week 10 post 1

We have finally reached our age group in the textbook. Chapter 18 is really engaging because of all the connections I can make. I really like the quote on page 507. Basically it states, that the goals of college are to have the ability to make enough money to sustain later life, to gain the knowledge to develop mature thinking, and to discover who you really are. I agree with this, I came to Millersville to be able to further my career and be able to make more money and to, in general, learn. I have always liked school, especially science, and that is exactly what I devoted 4 years of my life to. Throughout the journey, I have developed into someone I am 100% comfortable with. Last year, I would not have been able to say that. I struggled to become settled in my career path, relationships, and life overall. The past few years I have tossed around degree options, I was full of regret, and I let a lot of unnecessary things get to me. I realized that holding regret will only cause more stress and thus, I had to let it go and move on.

Another section I found to be noteworthy is on page 512, figure 18.5. The number 1 most important factor for entering college is "being very well-off financially." Fourth down is being an authority figure. Ninth is making a theoretical contribution to science and this is just about tied with political objectives. The last 3 are all art-related. The fact that the science and the political objects are ninth on the list surprises me the most. I say this because if you make a scientific contribution, your name will be remembered, you will be mentioned in text books forever if you make a quality contribution. This notoriety makes someone famous, their name will go down in history, same with if someone would make such an influential political stance that they would make it to working in the White House. I thought this would be higher on the list of importance because of the notoriety. I also think it is humorous that art is opposite financial objectives. Kids are less likely to go to school for art and graduate to be a starving artist because that does not pay back their loans. In my opinion, you have research career fields and job outlooks before going to college. If there is a poor outlook, you should not major in it.

Berger, K. S. (2011). The developing person through the life span (8th ed.). New York: Worth Publishers.

Week 10 post 1

While reading chapter 16 this week it allowed me to reflect on my teenage years and discovering myself and creating friendships. Learning about ourselves and figuring out who we are is very important. When teens are in the process of discovering or learning about themselves peers can have an impact them greatly; such as sex or looks or dating etc. Also getting involved in other behaviors such as drugs can impact an individual which can be reflected back on to how one was taught or brought up. Not only does the past play a part in one’s life but peers around them. I remember when I was in high school some individuals would talk about parties or having sex over the weekend and how they are having so much fun but in reality do they know that will affect them in the future. The part of learning is making mistakes but doing something that others are forcing or influencing one to do which can led to emotional problems will create a harder time to develop relationships with others. When discovering your personality one may go through ups and downs such as trying to fit in with everyone else or rebelling against parents’ wishes. As one goes through that process depression or suicidal thoughts could develop since one may be upset or frustrated. Our texts states that the average age for suicide is around the age 15; that is too young for one to end their life which could lead others to follow which is not good. Allowing others to be involved in activities and developing relationships with friends can help prevent from that happening, also having family supporting the individual through the discovery process.

Week 10 Post 1

In chapter 16 it talks about relationships with adults. In the book it says that parent-adolescent relationships are not always peaceful. Bickering is petty, peevish, arguing, usually repeated and ongoing arguments. When I was in high school my mom and I were always bickering at each other. It was always about little things, like curfew, and doing chores. At that time I just thought my mom was picking on me, but now looking back my mom was usually always right in the argument. After I graduated high school my mother and I have a whole new relationship. My mom and I are really close now since I out grew adolescence. The book says that by age 18 emotional maturity happens and it reduces egocentrism, and allows to appreciate parents.I fully understand this.

Week 10 Post 2

While reading Chapter 16, I found the romance between adolescents to be quite interesting. It made me think back to some of my crushes and my first boyfriend during my years as an adolescent. As I think back to this time in my life, I feel like my crush would always change. Some days I liked one boy and other days I liked another. It was probably a good thing that I only ever had one boyfriend throughout high school because at that age I didn’t really know what exactly I was looking for in a boyfriend. As an adolescent I knew absolutely nothing about love and really only wanted to date people to get to know them better. Even though relationships during adolescence are not lasting relationships, I still think it is good for adolescents to date. I think this way because at the time of my relationship in high school, I really did not know what I was looking for in that specific type of relationship. Despite that relationship not lasting I was able to learn a lot. I learned more about myself and what types of things I would like to have in a future relationship. I also think this helped me to mature and grow as a person because after my relationship had ended, I focused on other relationships in my life. After my breakup in high school, I was able to spend more time with my friends and family which was the best thing for me during adolescence.

