Developmental Changes, Essay Example

Introduction

The transition from adolescence to adulthood is characterized by many changes and challenges. During this time, the youth is acquiring and consolidating many competencies, attitudes, values, and social behaviors need to adequately transition from adolescence to adulthood (Smith, W. 2001). Late adolescence is extremely important in setting the stage for continued development in early adulthood life. Nonetheless, development and transitions are continued through the lifespan of the individual. The choices and engagements that the individual makes during this time will directly influence the rest of their lives. By the time the youth is 17 or 18 years old, he/she has to make decisions about his/her life-completing high school, furthering education or vocational training, moving away from home, marriage, and even parenthood. (Thoits, 2003). This can be a stressful time for even the most mature of adolescents. In order to effectively deal with all of the transitions and changes they are going through, each individual must have sound foundation to successfully arrive at adulthood. At each stage of life, risk factors can impact behaviors, choices, and outcomes of an individual.

Risk Factors

Dramatic changes occur with youth’s bodies. They experience changes in the shape of their bodies, an increase in hormones, and even the shape and function of the brain. One major change occurs in the brain. The frontal lobes of the brain, which is responsible for self-control, judgment, emotional regulation, organization, and planning, begin to grow and full out. This change and growing process can cause adolescents to have inconsistent behaviors (Smith, 2001). This also affects the youth’s behavior, mood, and social relationships. The way in which youths’ deal with these changes can influence their well-being later in life. Many youths may experiment with drugs, alcohol, and sex during this time. All three of these can lead to devastating circumstances. For example, unplanned pregnancies can change the future paths of the mother. Drug and alcohol dependency can lead to unreached dreams and/or death. The physical environment in which the youth lives has a powerful influence on the choices he/she makes on a daily basis. If a youth lives in an environment where questionable activities are occurring, he/she is likely to participate in those activities.  School teachers also have a powerful role in the choices a youth may make. The average youth spends more hours a day with his/her teachers than with family members. Having teachers that require nothing less than the best from their students is very beneficial. “When a child drops out of school, the chances of risky behavior increases dramatically” (Thoits, 2003).

Review of Literature

Life Transitions, Roles of Histories, and Mental Health by Blair Wheaton, sought to explain how certain life events or stressors can affect one’s mental health in conjunction with prior issues. In the study, nine transitional events are studied: job loss, divorce, pre-marital break-up, and retirement, child moving out, first marriage, job promotion, and having a child. The researcher hypothesizes that not all life’s transitions are stressful. The study took place in Canada from 1977-1981. For each study the number of participants varied from about 40 to well of 1000. He concluded that prior role environment has very little impact on a life transition on mental health. He also conveyed that “Instead of being stressful, life events may at times be non- problematic or even beneficial by offering escape from a chronically stressful role situation”. He believes that when a person has been in stressful situation for an extended period of time, another stressful situation will actually function as a stress relief. He shows that there is a difference between chronic stress and life events. He concluded that the following cannot be treated as stressful situations cannot be treated as events just because they require the individual to change. For example, noise in the work place, regular disagreements with spouse, a chronically ill family member, or financial debts because all of those are common life events. He conveys that the mind is equipped to handle common events-life events; consequently, most people will not stress over them. Yet, other chronic stressors will affect the person negatively. Finally, he determined that age and gender directly affects the severity of stress brought on by stressors. Some of the results of his study were as follows. The first analysis was conducted on people who had lost their job recently. It consisted of 877 participants. 67 of these people reported having lost a job involuntarily and 43 of that number reported getting a new job. He concluded that the effect of a job loss on one’s mental health depended upon many factors-gender, marital status, age, and prior work problems. At the conclusion of the study, he found that younger, married women had the highest level of stress due to job loss. Surprisingly, men aged 26-37 were the least stressed about a job loss. Finally, unmarried men aged 38-50 were the least of stressed of all participants. At the conclusion of examining all the stressors, he found that when life transitions occur in the context of a problematic role history, participants are less stressed regardless to age or gender.

Social Change and Transitions to Adulthood in Historical Perspective by John Model, Frank Furstenberg, and Theodore Hershberg discusses the problems youth may have when transitioning to adulthood. The study was conducted in New York in 1970. The researchers did a comparative study to convey how the problems that youth of 1970 differed from the problems that youths dealt with in 1870, roughly 100 years later. He determined that family pattern is one difficult issue that youths deal with. He discusses how the family pattern was different in 1870. In 1870, the average youth did not leave home until their early 20s. A fifth of them even remained home until their late 20s. In 1970, many youths left home at the age of 18, while 26 percent left at an even younger age. At the conclusion of the paper, the authors determined that over the past 100 years, the pattern of transition to adulthood had changed drastically. In 1880, the home income was based upon the husband working only. In 1970, the income was based upon the husband and wife. Sometimes the youth may have even had a job. The time frame and age for marriage was drastically different in 1880 also. Women tended to get married earlier between the age of 18-25 and men were a little older 25-35. In 1970, the age changed for both men and women. Both seemed to get married at a later age, around 27-38. The authors equate these changes to a changing family structure and economy. In 1880, financial inheritance was prevalent, so many men did not have to work and save for a family. Men in 1970 tended to work and establish themselves prior to getting married. Also, in 1970 more men were deciding to go to college; consequently, they married at a later date. Likewise, women were going to college as well in 1970. As a result, getting married was not a main priority for the women of 1970. Because the world had changed drastically over a 100 year time frame, so did youths.

Conclusion

I chose these two articles because to me they both were interrelated.  Both articles show how the transition to adulthood has changed over the years. Both articles’ research was conducted within years of each other. This gives the reader a glimpse of the past while allowing him/her to compare that with today’s society. I believe that the family structure and economy plays a great role in when a person transitions to adulthood. Today, there are many families that have youths that work to help make ends meet. Consequently, some families need them to stay home longer. I would have liked to seen information about the successfulness of the youths that left home in the articles. Neither article presented that information. I would have also liked to have seen information presented on the ethnicity and geographical location and how it effects a youth’s transition. Overall, both were beneficial articles.

References

Model, J., Furstenberg, F., & Hershberg, T. (1991).  Social change and transitions to adulthood in historical perspective North American Journal of Psychology, 4(1), 21-36.

Smith, W. (2001). The stress analogy. Schizophrenia Bulletin. 13(2).

Thoits, P. (2003). Dimensions of life events that influence psychological distress. Trends in Theory and Research. 36(3).

Wheaton, B. (1990). Life transitions, role histories, and mental health. American Sociological Review 55(2).