Category: Adolescence

Globalization can be a great opportunity to overcome, we seeing globalized world and mastering a second language is not just an option, it is an inevitable requirement. As a society, it is necessary to consider this important issue, without having to think too much about the results and thus leave behind the myth of introducing another language to our children. Language learning in adolescence is possible and meaningful, the key is to do so. Why should young people learn another language? The answer is simple: because the development of economic, technological, social, political and cultural integration between countries today requires it, this is globalization.

Simply put, learning a new language for young people will open a door to the future, bringing academic and professional benefits and making them more socially competitive. We know that learning a new language is not easy, it takes time and money. However, in addition to considering cost, we must also discuss the importance of learning another language as soon as possible.

Today, however, everything is very advanced, young people adopt the digital wave and the big company s follows them closely, to get the most qualified staff that can communicate with people from another countries. Now let’s reflect, who would you choose first? Individuals who must learn the language or those who already master the language? The answer is obvious: bilingual speech has become one of the most urgent requirements in the professional field. The benefits of language learning in adolescencia are many that we must take into account to grow in a broad professional field, understand the benefits of language learning at this stage, increase your chances of obtaining a scholarship and dabble into important jobs.

It should be mentioned that, if a person starts learning a language from early childhood, he will acquire it as his second language, however, we also observe that the older he is, the harder it is to learn it. One of the best-known theories about the development of children’s learning capacity is that of Piaget (1961); it argues that ‘children travel in defined stages, in line with the intellect and perceived ability of children.’

Also, today in most areas of work, there is a growing demand for highly trained professionals with English professed, which means greater commitment to the training of competitive citizens by educational institutions and their actors in this regard. It needs to be emphasized that general teaching is a complex task. This is especially true for language teaching in all areas, because people must learn to communicate effectively and effectively. Therefore, if speaking the mother tongue is a challenge for many, even greater is the challenge of teaching foreign languages.

According to Harmer (2007), students in the classroom usually do not receive the same type of exposure or encouragement as those outside the classroom exposing themselves to language at any age. But that doesn’t mean that those inside a classroom can’t learn a language if the right conditions are given, such as motivation, exposure to language, and the possibilities of using language.

Likewise, Harmer (2007) indicates that the age of the speakers is an important factor in the decisions of teachers and teachers about how and what to teach. People of different ages have different needs, competencies and cognitive abilities. Children of primary school age are expected to acquire much of the foreign language through play, for example, while for adults greater use of abstract thinking can reasonably be expected.

However, it is not only age that is relevant when learning a language, since for Harmer (2011) ‘the student is an individual with different experiences, both inside and outside the classroom. Comments made about boys and girls, adolescents and adults are only generalizations because there are also many factors influencing the acquisition of a language.

English is therefore the language of commerce, diplomacy, computer science and half of internet. Unfortunately, few students in Latin America graduate from school by mastering it, limiting their opportunities to participate in a globalized economy. Due to the influx of traditionally expensive applications and methods, this cultural and even economic distance has been shortened and is now in everyone’s hands, increasing connectivity and Internet access capabilities, and creating a problem for traditional English teaching systems. Interference in developing countries, characterized by outdated teaching methods and materials, traditionally focused on writing skills and grammatical rules, encouraged generations.

Taking in a count in many cases teens may feel shy, insecure or selfless in anything that goes out of their circle of comfort, this is another problem to achieve their attention and motivation. In terms of age, many studies show that the sooner you start learning a foreign language, the greater your fluency. Here you can start the debate on the theory of the critical period, which indicates the importance of starting to learn foreign languages as soon as possible. During this period, children can better absorb the knowledge gained. Some researchers believe that starting at an early age could get the level of a native speaker. On the other hand, many other experts point out that the only effect of learning a language from an early age is the accent, pronunciation and intonation you’ll get, but any age is perfect for learning a second language.

It should be noted that, etre foreign language teaching professionals are quitewidespread the idea that adolescents and adults are worse apprentices of a second language than children, implicitly or explicitly based on the hypothesis of the existence of a critical period for this learning. This period would supposedly range from birth to puberty, at which point the brain plasticity needed for learning another language would be lost, making it more difficult and would never reach the levels of effectiveness it could achieve in childhood. Empirical evidence, however, does not allow this hypothesis to be maintained (See Ellis, 1986; Scarcella and Higa, 1982, or Snow, 1987). It is proven that both in natural environments and in formal school frameworks, tweens and adolescents are faster and more effective than children in learning and mastering the morphology, syntax and lexicon of a second language. Over time, these differences are shortened and children end up reaching similar levels in these dimensions. Children, for their part, seem to initially outpergell older apprentices in some aspects of more contextualized oral communication skills, although differences also end up disappearing after a while, teenagers, however, seem to be the best negotiators in second language interaction, more likely developing strategies aimed at making their interlocutor’s speech more understandable. The development of a native pronunciation seems to be more available to apprentices from children than to adolescent or adult apprentices, but the differences between them are not in absolute terms, but relative; in fact, there is evidence that some adults end up having an accent very similar to that of the natives, and that, at the same time, some children do not reach it..

Therefore, adolescents do not have as much disadvantage as it is supposed, ‘Bilingual speech has become one of the most urgent requirements in the professional field’ it should be remembered that language learning in adolescence is possible, there is no age to stop learning and self-forming. Of course, not everyone operates at the same speed, patience and perseverance must be accompanied to face the challenge of mastering another language.

References

1. Bello, P. (1990). Didactics of the second languages. Madrid. Santillana.
2. Brown, H.D. (1994). Principles of Language Learning and Teaching. [Principles of Language Learning and Teaching] United States. Prentice Hall Regents.
3. Celce-Murcia, M. (Ed.) (1991). Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language. [Teaching English as a Second Language or Foreign Language] United States. Heinle & Heinle Publishers
4. Carvajal, Z. (2011). Curriculum guidelines in high school English teaching, based on the communicative approach. Master’s thesis, University of Costa Rica. San Jose, Costa Rica
5. Snow, C. 1983. Age differences in second language research findings and folk Psychology. En K.M. Bayely, M. Long y S.Pek (eds.), Second Language Acquisition Studies . Rowley, Mass.: Newbury House.

Adolescence can be defined as a period in a young person’s life between the years of 13-15 years old. Adolescence is a time for great change and uncertainty of the future. There are biopsychosocial changes, heightened awareness, and changes in cognition in this developmental period (Rogers,2019). During this time in the young adult’s life, many factors take shape, such as the young person’s role in family dynamics,physiological mood/ hormonal changes, and awareness of oneself in social circles. In my own experience, adolescence was a time where things became more clear to me, as I began to understand my place in the world around me. Empirical data taken in the United States suggest a link between spirituality and better health outcomes(Chen &Vanderweele,2008). Furthermore, adolescents who are raised in families that practice religion/ spirituality are less likely to indulge in risky behaviors, suggesting that spirituality/ religious affiliation may serve as a “protective factor”(Chen &Vanderweele,2008).

In recent years there has been a shift in societal problems, with the introduction to social media and gun violence in schools. Adolescents are exposed to more violence than the previous years. I believe spirituality in adolescence is an important topic in the social welfare of children because many growing adults do not have social support systems in place. Depression, anxiety, and suicide have increased among the adolescent population.Having a spiritual understanding can be very comforting in times of adversity and uncertainty. Besides, spirituality has an impact in decreasing depression and suicidal ideation among young teens Chen &Vanderweele,2008).

I will summarize various factors that influence spirituality development in adolescence. Presenting data linked to family and social influence that aid in processing of spirituality to an adolescent. I chose to research this topic because I understand the benefits of having a spiritual connection. Adolescence is a critical time in molding perception to adulthood. I believe spirituality afforded a sense of foundational support,purpose and resiliency to adverse times in my life.

Research on identity development in adolescence connect spirituality to higher levels of commitment and meaningful relationships in adulthood. A 2019 cross-sectional study looked at the relationship between identity development and eastern religion in 969 japanese participants, age ranging from 18-30 years old. The study divided belief systems into two categories: “Literal and Symbolic”(Crocetti,Hihara,Matushima,Sugimura Takashi,2019) The literal category can be described as a structured set of doctrine right before you. For example, let’s consider the 10 commandments in monothestic western theology. This is a set of guidelines to the believer of things one must withstand from . The symbolic group is associated with more flexibility and subjective experience. Both categories, “inward and invisible” were measured along with a person oriented approach(Identity statuses) and a “variable centered approach,” utilizing a “three- factor identity model”(Crocetti,Hihara,Matushima,Sugimura Takashi,2019). This study relied heavily upon 2 key factors of Erikson’s theory of psycho-social development. The first was exploration, “Actively searching for one’s own goals. The second was commitment, “Making a firm choice”Crocetti,Hihara,Matushima,Sugimura Takashi,2019).

51.3% of participants were female, while 48.7% were male. The participants were all actively attending a University. A self-reported questionnaire was used for participants to answer questions regarding faith, commitment, and religious affiliation.The study had two hypotheses relating to commitment and reconsideration of commitment.The first hypothesis sought to find a relationship between “high level of commitment” and an increased level of religious belief. The second hypothesis proposed “reconsideration of commitment” would have more symbolic beliefs (Crocetti,Hihara,Matushima,Sugimura Takashi,2019). Multiple descriptive statistics were used. A Chi square Bivariate table and MANOVA (used to decipher differences in identity categories)were used to calculate and distinguish variables. The dependent variables were religious belief systems. The independent variables were identity statuses, and whether or not the participants had belief in religion.

The results were broken down into five identity groups, “Achievement, Foreclosure Moratorium, Searching Moratorium and Diffusion”(Crocetti,Hihara,Matushima,Sugimura Takashi,2019). The Achievement group scored high on commitment and low on reconsideration of commitment. While, foreclosure status scored intermediate on commitment and low on reconsideration of commitment.The moratorium group scored low on both commitment and reconsideration of commitment.while the diffusion group scored lower commitment and high on reconsideration of commitment. The searching moratorium group scored both high on commitment and reconsideration of commitment.finally, the diffusion groups scored low on all identity processes(Crocetti,Hihara,Matushima,Sugimura Takashi,2019).

The findings of the “ Culturally Sensitive Approach to the Relationships between Identity Formation and Religious Beliefs in Youth” study were particularly interesting in Japanese college students. Prior to the study, I was not aware that the majority of Japanese youths believe in eastern religions.There were positive relationships present for participants who were both committed and had a belief in religion.however, there were some drawbacks in the study. One of which was the fact that Japanese youth family support and friendships were not considered to be relevant in identity formation of Japanese youth. In addition, the study was cross-sectional, with limitations on the amount of specific evidence in identity formation. However, there is significance in having involvement in the practice of religion. Furthermore, even though the study does not pinpoint religion as being the sole characteristic of identity formation, it is a contributing factor and shows a positive association with commitment and/ or the re establishing commitment(Crocetti,Hihara,Matushima,Sugimura Takashi,2019).

