Learning Topic 2 Reflect understanding of youth cultures, sub cultures and development
By the end of this topic you will learn to:
Be aware of youth culture, sub cultures and youth development of how these impact on a young person's actions and decisions
Use relevant approaches, appropriate to the culture and background of the young person
Assess the impact of your own cultural values and ethnocentrism on youth work
Section 2.2 Being aware of how the development of a young person impacts on their actions and decisions
Growing up is never easy!
Activity 2.2
1. What are some of the common themes or experiences that mark the progress to adulthood?
Some common themes that we all experience as we progress to adulthood are as follows:
As we move into adulthood what we once considered to be embarrassing or traumatic will become less so. This reflects the growing maturity and experience that enable us to develop better coping strategies.
Although young people need to work through some key developmental stages, each individual’s experience is unique. Another common theme for the young person is everything that is happening in their life is important and real.
While all young people undergo immense physical, emotional and psychological changes, the way an individual processes these changes can vary greatly, as can their strategies for coping (or in some cases, not coping).
Despite the stressful times that are an inevitable part of being a young person and the feelings of hopelessness that many may display, it is important to remember that most people manage to survive adolescence and progress to adulthood
Although there are some key developmental stages young people need to work through, each individual’s experience is unique. Another common theme for the young person is everything that is happening in their life is important and real.
Adolescence is a time of profound changes. Young people undergo immense physical, emotional and psychological changes. However, the way an individual processes these changes can vary greatly. Three of the most significant changes of the life cycle take place during adolescence:
the ability to produce
the establishment of an identity
development of logical and rational thought processes.
The way the brain develops is not a simple sequence of events that is the same for each individual. Recent research confirms what was long believed – a child’s mind develops in fits and starts followed by periods of consolidation.
In terms of brain development, there appear to be times during early childhood through to adolescence when children are highly receptive to new information and able to gain specific skills more easily. During the teenage years however, the brain starts to slow down to its adult running rate.
Activity 2.3
Watch the following video clip from the TV program 'Catalyst' that explores what is happening in the brain development of an adolescent, and why young people take such risks.
NB: If you are still hearing the video after closing the clip, then please reopen the clip, stop the video, and then reclose the window.
So what is happening in the adolescent brain?
'Synaptic pruning' begins during the pre-adolescent years. This is where the brain breaks down its weakest connections preserving only those that experience has shown to be useful. The statement “use it or lose it” is apt here. The synapses that carry the most messages get stronger and the weaker, less used ones get cut out. The process is much like the pruning of a tree. By cutting back weak branches, others flourish. As noted in the Catalyst program above, as many as 30,000 synapses may be lost per second in the early adolescent brain leading to an ultimate loss of almost one half oIf you are still hearing the movie, then simply reopen the movie window, and stop the actual movie before re-closing the movie window.
f the synapses that were present in the pre-adolescent period. The period of pruning is as important for brain development as the period of growth.
The second thing that happens in adolescent’s brains is that the frontal lobes - the part of the brain that enables us to plan, consider, control impulses and make wise judgments - is the last part to develop.
What are the implications of this for a young person's actions and decisions?
During this phase, young people find behaviour and emotion less easy to control, and as a result, young people are more likely to engage in risky behaviours during this time. Although clinical studies show that adolescents reach adult levels of decision-making by age 15, they make poor decisions in real life, often with input from peers in an emotionally charged situation.
One key message here is that adolescents are built to take risks.
Trying to prevent them from doing so is typically futile, as it is simply part of their biology. It is important to place adolescent behaviour into social contexts to better understand what is going on and to better arm young people with the skills to make appropriate decisions. Although most adolescents know right from wrong, the environments in which risk-taking and other behaviours occur, such as riding in a car with three or four other friends, or hanging out with a group of smokers, can cause them to do things they know are hazardous and/or inappropriate.
Emotional regulation is a key skill. Adolescence is also the period when hormones become more powerful and adolescents’ brains show more activity in the emotional parts of the brain. As was previously stated, negative emotions can impair the brain’s ability to think and learn. We need to support young people to learn to recognise their emotions and how to react to them in an appropriate way. Students who are emotionally competent
recognise and manage their own feelings,
recognise and respond appropriately to the feelings of others,
tolerate frustration,
are less impulsive and more focused, and
concentrate better.
Further information
For further information on brain research and development go to the following web sites.