Week 10 Post 1

Chapter 16 discussed a number of different issues faced by adolescents.  One issue that interested me was the difference in sex education among different countries and in the United States.  European schools start sex education in elementary school and in middle school, children are taught about sexual responsibility, masturbation, same-sex couples, and oral and anal sex.  Sex education in the United States do not cover as much knowledge in their classes and education varies in each state.  The better curriculum in European schools is one reason why the teenage pregnancy rates in European countries is less than half of the teenage pregnancy rates in the United States.  I think that we need more education in the United States because adolescents are starting to have sex at younger ages and they are poorly educated.  The first time I was taught about sex by the school's education system was in 9th grade.  I believe we need to be teaching children about sex in the beginning of middle school, 5th grade.  There are 12 year old girls who are pregnant.  When I was 12, I don't think I knew what sex was and I definitely wasn't thinking about doing it.  Schools need to provide more sex education so adolescents are better educated and hopefully the teenage pregnancy rate in the United States drops.

Week 10 Post 1

I really enjoyed reading about the relationships between adolescents and adults in Chapter 16. As I read, I was able to make connections on what my relationship with my parents was like during my years as an adolescent. According to what I read in Chapter 16, conflicts between parents and their adolescents arise in early adolescence and are quite normal among all families. Conflicts between mothers and daughters are however the most common of all disputes during years of adolescence (Berger, p. 437). As I thought back to my relationship with my mother when I was an adolescent, I would have to say I felt like we did bicker a lot. Most of our arguments were about chores, homework, and the activities I was involved in. At the time, I felt like my mother was constantly nagging me which then led me to have an outburst of anger. I think the reason for my anger was that it felt like she was repeating the same things over to me and ultimately I just got annoyed with her. Now that I look back at this time, I feel kind of bad for lashing out on my mother because I feel like she was just trying to make me be the best person that I could be. Today my relationship with mother is great. The older I get the more I feel that my relationship with my mother grows. I actually think that this could be quite common for girls my age because mothers realize that we are now young adults rather than adolescents.

Week Ten Post One

While reading chapter sixteen I really enjoyed the section on relationships with adults. During adolescent years people tend to ignore the values and influence of their elders. Disputes between adolescents and parents are very common at this time because adolescents strive for independence and control and don’t want their parents to maintain it instead. The conflict between parents and their children peak at the beginning of adolescence, commonly between mothers and daughters. The main form of conflict is bickering, which is petty, peevish arguing, usually repeated and ongoing in regards to chores, cleanliness, routine, and schedules. Since many close relationships include some type of conflict, bickering is usually healthy for a family. Parents try to adjust by rebounding to preadolescent years by granting more autonomy and friendship. Teenagers tend to adjust around the age of eighteen when their emotional maturity and reduced egocentrism allows them to appreciate their parents. During adolescent years parents and teenagers try to balance the need for independence and closeness by creating less disclosure and improved communication as the teenager matures. I really enjoyed this section because as a growing teen I got into a lot of fights with my mother. I honestly used to hate her, but for the stupidest reasons, because she wouldn’t let me have my independence and tried to control my every move. We would bicker at least three times a week, and we always made up but during my teenage years it really affected my relationship with my mother. But as I grew older and matured I learned how to appreciate her and everything she does for me because she knows what is best for me.

Week Nine Post Two (Correction)

While reading chapter fifteen I found the section on the college-bound to be very interesting. High school is known to force adolescents to think abstractly, hypothetically, logically, personally, emotionally, intuitively and experientially. It’s one of the most emotional times in a teen’s life. A lot of nations are beginning to require higher standards for high school students in order to prepare them for college. Numerous high schools within the nation allow their students to take advanced placement classes in order to prepare for college. If at the end of the course the student passes the exam they will receive credit for college classes.  Another college preparation required in high school is the high-stakes test, which is an evaluation that is critical in determining success or failure of a single test that determines whether a student will graduate. It is said that many people believe that high-stakes tests, raised standards, and rigorous course requirements will improve education. Many will appose that the testing will destroy learning, especially if teachers focus on memorization and ignore analysis and intuition. I was given the opportunity to go to a college prep school, although it was a private catholic school and I was born and raised a public school girl, I am beyond grateful I decided to attend a college prep school. My high school was very strict and enforced studying and a high GPA. I always tell myself choosing that school was the best decision of my life because it really prepared me for college. I wasn’t just goofing off and slacking in school I was raised to do homework, and it was hard. And college is hard, I look at some of the teens that didn’t have the opportunity to attend a college prep school and wonder how they adjusted to college life.   

week 9 post 2

Intuitive thought verses analytic thought
 in the chapter it says that they are from both different part of the brain but at they end of the day its two systems one reasoner .
 I have always been fascinated in women's intuition at times i want to say that i don't believe in such a thing but i know i would be bold face lying to myself because there have been countless about of time that ii have actually used it. i could never really explain my reasons for the way i felt but my intuition has not steered me wrong yet.

according to the text
Intuitive
begins with belief, an assumption, or general rule rather than logic. quick and powerful it feels right.

