...The Five Issues Adolescences Face 1 The five most important issues that adolescents face are: aggression, maltreatment, maturity judgment, pubertal development, and psychological adjustment. As I observed Mrs. Hourigan’s class at the Courtyard, I was surprised by how heavily students are influenced by peer pressure. Peer pressure seems to have incredible impact on the way students think and behave, and so it heavily influences the way students deal with the issues facing them. As I conducted my research on articles, I wanted to find more in depth research on other internal issues that these students might encounter throughout their growing process and that contribute to peer pressure. Ramirez (2003) attempted to find a direct correlation between hormones and aggression in childhood and adolescences due to the lack of studies it did not find a direct link. However, the study presents the possibility that adolescents’ aggression is a biological factor rather than a matter of generalizing that all adolescents are aggressive. Such generalizing is made with students who attend the Courtyard which is a Community Day Service (CDS). It is presumed that all of the students at a CDS are aggressive and violent. Based on my interactions and observations, a majority of the seventh and eighth graders act “thuggish” to portray a tough image with their peers, however many of them are at CDS for having a low Grade Point Average (GPA); are considered at-risk. For example, in Mrs...
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...portrayals in teen movies and investigating the influence of exposure to these images on gender-based beliefs about friendships, social aggression, and roles of women in society. First, a content analysis of gender portrayals in teen movies was conducted, revealing that female characters are more likely to be portrayed as socially aggressive than male characters. Second, college students were surveyed about their teen movie-viewing habits, gender-related beliefs, and attitudes. Findings suggest that viewing teen movies is associated with negative stereotypes about female friendships and gender roles. Research examining the effects of media exposure demonstrates that media consumption has a measurable influence on people's perceptions of the real world, and, regardless of the accuracy of these perceptions, they are used to help guide subsequent attitudes, judgments, and actions. For example, these results have been yielded for viewing media representations of race,1 the mentally ill,2 and the elderly.3 Past research additionally indicates that watching televised gender portrayals has an effect on individuals' real-world gender-based attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors.4 Based on this research, and the tenets of social cognitive theory, it would be expected that consumption of teen movies would have an analogous influence on audience members' gender-based attitudes and beliefs. Despite the popularity of teen movies, the influence of such films on emerging adults has not been examined. This...
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...the violence that is associated with the games. There have been several studies that have examined the effects that violent video games have on aggression. Huesmann, (2010) conducted a study on violent video games. The studies from this meta-analysis found that violent video games stimulated aggression in the players in the short run and increased the risk for aggressive behaviors by the players later in life. The effects occur for both males and females and for children growing up in Eastern and Western cultures. Konijn, Nije, and Bushman, (2007) conducted a study to examine if violent video games increased aggression if the player identified with the violent game characters. The authors concluded that the most aggressive participants were those who played a violent game and wished they were like a violent character in the game. These results show that identifying with violent video games characters make players more aggressive. Gentile, Lynch, Linder and Walsh, (2004) conducted a study to examine the effects of violent video game habits on adolescent hostility, aggressive behaviors and school performance. Adolescents that exposed themselves to greater amounts of video game violence were more hostile, reported getting...
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...violence towards a male or female partner which inflicts physical, sexual or psychological harm. It is also a series of coercive or manipulative behaviors enforced in a relationship to gain control of the victim’s quality of life. While recent media coverage of female victims increased IPV’s awareness and response from our society, it has done little to draw attention to the children, and adolescents who are exposed to the violence. Although the literature covers a lot of information from theorist’s, this literature review primary focus will be about children and adolescents who are expose to IPV and exhibits negative behavioral...
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...paper is being presented to examine if adolescents are most at risk for abusing and assaulting their dating partners because there is a direct or an intermediary association from exposure to dysfunctional behavior at home, at school, or in their community. I am going to write this paper by doing research on the internet and looking through books and journals at my local library. These influences not only affect how youths behave, but also what they believe about acceptable forms of behavior in their relationships. Theories of Personality According to Campbell (2007) dating violence is defined as the perpetration or threat of an act of violence by at least one member of an unmarried couple on the other member within the context of dating courtship. This also includes dating between same sex couples, although most statistics have been gathered from heterosexual couples. Teen dating violence differs from adult domestic violence in that when a teenager is abused, she or he becomes isolated from their peers due to the controlling behavior of the partner. Intimate partner violence among adolescents is associated with an increased risk of substance use, unhealthy weight control behaviors, sexual risk behaviors, suicide and pregnancy. (Dobash, 2000) According to Dutton (1995) teenage victims of dating violence are more likely than their peers who have not undergone abuse to smoke, use drugs, engage in unhealthy diet behaviors, like taking diet pills or laxatives...