Introduction

The roots of attachment theory were first established in the 1930s and 1940s when a number of clinicians observed the negative effects of maternal separations early in life. The theory of attachment was first proposed by John Bowlby who described it as a ‘lasting psychological connectedness between human beings in 1988. Attachment theory is the joint work of John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth. Attachment refers to the special bond and the lasting relationships that young children form with one or more adults. He considered that children need to develop a secure attachment with their main care giver in their early years. Secure attachments support mental processes that enable the child to regulate emotions, reduce fear, attune to others, have self-understanding and insight, empathy for others and appropriate moral reasoning. Bowlby called these mental representations the internal working model. Insecure attachments, on the other hand, can have unfortunate consequences. If a child cannot rely on an adult to respond to their needs in times of stress, they are unable to learn how to relax themselves, manage their emotions and engage in reciprocal relationships. It refers specifically to the child’s sense of security and safety when in the company of a particular adult. During adolescence, the hierarchy of attachment figures is gradually reshuffled as young people increasingly direct their attachment behaviors and concerns toward peers rather than parents. This theory has been revised to acknowledge that multiple attachments can occur with other adults throughout the lifespan, although early experiences may continue to have an impact. A child’s initial dependence on others for protection provides the experiences and skills to help a child cope with frustrations, develop self-confidence and pro-social relationships – all qualities necessary to promote positive engagement with learning. Although parents are generally not completely displaced as attachment figures during this period, or perhaps ever, they slowly become what Weiss called ‘attachment figures in reserve.’ By the end of this period, sometime in early adulthood, most people settle on a single romantic partner who will serve for years, if not for the remainder of life, as a primary attachment figure. While making this transition, many adolescents alter their conceptions of and feelings about themselves and experiment with a range of exploratory behaviors (e.g., sex and substance use) that may be developmentally functional but nonetheless carry substantial risk of harm. Despite the co-occurrence of these phenomena during adolescence, little is known about how attachment patterns are related to the emotional experiences, attempts at self-definition, and exploratory behaviors characteristic of this developmental period. Mary Ainsworth, 6 years younger than Bowlby, finished graduate study at the University of Toronto just before World War II courses with William Blatz had introduced her to security theory, which both reformulated and challenged Freudian ideas, though Blatz chose not to recognize his debt to Freud because of the anti-Freudian climate that pervaded the University of Toronto at that time. One of the major tenets of security theory is that infants and young children need to develop a secure dependence on parents before launching out into unfamiliar situations. In her dissertation, entitled “An Evaluation of Adjustment Based Upon the Concept of Security,” Mary Salter states it this way: Familial security in the early stages is of a dependent type and forms a basis from which the individual can work out gradually, forming new skills and interests in other fields. Where familial security is lacking, the individual is handicapped by the lack what might be called a secure base italics added to work.

Review Of Literature

This paper provides a review of attachment theory and relates the attachment perspective to the unique challenges of clinical work with adolescent mothers and their children. Infants of adolescent mothers are at risk for poor attachment outcomes that are associated with long-term adverse consequences in cognitive, adaptive, and behavioral domains. A secure attachment relationship evolves from a mother’s ability to be reflective, responsive, and sensitive to her infant’s needs and results in the infant’s development of trust, confidence, and resilience in later life. Adolescent mothers may not intuitively be able to assume these characteristics that foster secure attachment because of their own developmental stage. It is critical for clinicians to be able to recognize signs of poor attachment that can most easily be picked up by observations of the mother’s interactions with her infant and to learn to model favorable parenting behaviors that enhance attachment. Secure attachment is a critical part of the foundation for a healthy life. Therefore, maternal-infant interactions, particularly in this high-risk adolescent population, need to assessed in the context of pediatric clinical care.

Attachment theory has evolved from work by numerous researchers, primarily John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth, and later Mary Main Attachment, according to Ainsworth (1963) is a “secure base from which to explore,” and this idea has since remained a fundamental principle of attachment theory. Bowlby subsequently described attachment as a unique relationship between an infant and his caregiver that is the foundation for further healthy development. Bowlby described attachment theory as an inherent biological response and behavioral system in place to provide satisfaction of basic human needs. Mary Main, a student of Ainsworth’s, found that adult attachment representations, the construct of how adults remember their own childhood experiences, might influence the attachment categorization of their children.

Attachment security and the theory of the internal working model are two hallmark ideas that comprise attachment theory and influence how the child views himself and other relationships. Whether mother-child interactions are positive or negative, some level of attachment security and subsequent IWM develops. According to Bowlby, individuals develop “internal working models” of attachment that describe the relationship between the infant’s self and his attachment figure. In response to experiences and behavior of the attachment figure toward the infant, the infant is able to formulate mental responses to his attachment figure’s behavior that are catalogued as mental representations of the infant’s view of himself and understanding of his attachment figure. The infant’s ability to explore the world and relationships within it hinges on the type of attachment security that develops during the first year of life. In the context of attachment theory, it is important to distinguish attachment behavior and attachment bond. Attachment behavior is behavior on the part of the infant that promotes proximity to the attachment figure, such as smiling and vocalization. Attachment bond, however, is described by Ainsworth and Bowlby not as a dyadic and reciprocal relationship existing between the infant and his caregiver, but rather as the infant’s interpretation of his relationship to his mother. Evidence supports the positive influence of secure mother-child attachment on later development and aptitude. A secure attachment system serves as a foundation for expression of emotions and communication in future relationships, provides opportunities for self-regulation of affect and creates potential for resilience.

The many challenges and consequences associated with teen pregnancy and parenthood are well documented, but less is known about attachment relationships among adolescent mother-infant dyads. Many of the background and developmental characteristics of adolescent mothers also may be linked to poor attachment outcomes in their infants. Poverty, poor parental modeling, growing up in single-parent homes, and lack of educational opportunities and career goals are often associated with teen pregnancy and early parenthood. Adolescent mothers are less likely to receive adequate prenatal care and are more likely to experience pregnancy and birth complications often because they are likely to be living in poverty. An analysis of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health from 1994 through 2008 revealed that adolescent parents are more likely to be from families that report incomes below 200% of the federal poverty level (FPL) (59% of survey respondents reported living in families with incomes below 200% of the FPL, and 41% reported living in families with incomes greater than or equal to 200% of the FPL). These factors, independently and collectively, heighten the risk of compromised parenting behaviors with these young families. Parenting behaviors among adolescent mothers vary, but many experience higher degrees of stress related to parenting, tend to be less responsive, less sensitive, more detached, and more likely to exhibit intrusive behaviors with their infants. These parenting characteristics specific to adolescent parents are precisely what place them at risk for compromised attachment relationships. We are only beginning to learn about the quality of attachment relationships among infants of adolescent mothers, but it appears they are often compromised, leading to less optimal infant outcomes in developmental and socio-emotional domains, all of which are more likely to be the case when there are limited supportive programs or family members available to help the young mother in her new and complex parenting roles.

In addition to the socioeconomic profile of many adolescent mothers that may contribute to poor attachment outcomes, adolescent mothers differ developmentally from most adult mothers since they are working to combine their adolescent developmental tasks with the new tasks and roles of parenthood. When a pregnancy occurs during adolescence, the period of development during which adolescents develop the cognitive skills to assume parenting responsibilities is interrupted. As a result, many adolescent mothers may not have the developmental capacity to adopt parenting behaviors that enhance the maternal-infant attachment relationship. Adolescents tend to be idealistic, have a diminished capacity for reflection, and tend to embody egocentricity, individuality, and independence. Adolescent development allows for the transition to higher levels of cognitive function and ability to appreciate more abstract processes. Maternal characteristics that enhance the attachment relationship, such as sensitive parenting, reflectivity, and responsiveness are challenging for adolescent mothers to intuitively adopt because they often do not have that cognitive awareness afforded by full adult development.

Abstract

Attachment theory focuses on the cognitive models that underline our interactions with attachment figures. Global or generalized mental models are thought to develop on the basis of attachment models with parents and might form the initial basis of internal working models in novel relationships. However, as discrepant information presents itself in a new relationship, it is thought that specific relational models develop. When conflict arises it can threaten the attachment bonds of the relationship. Analyses also indicated differential gender results for positive problem solving in terms of secure parental and partner attachment. Secure parental attachment was also found to impact on the report of compliant behavior during conflict resolution. Based on the early discovery of different attachment patterns in infants researchers have identified distinct attachment styles that characterize individual differences in social interactions and emotional responses to others extending even during adulthood and for novel encounters with strangers. Four different attachment styles are typically distinguished: secure, anxious-preoccupied (AX), dismissive-avoidant (AV), and fearful-avoidant/disorganized. Lastly, the belief that arguing is threatening was found to be impacted by an interaction effect between parental and partner attachment. In general secure partner attachment was more predictive of conflict resolution behavior and conflict beliefs, than a global attachment model. However, it would appear that the global attachment model can be activated in the context of the current relationship under certain conditions. This research lends support to the notion that generalized and specific attachment representations impacts differently on close relationship functioning, and encourages a further mapping of relationship functions in this regard.

Conclusion

Findings from this study support the distinction between global and specific relational models specifically with regards to secure parental and secure partner attachment. In addition, the current study’s findings that specific relational models are more closely tied to partner-specific relational outcomes, also gives support to previous findings. In general it was found that secure partner attachment was more predictive of conflict resolution behaviour and conflict beliefs, than a global attachment model. However, it would appear that the global attachment model can be activated in the context of the current relationship under certain conditions. Thus, a gendered response to positive problem solving became evident. For example, for men a secure parental attachment is more likely to elicit positive problem solving behaviour during conflict, than for women. Women, however, who are not securely attached to their current romantic partners, will more infrequently use positive conflict strategies, than men. Neither does one model or another get activated or impact on the current relationship. For individuals who not only have a secure partner attachment, but also have a secure primary caregiver attachment, it becomes much more likely that they will believe that arguing is not threatening. In this manner there is one mental model compounding the effects of another mental model, pointing to the conceptual overlap between the global and specific mental models, but only with regards to some relationship variables. Similarly, it shows the closely intertwined nature of general and specific attachment as it impacts on an individual’s current romantic relationship.

Reference

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The world we live in thrives on media use; it is useful in all aspects of life. Children spend lots of time watching television, playing video games, listening to music and using the internet. The average U.S child spends about four and a half hours listening to music, four and a half hours watching television or movies and seven hours a day on social media. Media violence is a threat to adolescents and is increases violence and aggression. “Exposure to violence in media, including television, movies, music, and video games, represents a significant risk to the health of children and adolescents. Extensive research evidence indicates that media violence can contribute to aggressive behavior, desensitization to violence, nightmares, and fear of being harmed.” (American Academy of Pediatrics) While many think that violent media doesn’t have an impact on adolescents because it isn’t real, adolescent behavior is in fact affected by aggressive media.

Digesting violent or aggressive activity regularly negatively affects a child’s subconscious mind. Repeatedly viewing such behaviors embed certain ideas in the subconscious mind to be considered good, even if it is not. People and Society explain how to positively impact a child’s subconscious mind, “Children are very receptive during these ages [zero to eight] when their right brains are active and their left brains – which includes critical thinking – ae not yet fully functional. It is during those formative years that subconscious mind programming naturally occurs. It is how people sabotage their [a child’s] success the hurtful words.” One’s subconscious mind is their auto function, it allows one to breathe, holds fight or flight mechanisms, and beliefs. Children and adolescents shouldn’t view violent media because they will, in turn, develop the skill of being aggressive towards others.

Adolescents that are exposed to violent movies repeatedly are exposed to scenes and images that could lead to desensitization. Many individuals don’t think about the effect of violent movies, but these movies have been known to lead to bullying or violent behavior. Dafna Lemish (Tel Aviv University) conducted a study on the effect of watching the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) “Children aged 7–12 years evaluated their own and their peers’ behaviour. Those who watched WWF were thought to be more violent in school, and those children already predisposed to violence were more likely to imitate the behaviour they saw on television.” (Faith McLellan) In the short term, media violence [more specifically movies] contributes to aggression but only about 5-10% of children’s aggression. Normalizing cruel and violent behavior, makes the children lose sympathy for themselves or others.

Some adolescents do not understand that what they are watching is fiction and believe they should relate it to their lives. They are inclined to act out what they are viewing, even though they have a sense of morality when one is shown that violence is okay all sense of morality goes out the door. “a staged fantasy, a concept that many children have difficulty comprehending because they lack the cognitive and literacy skills necessary to interpret what they are seeing.”(Faith McLellan) Because it’s difficult for them to comprehend what’s happening, they act on what they’ve seen in there lives. In turn, violent movies or television shows have a negative impact.