Analytic
formal, logical . hypothetical-deductive thinking described by Piaget. it invloves rational analysis of many factors whose interactions must be calculated, as in the scale-balancing problems

a person can experience some conflict within themselves when they are trying to decide which though process to go with i guess . since both will have different results and require different things to develop such a thought it could become an internal struggle.

a question thats been haunting me is .. in times of conflict with which thought to use, whats the deciding factor that lets us pick which one to go with ?

week 9 post 1

 this chapter was pretty cool for me it actually had me on the fence for a few different things like personally i am not very big on test like those standardized test that we use to have to take in high school. they were the worst for me it wasn't the fact that i didn't know the matter they was always just so long and boring. i always felt that they were not an accurate way to test if people knew the material or not.

Another part that stood out to me was the sunk cost fallacy and base rate neglect. while the books definitions were definitely to the point but i think the more i looked at the definition the more i applied it to my life's stories even the stories of my friends, families and even some acquaintances. i feel like things would at time be so much easier if we look at them cut an dry. for instance how many of us have stayed in a relationship that we knew was not we wanted where we out grew it or, the feelings weren't mutual anymore or what ever the case maybe but we stayed on the strength we already invested in that person. but our time in, got comfortable. when we make those choices to continue not realizing that it could be sunk cost fallacy or even a base rate neglect. I find it funny that its in the adolescence cognitive development nut some of us are way past adolescence but yet we still have a lot of these traits within us. i can  honestly look at my life and say yes.. ive been there before.. will i be there in the future i hope not.. but if i do get to that crossroad hopefully i will carry myself better and look at it for what it is straight black and white no grey area.

Week Nine Post One (Correction)

While reading chapter fifteen I grew a strong interest toward the section comparing intuition and analysis. It is proven by neuroscience that the brain has multiple pathways, although they are not all used at once. Klacyznski decided to focus on the intuitive/analytic pair in adolescence. Intuitive thought is defined as the thought that arises from an emotion or a hunch, beyond rational explanation and is influenced by past experiences and cultural assumptions. Analytic thought is defines as the thought that results from analysis, such as systematic ranking of pros and cons, risks and consequences, possibilities and facts. Analytic thought usually depends on logic and rationality. A study where intuition and analysis was compared showed that most children initially jumped to the more inclusive statement rather than sticking to logic.  Adolescents tended to answer more analytically. It is proven that logical thinking improves with age and education, as well as experience. Under most circumstances logic is more difficult than intuition and requires examination of comforting familiar prejudices. According to Klacyznski people gain experience in making decisions and thinking things through, they become better at knowing when analysis is needed. I found this section to be really interesting because I have found myself in many situations where I wondered if I should react on my intuition or analyze the situation. There has been several times I ended up regretting my decision and wishing I had chose the opposite type of thought. I believe it is very challenging to make a decision on how to think in a certain situation, I think sometimes you naturally react without even being able to decide how you want to react.

Week 9 Post 2

A survey of US teenagers' religious ideas found that most 13-17 year olds considered themselves religious and believed practicing their faith would help them avoid hell. They wouldn't be willing to take the next step and convince their friends to believe the same way. I feel as is that is a strategy for not wanting to cause friction or make them stand out in a way that could exclude them from a certain group. They say that it's because they know what's best for them might not be best for everybody. I feel like this statement is very mature, I also feel like their religious parents would not feel the same way. Is it confidence that transforms your religious thoughts to become more bold? Is it more education? I feel like it's really interesting also how a lot of people start religious, due to their parents faith, and then grow out of that as they grow older.

Week 9 Post 1

This week we discussed adolescent thinking. We learned that there's different aspects of adolescent thinking called fables. The fable I want to focus on in this post is invincibility fable. Invincibility fable is the idea where what they're doing will not hurt them or affect them. For example, unprotected sex, fast driving, doing drugs. Military service is a big deal, where those who volunteer are normally under the age of 20. They are hoping and willing to be sent into combat. the young recruits are the ones who are more likely to take risks, even more than the older and more experienced soldiers. I think this is really interesting because, especially recently, more and more young people are enlisting and more and more are coming back effected by PTSD. I wonder if there is a correlation with being young and suffering with PTSD. If the soldiers who were enlisting and were being sent to battle were older with a more mature prefrontal cortex would there be as many suffering from PTSD?

