, Clubs Gangs?

• William Glasser, Choice Theory
• Humans (yes, adolescents are considered to be
  humans) always choose their behavior in an
  attempt to satisfy basic needs
  
• Our behavior at any given time is our best
  attempt to satisfy one or more of these basic
  needs
  
• Basic Needs
• Love
• Belonging
• Freedom
• Power
• Fun

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Peers, Cliques, Gangs
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Peer Groups, Cliques, Crowdspsu.edu

• Peer Group is defined as
• A small group of similarly aged, fairly close
  friends, sharing the same activities
  
• Serving as a prototype for adult relationships,
  at both work and with members of the opposite
  sex
  
• Playing a very important role in helping an
  individual define his/her personal identity
  
• Characterized by trust, self disclosure, and
  loyalty (allowing for deeper intimacy)
  
• Cliques and Crowds are two types of peer group
  Structure
  

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• Cliques are defined as
• Small groups of between two and twelve
  individuals (average adolescent group, 5-6)
  
• Small enough so members feel that they know and
  appreciate each other much better than those
  outside of the group
  
• The main social interaction of adolescents
• Members are similar in age and social class
• Tend to be of the same sex and race
• Crowds are defined as
• Larger reputation based groups
• May or may not spend much time together
• Not based on actual friendships
• Serve to locate adolescent within the school
  social structure
  
• A membership group is a crowd to which an
  adolescent belongs

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What Are Gangs?Stedwards.edu

• Gangs are
• Loosely organized group of three or more people
  who interact together to the exclusion of others
  
• Primary age group 14-20 years old
• Fill basic needs not met at home and at school
• (specifically respect, support, family,
  recognition, protection, identity, belonging,
  money, and control)
  
• Membership makes them feel important recognized
  within their peer group
  

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Reasons Why AdolescentsJoin Gangs

• Reasons why youths become gang members
• Lack of role models
• Low self-esteem
• Physical safety
• Peer relations
• Sense of identity
• Increased status
• Opportunity for excitement
• Do any of these reasons look familiar?

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Notice the Similarities?

• Gangs are
• Loosely organized group of three or more people
  who interact together to the exclusion of others
  
• Primary age group 14-20 years old
• Fill basic needs not met at home and at school
• (specifically respect, support, family,
  recognition, protection, identity, belonging,
  money, and control)
  
• Membership makes them feel important recognized
  within their peer group

• Peer Group is defined as
• A small group of similarly aged, fairly close
  friends, sharing the same activities
  
• Serving as a prototype for adult relationships,
  at both work and with members of the opposite
  sex
  
• Playing a very important role in helping an
  individual define his/her personal identity
  
• Characterized by trust, self disclosure, and
  loyalty (allowing for deeper intimacy)

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Why Join Any, Either, or ALL?

• Because each
• helps
• the adolescent
• satisfy one or more
• basic human need

• Basic Needs
• Love
• Belonging
• Freedom
• Power
• Fun

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So? So academic clubs aren't the same as other
kinds of clubs. Ah, but to dorks like him, th
ey are. -- What do you guys do in your club?
In Physics club we talk about physics, properti
es of physics. So it's sort'a social. DEMENTED a
nd SAD, but social, right? Yeah, I guess you c
ould consider it a social situation. I mean,
there are other children in my club.
- The Breakfast Club
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What is the Cyberspace Attraction?rider.edu

• For many adolescents, cyberspace hangouts are
  better than the real thing
  
• New groups to join
• A place where they feel they belong
• Everyone knows their name
• Being part of the In crowd
• Common pitfalls to online friendships
• May be artificial
• Shallow
• Transient

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On-Line Gaming Addiction

• What is it?
• AND
• How is it effecting our Children?

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Take a Look at This New Reality
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EverQuest
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For Some This Game, Along With Others Like It,
May

• Fulfill any one or several basic needs
• Love
• Belonging
• Freedom
• Power
• Fun

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Finding Fulfillment

• In this Virtual World, adolescents can become
  someone new
  
• Loved where they are ignored
• Admired as a leader where they feel invisible to
  peers
  
• Free to be everyone but themselves
• Powerful where they are seen as weak
• Fun in friendship where they feel alone

For many teens, these MMORGS allow them the
opportunity to be respected among their peers for
their game playing and strategizing abilitytheir
real world status simply does not matter when
leading the guild into battle.
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Defining the Addictionchem.vt.edu

• Internet Addiction
• A psycho-physiological disorder involving
  tolerance
  
• (the same amount of usage elicits less response
  increased amounts become necessary to evoke the
  same amount of pleasure),
  