Music plays a key role in the socialization of children and adolescents. Popular music is present almost everywhere and is easily accessible via radio, various records, the internet, and new technologies, enabling teenagers to hear it in a variety of settings and circumstances, alone or with friends. Over the years, particularly in certain genres, songs have become more overt in their references to alcohol, sex, and violence. As with popular music, the interpretation and impact of music-video messages are important because research has shown that exposure to violence, sexual messages, sexual stereotypes, and the use of abusive substances in music videos result in significant changes in young viewers ‘ behaviors and attitudes. Songs with violent lyrics increase aggression-related thoughts and emotions, and according to a new study published by the American Psychological Association (APA), this effect is directly related to the violence in the lyrics. Iowa State University and the Texas Department of Human Services conducted a study that uses seven violent songs and eight non-violent songs to examine their effects on adolescents,

Violent songs led to more aggressive interpretations of ambiguously aggressive words, increased the relative speed with which people read aggressive vs. nonaggressive words, and increased the proportion of word fragments that were filled in to make aggressive words. The violent songs increased feelings of hostility without provocation or threat, according to the authors, and this effect was not the result of differences in musical style, specific performing artist or arousal properties of the songs. (Craig Anderson)

Constantly listening to violent music speeds up the rate at which your brain reads aggressive words rather than non-aggressive words. Violent music increases the feelings of real-world implications and aggressive thoughts. The violent song produced higher levels of state hostility rather than the non-violent songs “(Ms 2.60 and 2.19, respectively), F(1, 54) = 5.97”(Craig Anderson). These numbers measure brain waves and heart activity; Researchers use these two numbers to measure if you’re having aggressive thoughts. If the number is above five then you’re having more aggressive thoughts, but if the number is below five you’re having less aggressive thoughts.

Music industry signs artists who promote violence intentionally as a way of corrupting youth minds. “[October 17, 2013] an anonymous email was sent out to various members of the music and publishing industries giving an account of a meeting where it was determined that hip-hop music would be manipulated to drive up privatized prison profits.” (Homeboy Sandman) In turn, adolescents then begin to act out and proceed to take part in criminal activities which inevitably leads them to prison. The prison that the adolescents go to are private; private prisons compensated based on their inmate population. People in the music industry own stock in private prisons. Inevitably making money off these individuals.

Violent video games have a significant role in the gaming industry. 85% of the video games on the market contain violence. They have become one of the most popular forms of entertainment. Throughout the years the games have become more gory and aggressive. For instance, Grand Theft Auto features protagonists involved in organized crime. Studies have shown that moderate aggressive behavior can be triggered by playing violent games. Therefore, there is always a possibility that young people who develop a habit of playing violent games will become violent or aggressive. A policy statement released in 2015 by the American Psychological Association (APA) stated that “playing violent video games contributes to more offensive moods and attitudes and detracts from the players ‘ sense of empathy and responsiveness to violence.”

Mass shootings that have taken place in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio. Video games were identified as one of the causes of mass shootings in the U.S. Concern about video game violence raised after the shooting at Columbine High School in 1999 because teen gunmen first learned to play the arcade shooting game ‘Doom.’ This had induced California to ban the sale of violent video games to adolescents. In 2011 a decision that overturned California’s ban on selling violent video games to minors, the Supreme Court analyzed evidence, with Justice Antonin Scalia questioning, a correlation between games and violence. A year later, after the tragedy of the Sandy Hook Elementary School, 20 boys and six teachers were murdered, the issue arose again. In 2018 a massacre a video game tournament Jacksonville, Florida. Unfortunately, there is no hard evidence that violent video games lead to mass shootings. There is a correlating pattern the more adolescence or children play and experience violent video games they’ve been connected back to their lives allowing them to bring real violent into the world.

Some believe its sad and hypocritical that critics demonize popular music and video games as the source of ‘youth violence.’ Phillip Gaush believes that the mass shootings that have taken place are our Westernized societies fault

Individuals like the boys who massacred students at Columbine and other US schools are a product of our violent, vengeful society, which blames “violent” media for inciting these actions. In essence, the pundits seem to be drawing blame away from our own sick Western society in the same way that they have blamed drugs, relaxed sexual behavior, and even political radicalism for similar societal problems. (Phillip Gaush)

This statement is false. Yes our society creates and puts out violent video games but what parents allow their children to play and view is solely the parents responsibility therefore blaming the “community” isn’t an option. Furthermore, though there is no hard evidence many of the massacres are linked with the shooting playing a deadly video game before inevitably going out to kill numbers of innocent individuals. Gerard Jones states his opinion on desensitization, and how he doesn’t believe its harmful to adolescents,

After researchers consistently failed to demonstrate that violent entertainment causes violent behavior, some psychologists put forth the “desensitization” idea. It supported the preconceptions of people who wanted to believe that violent entertainment was harmful, and it had the advantage of being harder to disprove than the old causal hypothesis. But with time, the clinical and statistical information shows that the concept of desensitization doesn’t hold up well, either. (Gerard Jones)

This statement is false. Cartoon press violence imagery desensitizes adolescents to the reality of physical pain and violence, promoting the idea that death seems to be just entertainment. Media violence includes far more ‘dangerously destructive’ messages than supportive ‘natural’ messages. Media violence is a threat to adolescents and is increases violence and aggression.

Today’s society thrives on media use, in every aspect of life. Media violence is dangerous to adolescents developing minds and it increases violence and aggression. Digesting violent or aggressive activity regularly negatively affects a child’s subconscious mind. Repeatedly viewing such behaviors embed certain ideas in the subconscious mind to be considered good, even if it is not. Adolescents that are exposed to violent movies repeatedly are exposed to scenes and images that could lead to desensitization. Adolescents relate violence in movies back to their lives and are inclined to act out what they are viewing, even though they have a sense of morality when a child is shown that violence is okay they lose their morality. Songs with violent lyrics increase aggression-related thoughts and emotions, this effect is directly related to the violence in the lyrics. Violent music increases the feelings of real-world implications and aggressive thoughts. Music industry signs artists who promote violence intentionally as a way of corrupting youth minds. Therefore, there is always a possibility that young people who develop a habit of playing violent games will become violent or aggressive. Unfortunately, there is no hard evidence that violent video games lead to mass shootings, but there is a correlating connection between the two.

The term aggression refers to a range of behaviors that can result in physical and psychological harm to yourself, others, or objects in the existence of the eye. Society has evolved with the acts of aggression, verbal and physical aggression, reactive-inexpressive and expressive aggression. High level of exposure is known to have a negative impact on attitudes and behaviors with the role of the violent media. Does the violent media cause aggression in teens? Researchers have documented and identified a number of risk factors for aggressive acts such as attention problems and impulsiveness. Many believe the violent media plays as a feature rather than a direct influence. Along with underlying factors that contribute to teens behaving in such a way, the individual as a whole and the role of the violent media are closely associated with one another.

Although the issue is often contentious in the media, exposure to violent media does make teens more aggressive. Statistically, teens spend an average of six hours and thirty-two minutes using various forms of media. (Jason et al. 2005). Recent research propose that these effects can become problematic when guns are involved. This topic was investigated in many studies using experimental, longitudinal and even cross-sectional designs. The purpose of this literature review is to minimize aspects of ideas revolving around the proposition that the violent media causes aggression in teens. This research includes substantive findings, as well as theoretical and methodological contributions to the topic.

The most studied aspect of the effect of media is that of media violence on teens. Violence on television is a pervasive and negative influence especially on those with impressionable mindsets, and with those with a lack of critical ability, being easily influenced most likely leads to behavioral issues, aggression and even criminal activity in the long run. Ferguson et al. (2008) have presented a model for comprehending multivariate influences on aggressive behavior. The cross-sectional design demonstrates the catalyst model of violent crime & the development of an aggressive-prone personality. It suggest that an individual who develops a violent personality are at a high risk for engaging in violent behavior. Individuals with high aggressive proneness are probable to require less environmental stress to take part in violent acts. In this case, this study addresses multiple factors that can correlate to the relations between the media and aggressive behavior. Media violence, according to the catalyst model is not the only cause of violent behavior but plays a role as a stylistic choice. For example, if a teen with proneness to aggressiveness decides to acts violent, he or she may then perform an act seen in the media. Not with the intentions to perfectly execute a violent act as seen on tv but with the intentions to portray a similar model, and this is where influence takes part. Violent behavior is influenced by social learning. Ferguson et al. (2008).

Debate remains concerning the variables for aggression and media violence, but is there a reason as to why the media solely depicts our attitudes and how act? There is evidence that violent television exposure is associated with attention problems. Theoretically, reasonings that have been provided to justify aggressive behavior have speculated a position of attention problems. It is said that long and short term stimulating effects of media violence might be brought about their effects on impulsivity. (Swing & Anderson, 2014). The methodology for this particular experiment included four hundred twenty-two undergraduate students, (61% females). Participants completed a brief media habits questionnaire, a series of questions that assessed average media use. Participants indicated how many hours they watched television on a weekday, given different time periods (six AM to noon, noon to six, six PM to midnight, and midnight to six AM). The study tested several hypothesis by evaluating attention problems, impulsiveness, media violence, and aggression. The most important feature of this study was its attitudes towards violence. Using a RATVS ( Revised Attitudes Toward Violence Scale) new important findings were revealed. Firstly, as hypothesized attention problems are relatively unique variables for aggression. Attention problems were associated with overall media consumption which explains its third finding that attention problems relate to media violence and aggression.

According to recent research studies, children learn through imitation, as well as young adults, who with observations can perceive behaviors their own, which in fact is influenced by the media (Jason et al. 2005). Media violence increases aggression especially with video games that allow the player to be the aggressor. The game’s intent is to give awards for completing violent acts against others. In comparison to the previous study discussed, the amount of internet, media consumption can depict implications for behaviors indulged in. The difference between television and playing video games is that television gives off a more passive experience whereas video games are interactive, yet the two coexist with one another resulting in similar actions. Media violence has an adequate effect on forms of violent behavior and an even bigger influence on aggression. Negative effects seen in childhood exposure to media violence is shown to expand later on into adulthood. (Anderson et al. 2003). As age progresses, findings support the hypothesis that the causal effects of media violence exposure found in experimental settings can be generalized to real life from childhood to adulthood. A study uses the cultivation theory to examine the ability of the violent media to mold perspectives and attitudes (Dowler, K. 2002.) The cultivation theory tests whether viewers may believe that guns are useful alternatives as seen on television. The example that is portrayed is both villains and heroes employ guns to succeed their desired intentions. It is now to test if this representation results in viewers, adults in this case to believe that guns are a necessity in protecting oneself. This examination determines whether heavy television observers are influenced by media consumption. Consistent with the cultivation theory, violent media shows influence attitudes towards guns to a certain extent. Findings shown that observers are likely to disagree with the use of gun control in movies and games but agree with the terms that being armed for protection is the best defense. Yet again, there are underlying factors that contribute to behaving aggressively. The individual as a whole and the role of the violent media are closely associated with one another depending on perceptions about gun control in this sense. The relationship between gun attitudes and media consumption consisting of many different and connected parts. Those who are pro-gun are attracted to crime and drama shows which strengthens behaviors towards aggressiveness. The studies of violence in mass media evaluates the correlation between themes of violence in media, real-world aggression and violence over time. Many psychologists support the correlation.

Although some questions remain to be resolved about the extent of observed violence on aggressive and violent behavior, high level of exposure is known to have a negative impact on attitudes and behaviors with the role of the violent media. Does the violent media cause aggression in teens and yet later on affect the future? The studies provided compelling evidence that persistent exposure of teens to violence in the media, do have remaining effects on their tendency to behave aggressively and violently. Future research should probably be directed much more at elaborating how media influences our interpretation of information, our development, and our differences.

