Adolescent Psychology

Course Code	BPS211
Fee Code	S3
Number of Assignments	10
Duration (approx)	100 hours

Course Structure
The course consists of ten lessons including – 

1. Introduction – Theories of Human Development
2. Life Crises
3. Physical Development
4. Intellectual Development
5. Emotional Development
6. Sexuality
7. Social Development
8. Moral Development
9. Delinquency and Crime
10. Adolescents and the Transition to Adulthood

Aims:

• Develop an understanding of the theories of child development in relation to adolescents.
• Develop an understanding of life crises in relation to adolescents.
• Develop an understanding of the physical changes that occur in puberty. 
• Develop an understanding of the intellectual changes that occur in adolescence.
• Develop an understanding of the emotional development that occurs during adolescence. 
• Develop an understanding of sexuality during adolescence
• Develop an understanding of the social development that occurs in adolescence.
• Develop an understanding of the theories of moral development in relation to teenagers.
• Consider the links between adolescence and delinquent activity such as crime.
• Develop an understanding of the changes that occur moving from adolescence to adulthood.

Some Sample Notes from the Course

Attachment Theory

John Bowlby is an influential figure within psychology, in particular child psychology. Bowlby carried out work with maladapted and delinquent children. He was interested in finding out whether actual patterns of family interactions were involved in healthy and pathological development in children. He focussed on attachment and how difficulties in this area could be transmitted from one generation to the other. Bowlby was working at a time when attachment was not considered so important – the 1940s and 1950s. For example, parents were not encouraged to visit children in hospital, as it was felt that it would upset them.

Bowlby developed a scientific theory – Attachment Theory. He viewed that attachment behaviour was an evolutionary strategy aimed at survival – protecting the infant from harm. He argued that attachment relationships were crucial to later healthy development.

Bowlby’s theory is based on the idea that normal mother-child or primary caregiver-child attachment forms in the first two years of life. An attachment being defined as a strong emotional bond. If the child is separated from the primary caregiver during the first five years, it can cause difficulties for the child. The Attachment Theory has been used to explain behavioural difficulties in adopted children, psychopathology, juvenile delinquency and so on.

Attachment is fundamental to a healthy and normal personality and the ability to form healthy emotional relationships. Attachment is the basis of emotional health and social relationships. It allows us to develop the ability to form reciprocal relationships, trust others, be secure and feel safe as a child. It allows children to develop empathy, a conscious and so on. Children adopted after the age of six months may experience attachment problems. Normal attachment develops during the first two to three years of a child’s life. Any problems with the mother-child/primary caregiver-child relationship during that time can interfere with this normal development eg. Separation from the primary caregiver. If the child’s needs are not met in a loving, nurturing way, attachment will not occur naturally and this can lead to a variety of underlying symptoms.

 

Why might attachment not occur?

The relationship between the primary caregiver and child can be disrupted in a number of ways, leading to the attachment not being secure. Examples might include –

The mother suffers post-partum depression.

The parent may have had their own experience of trauma eg. Abuse, inappropriate parental responses, so may not be aware of how to form a secure relationship.

Genetic factors

There may be disruptions in caregiving.

The child may be hospitalised.

Developmental disorders

The caregiver may feel overloaded, unable to cope with the child, so they may not be able to meet the child’s needs.

Attachment Disorder can occur when a normal attachment relationship is not form. This can result in a number of effects on the child, some more severe than others. This does not mean that ALL children with attachment disorder develop these problems, they may experience some, all or none.

Possible problems –

• Phony behaviour – superficially charming
• Avoiding eye contact
• Lack of reciprocal affection
• Indiscriminate affection with strangers
• Self-destructive
• Destructive to others, objects
• Animal cruelty
• Poor relationships with peers
• Preoccupied with fire and/or gore
• Asking nonsense questions
• Little control over chattering
• Inappropriate clinginess
• Inappropriate sexuality
• Lying in the face of the obvious
• Poor impulse control
• Learning delays
• Lack of conscience
• Lack of understanding of cause and effect
• Abnormal eating patterns
• Fear of intimacy
• Lack of trust
• Distorted view of self
• Feelings of shame
• Feelings of being unlovable
• Sense that they are bad
• Difficulty asking for help
• Low motivation
• Poor academic performance
• Difficulty relying on others

Bowlby’s theory is a theory of normal development and psychopathology. It shows how early experiences can affect our development. It is important to gain an understanding of this theory, as it can show the problems experienced later in life by adolescents and adults.

 

Other Options

If you are interested in working with children, some of our other child psychology courses may be of interest to you -

Child Psychology http://www.acs.edu.au/courses/Child-Psychology-291.aspx

Developmental Psychology http://www.acs.edu.au/courses/Developmental-Psychology-372.aspx

Educational Psychology http://www.acs.edu.au/courses/Educational-Psychology-308.aspx

Certificate in Applied Developmental Psychology http://www.acs.edu.au/courses/Certificate-In-Applied-Developmental-Psychology-398.aspx

If you would like to see our range of psychology books, please visit - http://www.acsbookshop.com/books_productcategory.aspx?id=14

For more information on the range of careers available in psychology, have a look at - http://www.thecareersguide.com/articles.aspx?category=14

We have some interesting articles on psychology and counseling at - http://www.acs.edu.au/psychol/

 

The period of adolescence involves a lot of changes and development. This course considers all the many changes that occur during this period. There are many changes in relation to sexuality, bodily changes, emotional changes, such as depression, self-esteem and so on. Also, how teenagers may become involved in crime and how they develop morally during the adolescent period. This course offers the student the opportunity to consider these changes in depth.