• Withdrawal symptoms
• (especially, tremors, anxiety, and moodiness),
• Affective disturbances
• (depression, irritability),
• and, interruption of social relationships
• (decline or loss, either in quality or quantity)

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Signs of Excessive Userider.edu

• Warning Signs
• Denial and lying about the amount of time spent
  on the computer or about what they are doing on
  the computer
  
• Excessive fatigue and changes in sleeping habits,
  such as getting up early or staying up late (in
  order to spend more time online)
  
• Academic problems, usually grades slipping
• Withdrawal from friends and declining interest in
  hobbies (online friends and activities are taking
  the place of the real world)
  
• Loss of appetite irritability when cut-off from
  computer use a decline in their appearance or
  hygiene
  
• Disobedience and acting out

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When is Too Much, Too Much?
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Questions to Ask if Addiction is Suspected
olganon.org

• Ask the following questions
• Would you rather log into your online game than
  spend time with friends in person?
  
• Are the majority of your friends gamers as well,
  who mostly get together for LAN parties to play
  games such as Counterstrike, Unreal Tournament,
  or Diablo?
• Do you try to find ways of playing your online
  game when youre not at home?
  
• Do you skip appointments, miss classes, or miss
  days of work because youre at a critical point
  in your online characters advancement or
  adventures?

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• Are you flirting with those of the opposite sex
  in the game, to build a relationship, rather than
  in person?
  
• Do you deny addiction to a Massive Multi-player
  On-line Role Playing Game (MMORPG), but somehow
  still feel that need to play, or just keep your
  character and possessions updated (you may be
  masking it by pretending youre having fun)?
• Do you feel your heart racing as you control your
  character in a flee from danger?...to save his or
  her virtual life?...when stumbling upon some
  serious loot
• Do you feel a sudden rush of intense joy and
  relaxation after you safely manage to steal,
  pickpocket, or murder another character?
  
• Do you experience stronger emotions while in your
  online game than you do in real life?

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Early Preventionchem.vt.edu

• Tips For Prevention
• Recognize patterns of abuse, awareness of the
  basic symptoms is important
  
• Identify the underlying problems, What is
  causing me to want to escape from everyday
  life?
  
• Devise and act out a plan to work through the
  problem, rather than escaping from it
  
• Take steps to resolve the addiction itself,
  gradually decline computer use until a sensible
  amount of time is reached

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What Can We Dorider.edu

• All adolescent activities need SOME
• supervision in order to stay on track
• Get knowledgeable and join in
• To be effective, you need to know something about
  the topic LEARN
  
• Talk to them
• Ask about computer use, be curious, and avoid
  interrogation
  
• Acknowledge the good and the bad
• Dont vilify the game, this will alienate,
• talk about both pros and cons

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• Make the computer visible
• Adolescents need and want some amount of privacy,
  as a rule it is a good idea to put the computer
  in a common area, this makes supervision easier
  
• Set reasonable rules
• Adolescents need and want rules, set limits
• Encourage a balance
• The Cyber World is great but there is more to
  life than that, get them involved in real life
  activities, the goal is to prevent future
  isolation
• Build a relationship
• There is no substitute

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As Counselors What CanWe Do

• Often times, in the classroom our energies
• are given toward the children with
• behavioral, emotional, or other types of
• classroom difficulties.
• We need to be acutely aware of our schools
• entire demographic.
• Try not to ignore the quiet child.

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Providing a Safe Placeto Plug-In

• Create an On-Line Gaming Club
• Provide a social outlet for students who may
  otherwise be socially isolated
  
• MMORPGS mimic real life in such a way that social
  skills are needed, learned, and implemented in
  team play
  
• Help students transfer these skills to the real
  world by providing them with a real life social
  situations
  
• Membership promises the connection with other
  students interested in the same things

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• The goal here is help students learn to apply the
  social skills they learn in the game to real
  world situations
  
• Helping establish close working relationships
  between peers that continued beyond game play
  
• Helping provide a since of belonging in the real
  world
  
• Helping these adolescents fulfill their basic
  needs outside of the virtual realm

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A Double Edged Sword

• Many of the adolescents involved in playing
  Massive Multi-player On-line Role Playing Games
  are learning skills that will help them in later
  life, if they are provided with a framework for
  transference into the real world. These skills
  they learn are worthless if their everyday lives
  remain a source of anxiety, isolation, and
  loneliness.
• We Can Help.

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• Get Interested.
• Get Knowledge.
• Get Involved.