Description of Psychosocial Issue

What is dating violence? Dating Violence is controlling, abusive, and aggressive behavior in a romantic relationship (Banyard,2008). It includes verbal, nonverbal, emotional, physical, sexual abuse and or a combination. Every relationship is different but what unhealthy and abusive relationships have in common is power and control. Violent words and actions are tools an abusive partner uses to gain and maintain power and control over their partner. Dating Violence is very common. Any young person can experience it. It doesn’t discriminate and can happen to anyone in any relationship. Throughout this literature review risk factors and negative outcomes, prevention and intervention, and the prevalence of DV and victimization are going to be discussed.

There are several risk factors and outcomes when discussing dating violence among adolescents. Some risk factors include pregnancy, substance abuse, poor performance in school, suicidal intentions, a decrease in mental and physical health and entering into violent adult relationships. A few individual risk factors include low self-esteem, anger, and hostility, witnessing violence with parents as a child and low income. Victims of dating violence find struggles in establishing intimacy with a partner, becoming a positive member of society, developing a more effective value system and establishing self-identity as an adult. Abusers that experience DV are more likely to create a pattern of behavior that could affect their relationships later on in life.

Teen Dating Violence can be prevented. Teaching and supporting the development of healthy, respectful, and nonviolent relationships could reduce a lot of dating violence amongst adolescents. Teaching safe and healthy relationship skills, engaging in influential adults and peers, disrupting the developmental pathways of violent relationships, strengthening economic support for families, and supporting survivors to increase safety and lessen harms are all different prevention methods. There are multiple intervention methods that a victim could choose to participate in. There are support groups, mandated educational programs within the school systems, individual therapy, and other important programs. Teens who participate in these programs often report an increase in knowledge about dating violence and a decrease in attitudes that support dating violence (Ball, Kerig, & Rosenbluth, 2009; Clinton-Sherrod et al., 2009; O’Leary et al, 2006). There are also policies in place for Dating Violence.

Approximately 16% of adolescents reported being a victim of dating violence. Females reported a higher prevalence of victimization than males. Maltreatment in school dating connections can set up an example of brutality that may extend into later connections, influence marriage, and have long-lasting consequences. Since the experience of accomplice violence starts, by and large, around 15 and influences 10-35% of school understudies either as exploited people or as culprits, this time of puberty gives a lucky opening to address viciousness and maltreatment in accomplice connections as a significant wellbeing concern (Roscoe & Callahan, 1985; Roscoe & Kelse, 1986; Halpern, Oslak, Young, Martin, & Kupper, 2001). DV is executed by the two people. Violence executed by guys is commonly increasingly extreme with females being around multiple times bound to be killed by a personal accomplice than are guys. There is additional proof that females are more probable than guys to depict their brutal conduct as self-protection in nature, while guys are bound to portray their forceful conduct as persuaded by requirements to scare, control, or pressure.

In Conclusion, research has shown that dating violence among adolescents not only affects your mental capacity but also can affect your physical health and how you transform through your adult life. A social worker needs to study the difficulties of teen dating violence because it’s affecting a lot of our youth today. It’s not only affecting them as youth but also carrying along to the way they think and interact throughout their adult life. No one deserves to experience dating violence. It is also important to increase the policies and programs for intervention and prevention.

Life Development Theory & Afrocentric Perspective

Throughout dating violence among adolescents, many things are transpiring in the lifespan of that victim. The development theory impacts other parts of the life of a teen experiencing dating violence. Erik Erickson was interested in how social interaction and relationships play a role in the development and growth of individuals. He also believed that conflict serves as a turning point in development.

Erickson’s Psychosocial Stages of Development theory has described the impact of social experience across the whole lifespan. The theory applies to dating violence among adolescents through the experience, risk, and negatives outcomes from the violence and how they develop, whether it’s in a negative or positive aspect. Through each psychosocial stage of development, 8 things must be accomplished. The first is trust vs. mistrust which is having a sense of openness. The second is autonomy vs. shame and doubt. That stage is all about gaining a sense of control. The third stage is the initiative vs. guilt. Stage 3 is all about power and control through direct play and social interaction. During the fourth stage industry vs. inferiority, children gaining pride in their accomplishments and abilities should be accomplished. Stage five identity vs. confusion plays an essential role in developing a self-identity which is something that will influence behavior and development that will be carried through the rest of the lifespan. Psychosocial stage 6 intimacy vs. isolation goal is to help people develop close-knitted and committed relationships with others. Those that are successful will grow to build secure relationships. Stage 7 generativity vs. stagnation continues to build on the lives of others and focuses on the career and family. The final stage of Erikson’s theory of integrity vs. despair is the reflection period. Throughout this stage, people reflect on the events that took place throughout life whether they enjoyed it or regret it.

If the developmental task is completed within the typical period they emerge from the stage with strengths that will help them throughout the rest of their lives. The individual will feel a sense of mastery, which is an ego booster. If the developmental task is not accomplished they may not effectively develop the essential skills needed for strong self-identity. The individual will feel a sense of failure which will destroy one’s confidence.

Adolescents experiencing dating violence face difficulty self-identifying as a victim of its verbal and emotional forms. A lot of the times facing reality is extremely difficult as well as identifying what’s true abuse. Dating violence isn’t just physical. It can be emotional as well as verbal. Experiencing dating violence among adolescents can negatively affect the development of an individual through the lenses of Erickson’s Developmental theory. Starting with stage one trust versus mistrust and stage two autonomy vs shame and doubt a child who is exposed to dating violence generally has disorganized attachment patterns. They struggle with the fear of being alone, sleep disturbances, and aggressive outburst. The child’s perspective is the feeling of being responsible for the traumatic event. Being in and being exposed to an abusive relationship can cause more emotional damage than physical. That easily can create a wall that will shut off your vulnerability and create trust issues with anyone else shortly. During stage three initiative vs guilt, the child faces some insecurity and has unpredictable responses. They have a lack of capacity for emotional self-regulation, upset reaction in response to memory triggers, and reoccurring waking memories. They tend to feel extremely helpless and have difficulty managing physical and emotional responses. Throughout the fourth stage, industry vs inferiority the child struggles with fear and guilt which comes with several different emotions from past thoughts and experiences that are constantly replaying in their head. Stage 5 identity vs. confusion is also another example. During this stage, exposure to dating violence causes some posttraumatic stress reactions. They are extremely angry and combative, have major issues at school both behavior and academic, and self-harming behaviors. They have thoughts of revenge, have feelings of guilt about actions they have either made or witnessed and are more exposed to dangerous situations. This could not only leave you hurt emotionally but it also could leave you confused. One bad experience could ruin it for you and anyone else in your near future. The fear of experiencing the negative outcomes of dating violence could result in a disturbing impact of unsecured relationships, depression, and isolation. For psychological consequences, cognitive and social difficulties are the negative impact and for behavior difficulties through adolescence, adult criminality, substance abuse, and abusive behavior are all negative outcomes from dating violence. All those stages placed behind the lens of dating violence among adolescents influence the normative development of some victims and perpetrators today.

The Afrocentric Perspective is how we view the world. There is one race which is the human race. Concept 8 of the Afrocentric Perspective is the significance of self-knowledge and personal experience. That tenet principle is ‘ the validation of the use of self, that is one’s emotions, lived experiences, and values as a basis for generating knowledge and effecting positive human transformation’ (Wright, D. 2013). The principle applies to date violence among adolescents because there are times where things are very challenging and when things get overwhelming for the victim and it is important that the victim stands strong and heal. The healing process isn’t easy but gaining courage and strength to spread the knowledge of dating violence the awareness could save the next person. Not only that but also never forgetting who you are and what you’re worth. Your self-identity is important and never let anyone try to take that from you. We could apply that principle in social work practice by encouraging self-determination, awareness, maintaining and gaining back self-identity, and being supportive of one’s emotions and the different experiences that take place throughout their lifespan. It could be utilized at the micro, mezzo, and macro level. Whether it’s through direct contact, schools, community or support groups.

Theoretical Understanding

Two theories that can contribute to the understanding of Dating Violence among adolescents are Social Cognitive Theory and Sociocultural Theory. Social Learning Theory was started by Albert Bandura in the 1960s where it later developed into the Social Cognitive Theory. The main focus of this theory is how individuals are shaped by their environment. SCT describes the influence on individual experiences, the actions of others, environmental factors on individual health factors (Boston University School of Public Health, 2019). Sociocultural Theory’s main focus is on the interaction between developing people and the culture of their environment. This theory was created by Lev Vygotsky. Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory also focuses on peer influence on individual learning and how learning takes place (Brainerd, C.J. 1978).

Children are very observant and that doesn’t stop in the adolescent stage. They pick up on their peers’ behavior and the different things that they say. It doesn’t just limit the individuals in their environment it can also go for what is seen on television or the internet. The behavior can very much like be imitated. The behavior is in response to an interaction of nature and nurture. With Dating Violence among adolescents, many perpetrators have once been a victim of dating violence or two have witnessed some sort of violence whether it was between peers or at home. Adolescents that are victims of dating violence have a hard time healing emotionally. Violence and abuse negatively shape their perspective on relationships in the future. It puts them in a place where they instantly create a wall and barrier where it’s hard to open up and be vulnerable with others in intimate relationships.

One culture might teach adolescents that it’s okay to take disrespect in a relationship and it’s okay to verbally and physically abuse your significant other while another culture might teach adolescents that someone who loves you wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize the relationship. Social level is when an individual learns through their interaction in their society. Personal level is when learning is reflected through their life and choices. Dating Violence among adolescents happens in different forms. The socio-cultural factors influence individuals to show abuse in attitudes in relationships, negative and abusive language and abusive behavior, coercive control within the relationship, and the learning of intergenerational transmission.

Social Cognitive Theory and Sociocultural Theory have several strengths and limitations. Some strengths for cognitive theory are the change of the environment can have changed within the child and there are different ways of learning (Bower, G.H. 1975). Two weaknesses the theory can have is ignoring standard milestones and being accountable for one’s actions. Ignoring a standard milestone can be simply ignoring the silent cries out for help and or the behavior of the child. A major strength of sociocultural theory is that it directly impacts issues within the society and family. Another strength is labeling. Labeling can have both a positive and negative outcome in a situation. Some limitations of Sociocultural Theory are adolescents may have narrow or wide zones. Knowing only the width of the zone doesn’t say much about the skill, learning, ability, and development compared to other teens of the same age of situations. This particular limitation is very shut off. The open mind policy is nonexistent.

As a future Social Worker when applying these two theories to dating violence among adolescents I would utilize several intervention methods. First and foremost I would start by providing resources to programs that help victims of dating violence heal effectively. I will also provide different support groups for both the victim and the perpetrator. Perpetrators need some type of counseling as well. Most of the time the perpetrator has been abused or has seen different forms of violence. There could be some prevention programs placed as a curriculum in schools that way adolescents can be properly educated.