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...Scientists have recently discovered that children who constantly view violent media display the same type of brain waves as children diagnosed with disrucptive behavior disororder in an area of the brain associated with control and attention. The researchers examined activity in the frontal cortex of aggressive and nonaggressive boys and girls while they engaged in an activity involving concentration skills. Typically, less activity in this area of the brain results in issues with control and attention. Some of these aggressive and nonaggressive children constantly viewed mass media while others did not. It was found that not only did the aggressive children show these signs of reduced activity in the frontal cortex, those who had been exposed to a lot of violent media did as well, even those known to be nonaggressive to begin with(Mathews&Kronenberger 2005). Therefore this exposure to violent media has the power to phsycially alter the deleloping brain of an adolensent changing those were were not previously aggressive to aggressive people later on in...
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...that cause behavior issues. A growing body of research has examined the cause of youth violence, among peers and parental relationships. The world we are living in today is full of violent images; from video games to movies, even much of today’s music can promote a violent message. There are other external influences that can also influence many children’s behaviors; such as impoverishment, inferior living conditions, inadequate housing, which often leads to illicit activities; such as drug and alcohol abuse and other criminal activities. In this research study, we will try to answer several questions the effects of violent images, or video games may have on our youth today. We will also examine if coming from a broken home has any direct correlation on the behavior of the child or children? This paper will examine several studies on this subject in the hopes of discovering the possible solutions to the questions raised in this paper. * Do violent images, video games, etc. influence children’s behavior? * Does coming from a broken, or abusive home, etc. influence children’s behavior? * Do children raised in a typical two parent household have an advantage over those raised in single family households? * Can coming from an urban area influence bad behavior in children? In the first study I examined, researchers concluded that children who are born and live under impoverished conditions are more likely to show early signs of negative behaviors. Many of these...
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...Previous research concerning peer aggression has been conducted under the assumption that women rarely display aggression; therefore, aggressive behavior has historically been viewed as a male phenomenon (Björkqvist, 1994). Recently, many researchers have challenged the gender bias in the existence of aggressive behaviors and have broadened the definition of aggression. Björkqvist's research suggests sex differences exist in the quality of the aggression, but not the quantity. According to Paquette and Underwood (1999), an adolescent's expression of anger and contempt for peers can sometimes be expressed through physical aggression, manipulation, exclusion, and/or gossip. This broader definition allows for a more complete understanding of the social or relational aggression, which is typically associated with females. Relational aggression is more verbal than physical and very prevalent in today's society. Gender differences in the prevalence and the form of aggressive behavior used could be explained by the different social roles of females and males. This paper will discuss the different types of aggression and how each type is used within the female and male peer groups. Aggression has been defined as having five central features: Intention to harm, unprovoked, happens repeatedly, victim perceives the bully as having power, and occurring in small groups. There are two distinct forms of aggression within this definition, overt (physical) and relational (verbal)...
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...While sexually deviant behavior among juveniles is not a new phenomenon there has been a dramatic increase in the concern of this problem over the last two decades. As the number of juvenile sex offenders arrested increases, the recognition of it as a serious issue also increases. The anxiety over juvenile sex crimes has led to a wide variety of research being conducted to determine if there are antecedent traits in offenders. The tremendous data collected and analyzed to try to understand the factors leading a juvenile to sexually violate has piloted a wide range of theories and also much disagreement among professionals about the appropriate consequences a violator must face. The basic uncertainty of who a juvenile sex offender is can often be difficult to resolve. The fact is that demographically almost anyone has the likelihood to be a youthful offender based on physical traits alone. Currently it is estimated that juveniles account for up to one-fifth of the rapes, and one-half of the cases of child molestation committed in the United States each year (USDJJD, 2000). Reaching a statistical strategy based on demographics is nearly impossible considering that juvenile sexual offending appears to cross racial and cultural boundaries, as well as have no significance in relationship to the religious preference of the perpetrator. It is also notable that you can find juvenile offenders in all socioeconomic class levels. The statistics provided by the United States Department...
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...many reasons why some adolescents are more motivated to commit crimes while others don’t. Several factors such as home life, school life, and the neighborhood in which young adults live in can play an important feature in the lives of our youth today. There are also theories that present themselves as to why adolescents engage in risky behavior. Adolescents that live in a troubled home tend to be more disobedient than an adolescent who lives in a more structured family life. Children whose parents may be divorced have a greater chance of committing delinquent acts than a child who lives in a household with two parents. According to The Heritage Foundation (1995), "The relationship between parents, not just the relationship between mother and child, has a powerful effect on very young children. Children react to quarreling parents by disobeying, crying, hitting other children, and in general being much more antisocial than their peers”. Young adults living within the poverty line have more likely of a chance to not finish their education. Some young adults find the life of crime or delinquency to be more fulfilling than the priority of finishing their education. Living within poverty limits also has a greater impact on the health and wellbeing of young adults. Parents who can’t afford adequate housing or healthcare are more likely to have children who have poor health, which affects the long term development of their children. Adolescents living in deprived neighborhoods...
