Principles of Development

Principles of Development
Sexting: Typical teen behavior or public menace?
Here is an example of a recent news report on the phenomenon of “sexting” among teens. You can find many other reports — this is just an example.
CBS News (2009) “Sexting” shocklingly common among teens. Retrieved February 22, 2011, from http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/01/15/national/main4723161.shtml
Base your response on some type of factual information. Remain rational and keep in mind the theoretical information on adolescent development you have read in the course so far. Do not offer a response based purely on opinion and emotion.
You may use Peer Reviewed and good quality Internet resources (not political or religious websites and not Wikipedia). Provide appropriate citation and referencing for any quoted or borrowed materials.
Suggested length: 3 pages typed and double-spaced.
Assignment Expectations
The following items in particular will be assessed:
1. Name and summarize what the major theories of psychological development say about adolescence and young adulthood and relate them to real-life experiences – in this case, “sexting”.
2. List and discuss various socio-cultural influences on the experience and behavior (as represented by “sexting”) of adolescents in 21st century societies and describe how they influence behavioral choices.
3. Application of modular readings when appropriate.

Required Reading

Adolescence has a reputation for being a difficult time for teenagers and those who care for them. Although this is in part a bit of a cultural myth, there is a grain of truth, especially now. Some facts to ponder:
• Adolescence is not a culturally universal lifespan stage. In fact, it is found mainly in affluent cultures (America, western Europe, Japan etc.).
• Adolescence may be evolving into a more stressful phase simply because it is getting longer and less well defined: four generations ago, children began puberty closer to their mid-teens (14-16) and were married and working by age 20. Now, puberty can begin as early as 9-10 and most people do not marry or begin a serious career until their mid-twenties.
• Many cultures offer a “rite of passage” from childhood to adulthood, but most world cultures in which adolescence is lengthy do not.
Before actually considering adolescence by itself, it would be a good idea to acquaint yourself with some general lifespan developmental theories.
Sigmund Freud’s theory has been criticized for being too monothematic and unscientific (and rightly so) but since it is the “granddaddy” of all stage theories, it is good to be familiar with it.
New York Psychoanalytic Institute and Society. (2000, February 17). Sigmund Freud and the Freud Archives. Retrieved February 22, 2011, from http://www.freudarchives.org/
Erik Erikson took Freud’s theory and made some significant improvements, adding a more well-defined sequence of stages for adolescence and adulthood, and making it a more general theory of personality development, centered around the mastery of a series of developmental crises.
Learning-Theories.com (2011). Erikson’s Stages of development. Retrieved February 22, 2011, from http://www.learning-theories.com/eriksons-stages-of-development.html
Boere, C. G. (1997). Personality Theories: Erik Erikson. Retrieved February 22, 2011, from http://www.ship.edu/~cgboeree/erikson.html
Jean Piaget created the first developmental theory that addressed the evolution of thinking across childhood. This information will also be useful to us in considering how teenagers make decisions about important matters including sexuality and sexual behavior. See the following link:
Jean Piaget Society (2011). A brief biography of Jean Piaget. Retrieved February 22, 2011, from http://www.piaget.org/aboutPiaget.html
Adolescents, unlike younger children, can think abstractly. They also can think ahead – consider the consequences of different courses of action – in more realistic terms. This of course does not mean that they will do so. One problem faced by health care and social services professionals working in pregnancy prevention and education is that, due to the changes in technology and society described above, the age at which puberty begins has dropped so low that it starts when most girls and boys are still in the concrete operations stage.
Some unique problems of adolescent reasoning and thought are outlined in this short essay:
Kids Health (n.d.) A Parents’ Guide to Surviving the Teen Years. Retrieved from http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/growing/adolescence.html
I enjoyed this website, which provides information for parents with a compassionate and respectful tone.
Association for Middle Level Education (2013) Retrieved from http://www.amle.org/
In preparation for your Case Assignment, visit
CBS News (2009) “Sexting” shocklingly common among teens. Retrieved February 22, 2011, from http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/01/15/national/main4723161.shtml