References

1. Martsolf, D. S., Colbert, C., & Drauker, C. B. (2012). Adolescent Dating Violence Prevention and Intervention in a Community Setting: Perspectives of Young Adults and Professionals. The Qualitative Report, 17 (50), 1-23. Retrieved from http://nsuworks.nova.edu/tqr/vol17/iss50/1
2. Banyard, V. L., & Cross, C. (2008). Consequences of teen dating violence: Understanding intervening variables in ecological context. Violence Against Women, 14(9), 998-1013. DOI: 10.1177/1077801208322058
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2010). Understanding teen dating violence: Fact sheet. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/TeenDatingViolence2009-a.pdf
4. Connolly, J., & Josephson W. (2007). Aggression in adolescent dating relationships: Predictors and preventions. The Prevention Researcher, 14(5), 3-5.
5. National Conference of State Legislator. (2011). Teen Dating Violence. Retrieved from http://www.ncsl.org/default.aspx?tabid=17582
6. Grunbaum JA, Kann L, Kinchen SA, et. al. Youth Risk behavior surveillance: United States, 2001. MMWR Surveill Summ. 2002;51 (4) : 1-62
7. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National and State-specific pregnancy rats among adolescents: United States, 1995- 1997. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2000;49:605-611
8. Silverman JG, Raj A, Mucci L, Hathaway J. Dating Violence against adolescent girls and associated substance use, unhealthy weight control, sexual risk behavior, pregnancy, and suicidality. JAMA. 2001;286 :572-579
9. Avery- Leaf, S., & Cascardi, M. (2002). Dating violence education: Prevention and early intervention strategies. In P. A. Schewe (Ed.), Preventing violence in dating relationships: Interventions across the life span (pp. 79-105). Washington, DC: APA
10. Edwards, R. W. (1997). Drug and alcohol use among youth in rural communities. In E. Robertson, Z. Sloboda, G. Boyd, L. Beatty, & N. Kozel (Eds.), Rural substance abuse: State of knowledge and issues (NIDA Research Monograph No. 168). Rockville, MD: the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
11. U.S Department of Justice. (1998). Bureau of Justice Statistics Factbook. (NCJ Publication No. 167237). Washington, DC: Author
12. Vangie A. Foshee, Karl E. Bauman, Susan T. Ennett, G. Fletcher Linder, Thad Benefield, Chirayath Suchindran, “Assessing the Long-Term Effects of the Safe Dates Programs and a Booster in Preventing and Reducing Adolescent Dating Violence Victimization and Perpetration”, American Journal of Public Health 94, no. 4( April 1, 2004): pp 619-621. http://doi.org/10.2015/AJPH.94.4.619
13. Wright, D. (2013). Afrocentric Perspective in Social Work: An integrative lens.
14. Bower, G. H. (1975). Cognitive psychology: An introduction. In W. K. Estes (Ed.), Handbook of learning and cognition (pp. 25-80). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
15. Brainerd, C. J. (1978). The stage question in cognitive- development theory. The Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 2, 173-213.

Question 1:

Below is the interview of 3 parents who have children in the adolescent stage;

1. How they educate their children about sexuality

· Parents A: father is a policeman and mother is a stay at home mother -has 3 children (13 y/o girl,10y/o boy and 6 y/o girl)-

According to parents A , sexuality means introducing their child to their own body and their emotions. They don’t really use any specific method to teach about sexuality but just during the daily activity, they try to let them know. For example, explaining about their body parts while taking a shower when they are a little younger. Chatting with their son and daughter separately about the differences between both genders. Parents A says, their 13y/o daughter is very active and loves to ask questions about why her younger brother’s body parts are different than hers. So parents take the opportunity to answer her curiosity with explanations like about self-dignity, dressing codes for girls and boys, family values, and good behavior.

· Parents B: Father owns a fruit stall and mother works as a cleaner – has 1 son, 15y/o –

Parents B had some giggles when I approached them about this topic. They were shy and said they never really thought about this before. According to them, sexuality doesn’t have to be thought about or educated much at home because they should learn it at school. Parents A feels it’s taboo to talk about these sensitive matters and believes eventually their son will learn it through school and from his friends just like how it was in the past. However, they claim to raise their son as a good human being by teaching him upright moral values and preventing him from misbehaving with others especially with his opposite-sex friends because it can bring disrespect to the family

· Parents C: Father is an IT officer, mother works as a Pharmacist- has 2 children(15y/o and 17y/o)-

‘Sexuality definitely an important aspect” says parents C . They strongly believe that basic sexuality education plays an important role in their children’s future personality development. Parents C claims they started early when their daughters are still in pre-school. They introduced them to their body parts and also how important to take care of themselves. One interesting answer that caught my attention is when they told me, that from as early as 6years old they have thought both daughters about “good touch and bad touch. I then asked them to elaborate further on this approach. They believe that all children despite gender need to be thought how other people are allowed to touch them especially when it’s their genitals. Through this exposure, the child will not only embrace the uniqueness of their gender but also will be able to notify if there is a sexual abuse experience. They also believe by teaching them about body privacy issues they can raise them into more confident young adults in the future.

B) How do they prevent their children from engaging in premarital sex.

• Parents A: coming from a strong religious background both parents feel that from young, issues regarding sex need to be implemented through religion. In this case, the mother said that she used to accompany her daughter for daily prayers at home and after the session, they will sit and read some holy verses. During this time she takes the opportunity to explain to her daughter about unmarried sexual relationships and its consequences. When I asked further how about the son, they agreed that they have yet informed or taught anything about sex in general and premarital sex to their son. Mainly because the mother feels shy to approach the son and the father feels it’s too early to expose him, but they are confident that the religious classes that their son attends daily after school would have given him some enlightenment.
• Parents B: On the other hand, parents B feels that when a child is raised with good moral values, unlikely they will be involved in premarital sex. On asking further, the father said that he teaches his so on how to be a good man and respects everyone just through their daily lifestyle. He also added both husband-wife shows a good example of how they both are living as a married couple so that the son will understand and also follow their steps to marry and create a good family on his own. They also think it’s wrong to give the son an idea about premarital sex knowledge before he reaches the maturity level. They fear that it will create negative ideas rather than prevent them.
• Parent’s C: Prevention of engaging in premarital sex, for this parents have a different opinions. They started to share their view about the social world in general and also comes back to their own point of view. According to them in western countries, premarital sex is not much of an issue as it has been quite usual for teenagers to be involved in sexual activities as early as 15. In Asian countries, this is certainly a forbidden topic. Both parents feel their daughters must understand the sexual phase which will come soon and they must be ready to make wise decisions. So, they implemented a casual chatting time with their daughters every week or whenever they are free. Mostly their mother will accompany them for an open chat about their daily routine, and issues at school or about any opposite-sex attractions. She says she will encourage them to talk and share their happy and also dull moments and through this sharing period, she tries to give them some ideas about menstruation, safe sex, and consequences that can be faced if they engage in premarital sex like getting pregnant, unable to study further, social stigma and many more.

Interview findings from all 3 parents for question 1(A) and question 1(B) shows a lot of contrast and different opinion. In my point of view, parents with a different family backgrounds such as from the aspect of religion, growing up in the environment, and education play a major role in the way they understood sexuality and premarital sex. Those with higher education and more knowledge about the expanding social world has been more easygoing and have a positive approach in guiding their children towards understanding sexuality and preventing pre-marital sex. Then again, parents from more conservative background turn into religious and moral values to help their children to comprehend sexuality and also to prevent premarital sexual engagement. However, despite all the differences, in Malaysia, a strong family institution definitely plays an important part in shaping the behavior of adolescents and their understanding of pre-marital sex (Shahid, Ah & Wahab, 2017).

Question 1(C):

The sexual revolution is also known as “sexual liberation” was a social movement that arise in the mid-1960s to 1980s. Generally, it started when feminism ideology expanded which made women openly fight for their sexuality rights from the childbirth control movement until challenged many other traditional codes of behavior related to sexuality (Gutenberg, P.1970,).

The sexual revolution has both positive and negative impacts in general on adolescents, especially on the above children that we discussed . Looking at the positive side, the emergence of the sexual revolution had made adolescents let it be male or female embrace their sexuality, to love themself as they are, and be confident. This liberation also made their parents more open-minded to educating their children about sex without thinking that it’s a taboo. Most importantly through this, they are able to address sexual harassment issues or any other unwanted sexual behavior that their children go through. As for the negative impact, in general as the liberalization expands more traditional behaviors of sexuality are being questioned. Adolescent children have wider access to the open sexual content in the world through the internet and various other platforms and this makes them more vulnerable to gender confusion and identity crisis.

Question 2:

A. Interview with Miss T :

Miss T is a 25 years old woman who is staying in my neighborhood. She is married and has a two-year-old child. According to her, she had matured earlier than most of her classmates. She recalls being the tallest girl in her classroom since she was 8 years old . She was always the last to stand in a row whenever there is an assembly because if she stands in the front she would block all her classmate’s views. Even her teachers make her to sit at the side or at the last bench in the classroom. She admits that many times she felt upset and lonely whenever she was being treated like that. She would question her mother about why she looked different than her classmates. Her mother often comforts her by telling her genetics and being tall run in the family. When she was around 9 years old she attained puberty (menstruation) and she gradually grew heavier in weight. She started to observe many changes in her body structure and also had lots of acne on her face. These changes confused her more added with frequently being bullied for her physical appearance often makes her angry and upset.

B. According to Miss T, the whole experience during her early adolescence made her a very isolated and low self-esteemed person. She was always sad and upset, especially with the physical changes that she went through. Starting to menstruate at 9 years old was totally very frightening for her. She recalls being very moody and rude to her parents and even avoid going to school during that period. It was because actually, she was scared and anxious about being bullied. At times she will feel very miserable and demotivated too. However, as she grows up she started to understand her biological challenges and made friends but yet the sense of nervousness and depression never faded. This issue was prolonged and she claims unable to concentrate on her studies and chooses to drop out of school when she was around 16 years old. Since then her life had been full of turmoil. She believes a lot of her wrong moves and decisions are due to her constant anxiety state. Currently, she is married and also has a job as a salesgirl. She claims she is able to function as a normal adult but some of her insecurities still creep in under certain situations. For example due to their lack of confidence and low self-esteem issues she often fails at job interviews that offer better income.

C. Maturation during the adolescence period can be categorized into early and late-onset. Generally, maturation happens around 10 or 11 years old. This is the period within the life span when most of a person’s characteristics are changing from what is typically considered childlike to adult-like. Changes in the body are the most obviously observed, but other, less definitive attributes such as thoughts, behavior, and social relations also change radically during this period. Changes vary within the different individuals and they develop particular characteristics. Early maturation or precocious puberty happens when this biological process starts earlier which makes bone growth and increases hormone production. For girls, early maturation is around before 8 years old and for boys before 9 years old (“What Parents Need To Know About Early Puberty”,n.d.)

From the interview, it’s very obvious that my respondent’s characteristics are very consistent with the facts categorized in the theory of early maturation. Being taller than others, getting menstruation earlier and changes in body weight, and facial acne before the age of 10 show symptoms of precocious puberty. As explained in an article by ‘Verywellfamily. (2017), an adolescent with early maturation goes through many physical, emotional, and social consequences such as stunted growth, behavioral changes, depression, anxiety, lower self-esteem, body image crisis, poor academic performance, early sexual interest, and many more. Looking back at my respondent’s experience during her adolescence time it can’t be denied that she too faced the majority of the conflicts mentioned above. If evaluated from the psychological perspective puberty is basically a biologically driven transition that involves the early release of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (Gn -RH). These hormones in turn stimulate testicles or ovaries to release testosterone or estrogen. Noted that to a certain extent adolescents go through emotional imbalance, psychosocial crisis, and behavioral aggression throughout their journey into adulthood but these are mostly short-termed ill effects. In general, as they grow most of them will function equally well as their same-sex mates by young adulthood (Copeland et.al.).Maybe that is why currently my respondent Miss T is able to function as a young adult with a growing family and have a career despite the negative experiences during her adolescence period.

References

1. Gutenberg, P. (1970, January 1). Sexual Revolution | Project Gutenberg Self-Publishing – EBooks | Read EBooks Online. Retrieved August 29, 2019, from http://self.gutenberg.org/articles/Sexual_revolution
2. Shahid, K., Ah, S.,& Wahab, H(2017) Adolescents, and premarital sex: Perspectives from family ecological context. International Journal For Studies On Children, Women, Elderly And Disabled, Vol.1,(January 2017)
3. WebMD.(n.d) What Parents Need To Know About Early Puberty. Retrieved August 30, 2019, from https://www.webmd.com/children/causes-symptoms#1
4. Verywellfamily.(2017). The Effects Of Early Puberty. Retrieved August 30, 2019, from https://www.verywellfamily.com/the-consequences-of-early-puberty-3288326
5. Copeland, W., Shanahan, L., Miller, S., Costello, E.J., Angold, A., Maughan, B. (1995). Do the negative effect of early pubertal timing on adolescent girls continues into young adulthood. Retrieved August 30, 2019, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2992443/

A large amount of teenagers in today’s age demonstrate a popular liking towards music for a variety of reasons. From bubblegum pop to heavy metal, music is known to be a basis of expression and identity for many. Several studies and research conducted over the years have supported the claim that music does take a toll on the emotional responses of people, identifying what draws people to enjoy music as much as they do. Coping mechanisms come into play when emotion and mood is discussed, as one can use music to aid sadness over a heartbreak, or use it to calm their stress after a bad day at work.

