The social contexts of adolescence

1
The social contexts of adolescence

• Families and parents

2
Parenting functions

• Provision of basic resources and caring for the
  home.
• Protecting children and adolescents.
• Guiding childrens development.
• Advocating on behalf of children in the community.

3
Factors that support or undermine parents
competence

• Personal and psychological resources
• e.g, emotional maturity knowledge.
• Characteristics of the adolescent
• e.g., temperament gender age.
• Contextual sources of stress and support
• e.g., marital relationship work.

4
Parent-Adolescent Relationships
Classification of Parenting Styles
Authoritative Authoritarian Indulgent Neglectful
Accepting, responsive Rejecting,
unresponsive Demanding, controlling Undemanding,
uncontrolling
5
How Parents Influence Their Children

• Modeling of behaviors
• Giving rewards and punishments
• Direct instruction (teaching)
• Stating rules for behavior
• Reasoning, discussing
• Providing materials resources

6
Parent-Adolescent Relationships

• Autonomy and Attachment
• The ability to attain autonomy and gain control
  over ones behavior in adolescence is acquired
  through appropriate adult reactions to the
  adolescents desire for control.

7
Parent-adolescent conflict

• Conflict can be a positive factor in adolescents
  emotional development.
• Conflict can be adaptive
• Conflict can serve an informational function.
• Conflict can help adolescents develop autonomy.

8
Parent influences on identity development

• Interest in and involvement with their children
• emotional intensity
• degree and nature of family contact
• parenting style.

9
G. Elders research

• High levels of parent-child interaction
• use of frequent explanations
• democratic or equalitarian parenting

10
Parents involvement in education

• Parents tend to be less involved in their
  childrens education once they have moved onto
  secondary school.

11
Reasons

• Schools bigger and further from home
• Curriculum is more diverse
• Multiple teachers
• Mothers more likely to be employed
• Student autonomy

12
Parent functions

• Monitor homework
• Help students make post-secondary plans
• Reward achievements and behavioral improvements
• Attend school events and teacher conferences