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...stress is a relatively strong predictor of domestic violence (Hall, 2010). However, a study Fite, Wynn, and Pardini (2009), which evaluated the discrepancies in the number of arrests rates between African American and European American male juveniles, found that arrests relating to violent crimes were related to the over-exposure to early childhood risk factors for crime and recidivism, such as poor academic performance in school,...
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...Conduct Disorder Description and Behaviors of the Disorder Conduct disorder is described as a child or adolescent who has experienced abuse in the past or is presently experiencing it and is starting to show one or all of the following behaviors: impetuous behavior, drug use, and criminal activity (A.D.A.M., 2011). Other behaviors that might start to show include: aggression to people and animals, destruction of property, deceitfulness, lying or stealing, and violation of rules (AACAP, 2012). Diagnosing As stated in the DSM-IV by the American Academy of Family Physicians, there are an abundant amount of things that could fit the criteria for conduct disorder. Some examples are a person who bullies people or animals, has a weapon that could seriously harm someone or something, has forced someone into sexual activity, has destroyed other people’s property, has shoplifted, stays out even though parents say not to, runs away from home, and many more (AAFP, 2001). Other forms of diagnosing include obtaining a detailed history of the child’s behavior which is provided by anyone who comes in contact with that child, just observing the child, or even conducting psychological tests (Hopkins). There are two subtypes of conduct disorder. The first one is childhood onset and the second is adolescent onset. Between the two of these, the childhood onset is by far the worst one. Childhood onset is labeled as the child having at least one conduct disorder behavior before they reach the age of...
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...disorders and males were more aggressive. The earlier theories also stated that any female showing are aggressive, they are more likely than boys to hide their behavior from adults; girls who “bully “others are less likely than boys to admit their behavior. Male like to have power, freedom and hang with their friends and females are more verbally proficient, a skill that may help them deal with conflict without resorting to violence. When children internalize gender-specific behaviors cognitive and personality differences are magnified. Females have more self-control over emotions then men, a factor that can cause someone to commit a crime out emotions in steading thinking clearly. What are some current explanations for gender differences? The Socialization difference states that differences in the way females and males are socialized affect their development. Males are taught to be on their own and females are taught to value relationships. This method of teaching makes females susceptible to feeling alienated because of the failure to achieve relational success. As for boys they may feel a chronic sense of alienation. The cognitive differences between males and females start early in childhood. Males are very good at manipulating visual images, while females have great long term memory and very good use of verbal information. Females tend to speak faster and have better pronunciation of words due to parents talking more to infant daughters than males. Girls re better...
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...Media Violence and Violent Video Games: The Cause for Aggression – Yes or No? Kimberly Fitzgerald-Amend PSYC3520-Introduction to Social Psychology u10a1-Opposing Viewpoints in Social Psychology Capella University March 2013 Abstract Everyone, at one point or another, may display aggressive behavior. Where did this behavior come from? This paper will discuss opposing viewpoints on the role of media violence and video games in the development of aggressive behavior. Included herein will be a brief overview of Albert Bandura’s “Social Learning Theory”; a discussion of media violence and violent video games and their possible roles in the development of aggression; and the ethical viewpoints on violence in the media. This paper will conclude with an overview of all presented information. Media Violence and Violent Video Games: The Cause for Aggression – Yes or No? It is a beautiful, sunny summer afternoon and spending a few hours at the park seems like a great way to enjoy it. However, only a few minutes into it, Tommy pushes Sara off the swing and now going to the park does not seem to have been the best choice. Why did Tommy do this? What causes children to act aggressively? Is it because shortly before coming to the park Tommy played a violent video game; or maybe on his way out he passed through the room where his father was watching a breaking news story about a murder victim? The role the media and/or violent video games play in the development of...
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...This particular study on Mode Deactivation Therapy (MDT) focused on adolescents in residential treatment centers with conduct and personality disorders. The purpose of the study was to replicate previous studies where MDT was found effective. The dependent variable tested was the behavior and aggressive incidents, which were operationalized through different checklists and documentation of amount of aggressive incidents. Symptoms of depression and suicidal ideation were also dependent variables in this study. This particular study did not do a very thorough literature review and went immediately into discussing the study. There were no theories mentioned. The study focused on twenty male adolescents that were in a residential facility. These participants were randomly assigned to treatment groups based on the ability of the clinicians. The treatment as usual (TAU) group participated in weekly psychodynamic psychotherapy while the treatment group participated in weekly MDT. Aggression was recorded using Behavior Incident Reports and Daily Behavior Reports. They also used the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Reynold’s Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire (SIQ)....
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