Music is known to be a frequent mood improver according to several studies and a common destressor among a large demographic of people. Listening to music serves as an efficient method to match, improve, or potential worsen one’s mood, making it possible to feel happier, sadder, or cure boredom. Its uses vary, along with its effects on emotion and mood. The research question this academic paper will be addressing is what are the effects of listening to music on the emotions and moods of adolescents? This study will be based off of previous studies done on the effects of music on people, but will solely focus on the demographic of adolescents due to the complexity of emotions and moods that they demonstrate. The purpose of this study is to investigate and evaluate the different ways in which music can take a toll on the emotions and moods in adolescents, and evaluate the effectiveness and frequency of listening to music as a coping mechanism.

Although similar studies have been conducted several times over the years, researchers have yet to look into the particular effects of music on adolescents. Conclusions and discussions have been made over the general population; therefore, this study is needed to extend research into why music is known as a common ground to adjust emotions and moods in teenagers, and how their results may differ from the rest of the population. This study will also provide insight into the use of listening to music as a common coping mechanism for stress in teenagers and provide reasoning as to why that may be. In a 2013 study conducted by Thomas Schafer for the journal Frontiers in psychology[a], it was concluded that people listen to music to drive arousal and mood regulation rather than for emotional use or social relatedness (Schäfer, Sedlmeier, et. al). Arousal and mood regulation bring more positive feeling to a person, while social relatedness could be identified as using music to unite people at a party and liven up the scene.

Emotions and mood are concepts that are often used interchangeably, and although they are stimulated in a similar way, they are distinct in detail. Emotion is defined to be an intense, short-term feeling that is triggered or stimulated by an environment or stressor, while mood is defined to be more long-term and less intense than emotions. Mood does not have to have a direct stimulator. Emotion can be experienced through the cause of an event, conversation, watching films, listening to music, and more. Along with these factors, it is also known that traumatic experiences could also trigger emotional responses in people. A series of complex processes take place in the brain when emotion is triggered. The orbitofrontal cortex is the part that is primarily associated with emotional processing, which lays in the prefrontal cortex. A study conducted at Cornell University concluded that emotion is expressed due to the presence of a unique ‘code’ generated by the brain (read as a neural valence meter) in which the leaning of a population of neurons in one direction equates a positive feeling, and leaning in the other direction equates a negative feeling or emotion (Junichi Chikazoe, et al.). Emotions are thought about on a broader spectrum that do not simply fit the “positive” or “negative” boxes they are put into. According to Robert Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions graphic, the eight basic emotions are said to be: fear, anger, sadness, joy, disgust, surprise, trust, and anticipation. Known as being complex, emotional responses in humans vary based on their distinct environments and experiences. One may experience a moment of excitement when waiting to open a birthday present. Emotions are triggered through the reaction of the brain to certain instances such as these.

Mood demonstrates a similar idea, but maintains a lasting effect on the individual experiencing the mood, instead of it only being prevalent for the duration of a song or immediately after listening. Under the cerebrum of the brain, mood is created in the limbic system; with the presence of neurotransmitters and receptors such as dopamine, serotonin, GABA, and norepinephrine, mood is expressed in humans, as well as contributing to the development of mood and other brain disorders (Nutt, DJ; 2008). This feeling could last from a few minutes to days and weeks on-end, not having a specific time of duration on the individual. One can feel sad or upset due to the death of a loved one for days, and that would be described as a mood, compared to an emotion.

Music attains the potential to ta toll on both of these factors. The idea that music evokes emotions has been supported by various studies, such as in a study conducted by researchers conducted by researchers at the National Academy of Science U.S.A., where it was found that in patients who were listening to a song of their choice, blood flow increased in areas of the brain that were associated with reward/motivation, emotion, and arousal, such as the amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex (Blood, J. Anne, [b]et. al). Humans have used music to produce euphoria-induced experiences in the brain, where “happy” neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin are triggered and increased. This can lead to emotions dealing with excitement, and moods such as contentment. Research done at the University of Missouri found that the more people listened to upbeat music (rather than more calm, somber music), the more their moods positively improved (Ferguson, Yuna[c]).

Music therapy is a product of this evidence. Defined by the American Music Therapy Association[d], music therapy is the “clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program.” For people with mental disorders such as anxiety and depression, music therapy is used to………. “When instrument playing is involved, both auditory and tactile stimulation help produce a state of mental relaxation.[e]”

Researchers from University of Jyvaskyla, Jonna K. Vuoskoski,Tuomas Eerola, William F. Thompson, and Doris McIlwain from Macquarie University, conducted an experiment that would investigate the correlation between sad music and the emotional responses of humans. In addition, the connection between responses and personality traits were observed and tested with a survey that would organize participants in groups based on their personality traits. The experimental method used consisted of 148 participants listening 16 excerpts of sad songs. recorded that sadness seemed to be considered a pleasant emotion, due to listeners being able to empathize with the “sadness” in the song. The results led to the conclusions that “aesthetic appreciation” and “empathetic engagement” had a strong involvement in the pleasant emotional responses from sad music.

The purpose of this study [f]was to investigate the effects of listening to music on the curricular activities of students ages 17-19 or while they were studying. The method dealt with a questionnaire and experiment which would analyze the effects and answers from the students themselves. The questionnaire would ask about the preferences of listening to music or not listening to music while they were studying. The students were then grouped into two parts in which only students who preferred listening to music whilst studying continued with the study. The students were then asked to respond to four questions with the correct answer while they were listening to different music types. The researchers observed the study and found that background music reduced the stress levels of students, resulting in higher scores or more correct answers. Most students were also found to have a positive perception towards music, although most did not listen to music all the time while studying.

The previous study would lead to the idea that music lowers levels of stress in the adolescents and young adults that were being studied. This could suggest that music helps reduce stress levels in adolescents, which would be reasoning as to why it serves as an occasional coping mechanism for stress.

This journal [g][h]introduces the basis of coping mechanisms and strategies for stress, categorizing the types into three categories: emotion-oriented, problem-oriented, and avoidance or disengagement coping style. This study investigates what coping style is most used out of the three categories, also analyzing trends in the results based on gender. It also explains how the claim that music is able to reduce physiological and psychological stress is backed up by several studies, giving an initiative to this study in particular. The method had 207 participant students from Arizona State University answer a questionnaire with a likert scale. They were asked about how often they had been experiencing stress, situations in which they listen to music, and listening frequency. The results concluded that emotion-oriented coping style was most used across both genders, but emotion-oriented was most used by women, whereas most men used problem-oriented.

Approximately 150-300 participants will be needed in order to provide a broad enough range of data to develop conclusions on a general population of teenagers. Participants would range from ages 14-19, considering the early to late stages of high school, and early stages of college. Participants were retrieved by convenience in the beginning, friends were asked to participate and send the survey to their other friends. Adolescents were also encouraged to take the survey from links to it on social media, such as Instagram and Facebook. Participants range from all different races and ethnicities, creating a wide variation of data and results to analyze any trends in the data.

An online, experimental survey was conducted to dictate the effects on emotion and mood of adolescents before and after listening to a song of their choice. Teenagers across different high schools in Cobb County were asked to participate in the survey, ideally ranging from 150-300 participants. The initial start of the survey asked basic demographic questions, identifying the participant’s gender, ethnicity, and age in order to investigate potential trends in responses throughout the entire survey and interpret results. The final questions of the initial information assessed music listening frequency as a means to observe the possibility of music listening acting as a frequent coping mechanism for stress, asking students how often they listened to music on a regular basis.

A confounding variable that was identified was that of there being the wandering emotional effects of music listened to immediately before taking the survey. If a participant had listened to music right before taking the survey, it could be possible that the results in Part One would have already been affected by music in the same way they were supposed to be affected in Part Two. The results of the participant would not be documented as ‘altered’ due to the fact that they had been altered before taking the survey. To prevent this confounding variable from taking an effect on the results, it was addressed in the instructions at the beginning in the survey. It was instructed participants to refrain from taking the survey for another 30 minutes if they had listened to music in the 30 minutes prior to taking the survey.

In Part One of the survey, teenagers were asked to rate, on a scale of 1-4, how much they related to the emotion listed in the question at that exact moment, with no presence of music in their surroundings. The emotions listed were based off of the BMIS (Brief Mood Introspection Scale) measurement tool for mood, using a simplified Likert scale to assess the participants’ relatedness to the emotion listed, 1 equating ‘Definitely do not feel’, and 4 equating ‘Definitely feel’(Mayer, J.D., 1988). Questions were formatted simply, as “I feel happy” and “I feel sad.” Students would rate how much they identified their current emotions in accordance to the emotion listed based of the 16 emotions off the Brief Mood Introspection Scale. Part One will be used to analyze the participants’ initial emotions before, in order to provide a baseline for comparison with Part Two.

Part Two will introduce the musical aspect of the survey, where participants will be able to listen to a song of their choice of any genre or perceived emotion/mood, such as listening to a sad song, happy song, angry song, etc. They will be allowed to listen to the song once, with either headphones or their phone speaker/regular speaker. It is important to note that the type of genre of music will not be identified nor considered in the results, although the perceived emotion/mood of the song will be. Participants will also be allowed to dance or sing-along, demonstrating any regular actions they would partake in when listening to music. After listening, participants will commence to answer the same set of questions from Part One, to identify any alterations in their emotions after listening to a song.

The purpose[i] of this research was to investigate the effects of music on people through their common claims that music has a big impact on their moods and behaviors. They also try to investigate whether listening to classical or pop music will put people into more positive moods. There was a number of 110 volunteers that would participate in the study where questionnaires would be distributed. The type of questionnaire used was close-ended where the only responses participants could choose were either “yes” or “no”. A total of twelve questions were asked such as “happy music makes you happy” and “music can help cope with sadness”. The research ultimately concluded that music left an overwhelmingly positive effect on listeners, and that music was used to relax them. It is also suggested that music was used to improve or enhance wellbeing.

In the final part of the survey, Part Three, participants will be asked questions about general alterations in their mood that they may identify after listening to music. They will also be asked about reasons as to why they listen to music, including using it as a method to improve or positively impact their moods. This goes into the use of music as a potential coping mechanism for any negative emotions a human may face, such as stress or sadness, and will be used investigate any potential connection between the results in the emotional responses and the participants’ listening frequency. Participants will also be asked about the type of song that they listened to or its perceived mood (sad song, happy song, etc.) for the purposes of identifying trends in responses that dealt with emotions. For further analytical purposes, participants will also be asked to list the specific song that they listened to in order to better identify the perceived mood of the song, along with the artist in order to further specify. For the final question, participants will be asked about the main reason as to why they choose to listen to music. This question, being open-ended, will provide further information to form potential reasoning as to why music is used as a frequent coping-mechanism among teens.

This would provide average shifts in emotion for around 46 participants. The same thing would be done with the results in Part Two of the survey. The results were to be organized into bar graphs, two graphs from Part One and two graphs from Part Two for comparison in mood shift and identify any trends.

The ethical considerations needed would be those of asking participants about their current emotions and moods, which may end up upsetting people who do not like being asked about their emotions. Students will not be asked to provide any information on their current status of mental health or any other private concerns, so no parental consent form will need to be distributed amongst the participants. The confidentiality of the survey will be protected by the fact that the survey will be anonymous, only the researcher will be able to interpret the data and results from the participants.

