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Course Overview
Session 5: Pre-Adolescence, 12-14
Jeffery Smith, MD
From Gov’t Website: Characteristics of preadolescence
Movement Towards Independence
Struggle with sense of identity
Feeling awkward or strange about one's self and one's body
Focus on self, alternating between high expectations and poor self-esteem
Interests and clothing style influenced by peer group
Moodiness
Improved ability to use speech to express one's self
Realization that parents are not perfect; identification of their faults
Less overt affection shown to parents, with occasional rudeness
Complaints that parents interfere with independence
Tendency to return to childish behavior, particularly when stressed
Future Interests and Cognitive Changes
Mostly interested in present, with limited thoughts of the future
Intellectual interests expand and gain in importance
Greater ability to do work (physical, mental, emotional)
Sexuality
Display shyness, blushing, and modesty
Girls develop physically sooner than boys
Increased interest in sex
Movement toward heterosexuality with fears of homosexuality
Concerns regarding physical and sexual attractiveness to others
Frequently changing relationships
Worries about being normal
Morals, Values, and Self-Direction
Rule and limit testing
Capacity for abstract thought
Development of ideals and selection of role models
More consistent evidence of conscience
Experimentation with sex and drugs (cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana)
Theory
Latency Theory:
Freudian says oedipus complex resolved by formation of superego and repudiation of sexual wishes. Agressive and libidinal drives are sublimated into learning and rules-oriented obsessional games.
Others point out that premature and post-mature sexuality don’t change the manifestation of latency, nor does the culture of the Trobriand Islanders, in which sexuality is not suppressed, and continues throughout latency.
The alternative is that latency is a time when children, having achieved adult brain size (by age 6) absorb the rules and expectations of complex cultures.
Adolescence:
Traditional theory says these lead to increased libidinal drive.
Libidinal drive leads to oedipal wishes that raise castration anxiety.
To defend against incestuous wishes, child distances towards emancipation.
Bloch says drive to emancipate can predate hormone changes or exist separately from them, and is a phenomenon in itself.
What appear to be oedipal conflicts are more likely reality-based issues along with emancipatory guilt.
Emancipatory guilt is more like separation guilt or survivor guilt than oedipal guilt.
Castration anxiety exists but is related to observation of the difference between the sexes, rather than oedipal issues.
Blos:
Preadolescent boys regress to anal preoccupation and sloppiness.
Deutch:
Preadolescent girls getting ready for menarche.
Bloch’s “defensive identifications”
Making sense of characteristics
Hormone Surge:
High/low self esteem
Crushes
Waves of unfocused emotions. Romantic Feelings
Almost any emotion can produce erection in boys.
Music: Jonas Brothers, Yellow Rose of Texas
Need to exert Control vs Anxiety
Remote control and skate boards represent attempts to control something.
scapegoating & bullying
cliques-power
changing friends
Desire to be attractive to opp sex:
Need to be “Cool”
Traditional Culture vs. Rapidly evolving cultures
One Dimensional life
conformism
commercialism
Confidence & Social skills
shame
Importance of Family
Parents “most important people to preadolescents”
Trying on different identities (hats, clothes, etc.)
Girls - objects
Pathology
Experience: How early experience shapes kids.Divorce