Week 9 Post 2

The book discusses egocentrism in adolescents and I can see these theories definitely being shown in middle school kids that I know now and when I was younger. When I got a zit or found a tiny hole in my sweater I would get so self-conscious and think that everyone noticed or if someone commented on a hair being out of place on my head I would get self-conscious the whole day. However in reality no one even notices for the most part what each other wear. When I would be going to a store or to a movie where I’d be sitting in the dark the whole time with my mom I would get dressed up and have to do my hair in order to get there where now a days I throw on yoga pants and run to the grocery store and quickly get what I need not noticing anyone else nor them really noticing me which is what generally happens. I also identify with the invincibility fable. I know I do things without thinking that an adult would consider dangerous. I don’t know how many times that I’ve ran a stop sign or sped down a busy road not taking into account the consequences. Also, as I’m sure everyone has experienced, I’ve made some not  so smart decisions here at Millersville with alcohol or being at parties that I probably shouldn’t have been at but I don’t really take into account the damage I’m doing on my body or anything like that because I’m like I’m young it’s whatever. You don’t really think that much about dying or death at this age because it seems so far away. Once you start having a family and getting a real job and have people counting on you is definitely when I think it sinks in to be more careful and not so careless.

Week 9 Post 1

I think technology in classrooms is definitely helpful to children, and having internet is an advantage at home. I know when my computer was broken at home I had to make multiple trips to the library and it was definitely an annoyance and made trying to get my homework done a hassle. However I also agree with the book that the internet is a distraction as well. Especially now since social media has exploded and people can spend hours on end on Facebook and twitter.  Technology has definitely helped me in order to further my learning. Without Google and looking up articles online, etc. and definitely spell check my homework and essays would be a sloppy mess. I found it interesting how a study was done that shows that 10-18 year old low income families improved reading and math skills when given internet access. This just goes to show how much the internet and computers really do help with learning and development.

Week 9 post 2

In my pervious blog post I talked about the reasoning of how middle school students not doing well in school since there is an adjustment. Well, not only is there an adjustment but entering puberty. Puberty is a big topic and it seems that every so often the age that student/ individuals hit puberty is younger and younger. I remember entering middle school and the awkward stages that I have faced since I was beginning to find out who I am and where I stand in my personality. In the areas of figuring out who I was and where I fit in a “group” the stages of puberty developed overtime creating situations of embarrassment and emotions overwhelming. During the stage of puberty many emotions are being developed in females and males which can create conflict and not knowing where one stands. In middle school there is a lot of drama since everyone is finding out who they are and what is right and wrong or how to fit into the crowd. When on stands out from everyone else it can create conflict such as bullying since an individual feels more superior than someone else. Since puberty is happening in middle school it leads to decisions and in which way or kind of decisions are being made such as logical thoughts or intuitive thoughts. Emotions may play a bigger role than a logical thought in the situation what is happening in the present matters more than what will occur in the future of a decision in middle school.  

Week 9, post 1

Week 9 post 1

I thought David Elkind’s adolescent egocentrism was very interesting. Egocentrism is a characteristic of adolescent thinking that makes one focus on themselves. What I thought was interesting is that developmentalists believe egocentrism may signal growth toward cognitive maturity. Self-awareness is lacking in childhood, until maturation of the brain heightens self-consciousness around the age of 10-13. In egocentrism adolescents become convinced that everybody’s attention is directed towards them. Egocentric adolescents believe their actions and appearance are under scrutiny and watchful eyes of their peers, parents, and strangers. This is a time of limited ability to see things from other’s perspectives. I think egocentrism is important for the development of self-concept and identity in this world. I think egocentrism is extended beyond the teen years. It's like a survival tactic. 

Week Nine Post Two

While reading chapter fourteen the section on eating disorders really caught my eye. Between 5-20% of individuals that suffer from anorexia nervosa, whish is a disorder characterized by voluntary starvation, leads to death by organ failure and/or suicide.  If someone’s body mass is below 18, or if a person experiences a 10% loss in weight within one month span they are suspects of anorexia. The disorder is not fully diagnosed until four symptoms appear. The symptoms are refusal to maintain weight that is at least 85 percent of normal BMI, intense fear of weight gain, disturbed body perception and denial of the problem, and the absence of menstruation. Bulimia nervosa is about three times as common as anorexia. Bulimia nervosa is defined as an eating disorder characterized by binge eating and subsequent purging, usually by induced vomiting and/or use of laxatives. It is a disorder present in 1-3% of young women in the U.S. Most people suffering from bulimia are close to normal weight and unlikely to starve. There are three characteristics that diagnose bulimia. The three characteristics are bingeing and purging at least once a week for three months, uncontrollable urges to overeat, and a distorted perception of body size. It is said that eating disorders is a huge problem with adolescents. I found this topic to be interesting because I know a lot of people suffer from these disorders but tend to hide it. I feel as though it’s a topic everyone needs to be informed about because knowing the symptoms and side effects could help save someone’s life.