Researchers Ai Kawakami and Kiyoshi Furukawa from Tokyo University of the Arts and Kazuo Okanoya from The University of Tokyo conducted research on why people listen to sad music through a psychological approach. The method used was to present various musical excerpts of sd songs to an approximate number of 25 women and 19 men and a list of perceived emotions based on the songs. The questionnaires were presented on a scale of pleasantness and unpleasantness based on the excerpt. In the context of art, such as music, sadness does not correlate to unpleasantness based on the results from the experiment. The general proposition of this paper is to demonstrate and explain the vicarious sadness experienced from sad music, rather than actual sadness based on real life situations.

Several studies will demonstrate that music does have an impact on moods of all age ranges and backgrounds. Because of the research done and analyzed in advance, it would be reasonable to assume that after the study is conducted, the music that the adolescent participants will have listened to will have a positive effect on participants, despite the type of song or perceived emotion they will have listened to. If a person would choose to listen to a sad song, the song would still be able to positively impact the emotions of the participant. Overall, music would have pushed a positive feeling among those who listened to their song of choice as stated in the instructions in Part Two of the survey. Most adolescents will have experienced a shift in emotion after listening, and may result into further explaining why adolescents listen to music frequently. If a participant was experiencing negative emotions prior to listening, they would have at least improved their mood to a certain extent as a result. Music will have also lowered levels of stress and negative emotions, this could go into a potential reasoning as to why teenagers often use music to cope with traumatic events, stress, or even a bad day.

The researcher also hypothesized that the demographics of white, black, and Latinos were the most susceptible to higher levels of positive shift in their moods, considering the perceived close connection to music in their cultures. Asian/Pacific Islanders would be more likely to experience lower levels of positive mood change, considering different cultural aspects towards music.

The limitations of this study include the confounding variable discussed earlier in the paper. The confounding variable was that of the wandering effects of music on the mood of the participant before taking Part Two of the survey. Although this variable was addressed in the beginning of the survey in the instructions section, it is possible that participants could have ignored the instruction to wait 30 minutes before taking the survey, had they listened to music in the previous 30 minutes. This could ultimately lead to results that do not represent the true effects of music on the mood of the participants, resulting in unreliable data.

Another limitation of this study could be the lack of exposure to other high schools around Georgia, the country, or internationally. The survey could have had more varied results as different areas and cultures portray different music listening habits. Exposure of the survey was limited to few outlets (such as social media and other distributors) and fewer volunteers willing to take the survey.

Participants could have rushed through Parts One and Two, where they did not truly think about what they were feeling at that moment just to get through the survey quickly. This could make the results unreliable.

A large percentage of participants were also high school juniors, which was the easiest demographic to reach by convenience. The sample, planning to represent American high schoolers

The implication this study dealt with was that of the difficulty in distributing the survey to a wide range of people, at the start, friends were asked to take the survey and distribute it by convenience. The friends and the acquaintances of the researcher were also asked to distribute the survey amongst themselves. The survey was shared on Facebook but did not reach a sufficient amount of people as expected.

The researcher made the observation that music the participant listened to did increase levels of positive mood, as stated in the hypothesis. With a number of 45 participants, approximately 17.8% were white, 20% were of Latino descent, 20% were Asian or Pacific Islander, and 24.4% were black. The rest were identified as Native Americans and of mixed race or ethnicities. Despite the genre of music that was listened to, the majority being pop, rap, and R&B, participants on average reported in increase in positive moods and a decrease in negative moods.

The calculations were done by grouping the 18 moods into two groups of 9: positive and negative emotions. Each emotion was averaged into blocks for females and males. T-tests were conducted on factors that were addressed by the hypothesis. The calculations reported a significant increase in positive emotions for both females and males (P < .05). There was also a significant decrease in negative emotions after listening to the song of choice (P < .05). These results came through despite the genre of music that participants listened to, and despite the perceived emotion that the songs were giving off. Participants who listened to sad or angry music reported increase in positive emotions as well. Females and males both experienced increase in positive and a decrease in negative, but females were shown to have demonstrated a stronger fluctuation or shift in emotions when it came to part Two of the survey.

34.8 percent of respondents identified their song genre as pop, correlating to a suggestion that pop music makes people happier or improves their mood since there was an increase in positive emotion. When asked the question “When listening to music of your choice, how does it affect your mood?” 82.6 percent of respondents claimed that music improved their mood, while only 2.2 percent claimed that music worsens their mood. 13 percent of respondents claimed that music matches their mood, supporting a suggestion that teenagers use music as a form of self-expression of emotions. 58.7 percent of the participants claimed that their chosen song portrayed “happy” or “lively” emotions. This could support a suggestion that happier music could lead to more positive emotions, as suggested by researcher Yuna Ferguson. The original hypothesis was supported with the results from the experimental survey.

The results of the experimental survey support a conclusion that the effect of music on the mood of adolescents shows improvements in mood rather than worsening mood. Music has been known to cheer people up, and the experimental survey showed that music does have that exact effect. The type of music listened to varied, but overall positive emotions such as feeling happy, lively, content, and loving did increase. Negative emotions such as feeling sad, gloomy, and grouchy did decrease meaning that music did improve emotions in teenagers sharply.

Since video games sudden rise to popularity in the 1970s, many games were made and developed in a variety of genres. From relaxing games such as Animal Crossing and Minecraft to the hard hitting violent induced games such as Doom Eternal and Grand Theft Auto (GTA). Especially games such as Mortal Combat who introduced the mechanics of fatalities which a player has an option to decimate their opponents in gruesome finishers such as skull bashing or even pulling their guts out of their stomach. First person shooters such as Call of Duty, Halo and Counter Strike introduced the genre of competitive shooters wherein many players were indulging in the experience of shooting their foes using laser guns or 3D models of real guns. Now because these types of games parents were outraged and claimed that video games were the main cause of rebellion and aggression in their children. Former U.S. President Donald Trump even goes as far as suggesting that video games were to blame for the mass shootings that happened in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio which have caused an estimated 31 deaths during the weekends. As Trump stated, “We must stop the glorification of violence in our society. This includes the gruesome and grisly video games that are now commonplace”. And in some cases, some parents also linked video games as a main cause of depression in their children which led to the dislike or even banning of games in their households. But through reading studies, research and articles I was able to gather enough information to prove that video games not only have its own benefits and the way it affects young adolescents is not the way parents claim it as.

The parents claim that their children behave differently when playing video games. The parents say that their children play on their consoles and computers all day and it affects their emotional and mental behavior. They claim that their children seem to lash out more and talk back to their parents more often since acquiring their children’s games. The parents blame the countless hours of playtime that their kids lose themselves in day in and day out without stopping for brakes. And that their children are mimicking the behaviors of the violent games that they are playing. According to the APA Task Force on Violent Media, they concluded that violent video game use has an influence on aggression based on our analysis of relevant literature directly addressing the topic. This effect manifests itself as both an increase in adverse consequences such as aggression, thought processes, and influence and a decrease in positive results such as social interaction, compassion, and sensitivity to aggression. There is no single risk factor that causes an individual to behave aggressively or violently on a consistent basis. Aggressive or abusive activity is most often the result of a confluence of risk factors (Berkowitz, 1993; Eron, Huesmann, Lefkowitz, Walder, 1974; Ferguson et al., 2013). And the studies that they reviewed showed that video games are one of the risk factors involving violence. But some research shows that it’s the outcome of the game that can lead to aggression, not video games in general. And not only that but the degree of difficulty that a certain game has can change the result of each behavioral outcome. For example, let’s say that you’re playing Animal Crossing or Minecraft even, those types of games are easy to say the least. In Animal Crossing you plant crops, invest in making your home, create your island in the way you visualize it to be. A fun relaxing game such as this wouldn’t be the sole reason for a child’s aggressive behavior. But let’s say they play a game such as Counter Strike wherein the competitiveness of the game itself may result in the child being more focused and invested, wanting to win every round but he keeps losing. The problem isn’t the game itself but the desire of the child to win and improve upon his own mechanics and failing to do so that ultimately led to higher stress that turns to aggression. The study that was conducted by Przybylski A., Deci E., Ryan R. and Rigby S. titled ‘Competence-Impeding Electronic Games and Players’ Aggressive Feelings, Thoughts, and Behaviors’ used several studies with different types of methods to control the competence and a variety of ways for examining aggression. This test indicated that the play impeded or interrupted the competence of a player resulting in a higher level of aggressive feelings, thoughts and behavior. According to the findings, player perceived competence was directly correlated to gaming motivation, which was in turn negatively related to player aggression. On the whole, this pattern of effects was discovered to be independent of the existence or lack thereof violent game material. And in conclusion the violence in game itself does not cause violent behaviors.

Another claim by parents and adults is that video games affect the mental and behavioral growth of adolescence. Many claim that the reason why their children are doing bad in school is because they invest too much of their time in playing video games and that they don’t even put in an effort anymore due to this. And an increase of aggression towards their classmates and teachers have been seen, especially those who play a lot of violent games which shows a lot of blood and gore. The study ‘The Effects of Violent Video Game Habits on Adolescent Hostility, Aggressive Behaviors, and School Performance’ stated that there were six hundred and seven students ranging from 8th grade to 9th grade who studied in 4 different schools who participated in this study. The result they gathered was that kids who indulge in playing these types of violent video games had the tendency to be more aggressive and hostile to their teachers, get into physical arguments that may or may not lead to bruises or the other person getting hurt and have far lower grades than their classmates. They have also found pathways of mediation that linked hostile relations between violent video game exposure and the result of playing such games. Even though they may be affecting the behavioral growth of the adolescence it is only a short-term effect. And most of this panic is just false information, and even though children play and play those effects won’t last their whole lifetime. Unlike what adult fear, those who play violent video games would be criminals or would fail in their classes because of this. This is especially provident in the news where they promote such false information to their viewers. And some analyst even goes to such lengths as to show faulty evidence that needs more research. From the article ‘Video Games, School Success, and Your Child’ which was written by Romeo Vltell Ph.D. the time displacement hypothesis proposes that the amount of time spent playing video games is directly proportional to the time spent on academic works such as homework or studying. A typically young individual who plays video games on a regular basis has less time spent in academic work. But studies who compare the academic performance of a student who has a hold of consoles or other devices versus those who don’t have no significant differences in their academic performance. Since video games commonly have difficult mechanics especially those who are competitively based this could hone the cognitive skills of the players, this means a regular play time of video games may improve the attention capacity, visual orientation and overall memory of the player. This is especially the case in young children who showed greater improvements than their adult counterparts, and through observation and data gathering they have found out that students who play video games regularly do better in their academic journey than those who don’t play at all.

But one and last final argument that most people link to video games was that it causes depression to children. Some parents claim that their children started behaving in a depressed manner since playing video games, they claim that the violent nature of the games cause their children to have sudden bursts of negative emotions and seems to make their children unhappy. They seem to think that because their kids are playing all day and not socializing that it’s because of video games. That their sadness stemmed from over exposure to such violent games. The study ‘Daily Violent Game Playing and Depression in Preadolescent Youth’ which was conducted by Tortolero and her team of researchers, investigated whether playing violent video games for years could result in an increase of depressive symptoms in preadolescent youth. They collected and analyzed data that they have gathered from 5,147 5th graders and their guardians. They assessed that those who played violent video games for 2 hours had a further increase in depressive symptoms than those playing family friendly video games for the same amount of time. Although the degree of connection was small it was consistent among different racial-ethnic groups and among male participants. And the result was that there was a connection between violent video games and depression. Yes, although there were symptoms as stated by the study it is also worth to mention that the connection was minimal or small even though it was consistent. The problem with this claim is that there isn’t enough research to back this up. And when there is a study about this subject, they mostly have little to no effect on the players behavior. Because this topic isn’t as thorough as it should so there isn’t that much ongoing research to back this claim up. And because the data is limited there isn’t any concrete or solid evidence for this to be crucial to this discussion. In this blog titled ‘Video Games and Depression: Is There a Connection?’ they gave the answer that no video games do not because depression is based on the information that no studies have found concrete evidence that there is a link between the two. But video games are commonly used by adolescence to cope with their own problems. They do this to lose themselves in a fictional world to forget about their problems. And as further stated by this blog, video games have good and bad effects too. Video games create a sense of community was one of the examples of the good effects it has on the players. Video games can be an enjoyable recreational activity. Video games train your analytical mind.

So, in conclusion, it is not video games as a whole that causes these negative effects or behaviors on adolescents, but there are other factors that come into play. Such as the results and difficulty in the game and other major factors like the environment they live in and their natural tolerance to these types of games. And since most of the claims that video games have significant negative effects on players and children alike have little studies proving those claims and most studies debunking them. And people shouldn’t jump into conclusions based on faulty statements by other people or rumors that video games cause harm to young children or adolescents. It can be safe to conclude that it’s not the games itself that causes the problem but mostly other variables. Parents should supervise or look over the type of games that their children are playing. Especially if it’s appropriate for their age, each game has an indicated suggestion for what age players should play those games. These indicators can be shown in the description below if it is on steam and in the cover if you bought it via CD. And you as a parent or guardian can look up these games to see if they are age appropriate. And the time spent on playing should be monitored as well because there is a huge difference between whether they are playing the game or just plain old addicted.

On an average night, during the June quarter 2018, 980 adolescents aged between 10-17 were in youth detention in Australia (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2018) posing a challenge to the criminal system which recognises the unique needs of adolescent offenders. A report by the Australian Law Reform Commission summarises some of these challenges by noting that adolescents “tend to have a reduced fear of danger and display ‘acting out’ behaviours. They may have volatile behavioural patterns and emotional states, self-harming behaviour, different perceptions of time and shorter concentration spans. They are also more vulnerable to contamination from criminal influences they encounter” (Australian Law Reform Commission, 1997). As a result, researchers have sought to understand the specific developmental patterns in behaviour and emotional characteristics of adolescents to assist with managing young offenders during a period of heightened vulnerability. In this assignment, we will assess the available evidence on the social, emotional, psychological, biological, and behavioural changes that occur during adolescence which may explain their increased vulnerability to specific problems and/or behaviour choices and determine whether adolescents should be held to the same degree of responsibility for their unlawful actions as adults. Finally, we will consider any distinctive cultural practices or cultural beliefs that may act as protective mechanisms for young people.

In Australia, the statutory minimum age of criminal responsibility is 10 years, with a presumption (known as doli incapax) deeming a child between the ages of 10 and 14 incapable of committing a criminal act. From 14 to 17 young offenders may be held fully responsible for their criminal acts but are subject to a different range of criminal sanctions than adults committing the same offences (Australian Institute of Criminology, 2005). This age range aligns with the biological processes of puberty which typically take place between 10-22 and can vary from culture to culture, usually occurring between 10-13 years (Early Adolescence) to about 18-22 years (Late Adolescence).

During this period of Adolescence an individual experiences dramatic changes in anatomy, physiology, and physical appearance as they biologically prepared for sexual reproduction. These changes all begin with events that occur in the endocrine system during puberty which trigger hormonal and physical changes as well as dramatic changes in identity, self‐consciousness and cognitive flexibility (Blakemore & Choudhury, 2006, p296). Importantly, these changes in brain development and cognitive systems mature along different timelines throughout Adolescent creating a period of especially heightened vulnerability. The prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for performing of complicated tasks involving long-term planning, the regulation of emotion, impulse control, and the evaluation of risk and reward continues to develop well into late adolescence (Steinberg & Scott, 2003, p1013). This coupled with changes in early adolescent to the limbic system around puberty may stimulate adolescents to seek higher levels of novelty and to take more risks without the capacity to assess or consider the impact of their decisions and/or assess the risks of their actions. As Smith, Chein & Steinberg notes; “the cognitive mechanisms associated with deliberation follow a linear and protracted developmental trajectory that extends into adulthood, well beyond the most striking period in pubertal development, whereas the processes that underlie affective responding exhibit an inverted U-shaped pattern of developmental change that is most dramatic during the first part of adolescence” (p 236).

According to the Storm-and-Stress theory, Adolescence is a time when thoughts, feelings, and actions swinging between extremes ref. During Puberty adolescents are more emotionally volatile and experience more frequent mood swings with significant identity exploration which can produce Instability, feeling in-between and heightened Self-focus (Arnett, 2000, p471). Erikson refers to this developmental stage as a period of psychosocial crisis relating to identity versus identity confusion as an Adolescent explores their own personal traits, abilities, and interests and begin to assess various life possibilities.

During adolescence peers and friends replace immediate families as the emotional centre of young people’s lives and as time spent with friends increases, so does risky behaviour, including alcohol and other drug use, cigarette smoking, and delinquent behaviour (Brown, Bakken, Ameringer, & Mahon, 2008, p23) to the weakening of parental supervision and a desire to facilitate their affiliation with their peers (Smith et. al, 2013, p324). Steinberg (2008) refers to this increase in risk-taking as the brain’s socio-emotional system which seeks increased reward-seeking, especially in the presence of peers (p83), leading to an adolescence being more susceptible to influence, less future oriented, less risk averse, and less able to manage their impulses and behaviours (Steinberg& Scott, 2003, P1013). These are reflected in the 2015-2017 data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare on the Leading underlying causes of death of Adolescence in Australia aged between 15-24. The top four causes of death are all related to the social, emotional, psychological and biological changes which occur during adolescence and increased risk seeking behaviour; suicide, car accidents, drug related deaths and assault (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2017).

Steinberg and Scott (2003) take this developmental perspective and ask the question about the criminal culpability of adolescent offenders. Their position is that adolescents should not be held to the same standards of criminal responsibility as adults, because “adolescent decision-making capacity is diminished, they are less able to resist coercive influence, and their character is still undergoing change” (p1009). They cite three major areas which reduce Criminal Culpability within the crime system and highlight specific example of how the developing adolescent meet each of these factors to justify more lenient sentencing; The first category includes endogenous impairments or deficiencies in the actor’s decision-making capacity, secondly when external circumstances faced by the person are so compelling that a reasonable person might have succumbed to the same pressure and thirdly, that the criminal act was out of character (Steinberg & Scott, 2003, p1011). All three of these legal requirements relate to the developing adolescent due to; their psychosocial immaturity and capacity for self-management, their susceptibility to peer influence and their ongoing development of personal identity, respectively.

It’s important to note, however, that Steinberg and Scott are advocating for the core principle of penal proportionality – “Proportionality holds that fair criminal punishment is measured not only by the amount of harm caused or threatened by the actor but also by his or her blameworthiness” (p 1010). That is, one of mitigating circumstances rather than simply providing excuses. Adolescents, owing to their developmental immaturity, “should be viewed as less culpable than a comparable adult offender, but not as an actor who is without any responsibility for the crime” (p1010).

Developmental research on cognitive and psychosocial functioning supports their position with evidence suggesting that areas of the brain responsible for processes of long-term planning, the regulation of emotion, impulse control, and the evaluation of risk and reward are still to developing during puberty (Spear, 2000, p421). Adolescent also experience changes in the limbic system prompting adolescents to seek higher levels of novelty and to take more risks (Dahl, 2001). At the same time, patterns of development in the prefrontal cortex, which is active during the performance of complicated tasks involving judgment and decision making indicate that these functions are underdeveloped well into late adolescence (Geidd et al., 1999, p861).

More recent, research has looked to explain Judgment and Decision Making in Adolescence within an integrated model focused on biological, psychological, and contextual factors. Albert and Steinberg (2011), highlight that we need to “Move beyond a relatively narrow focus on age differences in the rational processing of decision elements, the field has begun to grapple with the dynamic quality of adolescents’ subjective decision-making experience – their beliefs and values, intentions and intuitions, emotions and self-awareness” (p28). These, “dual-process models” describe the developmental mechanisms which attempt to explain risk-seeking behaviour in adolescence and consist of Analytical (cold) and Intuitive (hot) modes of thinking. An example of a dual processing theory is fuzzy trace theory, which claims that adolescents’ tendency to take risks come from their under-reliance on intuition, that’s is, “the adaptive tendency to rely on simple, categorical intuitions, derived from experience, to guide decision making” (Albert & Steinberg, 2011, p17). This ongoing development of heuristics increases the individual’s ability to predict and act within a reasoned way using analytical thinking promoting a growing wealth of intuitive knowledge about how the world works. Albert & Steinberg summaries that ‘In essence, as adolescents’ gain further experience navigating their social world, they begin to better understand their own behavioural tendencies and more accurately predict (and presumably control) their future decision making” (p17).

Whether we agree or disagree that Adolescents are less culpable than a comparable adult offender due to social, emotional, psychological, biological, and/or behavioural changes during puberty, we still need to consider the important question, how do we deal with sentencing a young offender for the offences they have committed. Paradoxically, the very drivers that see an Adolescent in the adult criminal system may be the very drivers that make them highly vulnerable to incarceration in adult facilities given the ongoing development of adolescent identity, incarceration can have a negative long-term effect on a young person’s mental health (Domalanta, Risser, Roberts, & Risser, 2003, p482)

When we consider any cultural practices or cultural beliefs that may act as protective mechanisms for young people, we look at those factors which support adolescents to overcome these risks. The development of resilience during Adolescence against risk factors is supported by protective factors which include; The involvement of a caring Adult, whether this be a parent or an adult mentor (Piko & Kovacs, 2010, p55), a positive school environment and good/close friendships who discourage risk behaviour, as well as in supporting them emotionally and helping them cope with stressful life events and Religious beliefs and practices which have been shown to protect adolescence against substance abuse, even when they have grown up in a high-risk environment (Wallace et al., 2007).

The most successful programs which promote and strengthen Protective factors are multisystemic approaches (Borduin, Schaeffer, Ronis, 2003) which focus on several levels of intervention, including the home, the school, and the neighbourhood. These programs can include parent training, job training and career counselling, and the development of community institutions such as religious centres, sports centres groups, community events and engagement. Ultimately the goal is to provide a means to focus adolescent energy into more constructive and productive ways.

During Adolescence, young people experience dramatic changes physically as well as socially, emotionally and psychologically. As these changes are not linear, and mature along different timelines throughout Adolescent, it creates a period of especially heightened vulnerability due to a desire to seek higher levels of novelty without the capacity to assess or consider the impact of their decisions and/or assess the risks of their actions. Adolescence is a time when thoughts, feelings, and actions swinging between extremes and the individual becomes more emotionally volatile through intense identity explore. This can result in psychological Instability, feeling in-between and heightened Self-focus. During this time peers and friends replace immediate families as the emotional centre of young people’s lives and time spent away from Adult supervision sees an increase in risk behaviours including alcohol and other drug use, cigarette smoking, and delinquent behaviour. This is reflected in the top four causes of death from 2014-17 all related to the social, emotional, psychological and biological changes which occur during adolescence and increased risk seeking behaviour.

Steinberg and Scott (2003) take this into consideration and ask the question about the criminal culpability of adolescent offenders. Their position is that adolescents should not be held to the same standards of criminal responsibility as adults, because adolescent decision-making capacity is diminished. Developmental research on cognitive and psychosocial functioning supports their position with evidence suggesting that areas of the brain responsible for processes of long-term planning, the regulation of emotion, impulse control, and the evaluation of risk and reward are still to developing during puberty. Other research such as, “dual-process models” suggests that adolesce are still developing the heuristic knowledge of the world and lack the ability to predict and act within a reasoned way.

Key protective mechanisms for young people is to develop resilience during Adolescence against risk factors by promoting protective factors such as a healthy family environment , a positive school environment and good/close friendships and the mean to be able to proactive and or explore Religious beliefs. The most successful programs which promote and strengthen Protective factors are multisystemic approaches which focus on several levels of intervention to enable to adolescent to ficus there energy into more constructive and productive ways.