Social, Emotional, and Personality Development, Part 5

Question 1: Discuss Gilligan’s theory of moral development.

Answer 1: According to Carol Gilligan and other feminist psychologists, the work of Freud, Piaget, and Kohlberg mainly applies to men. Gilligan asserted that men and women view morality differently. For example, men are more interested in justice and fairness, while women emphasize compassion and interpersonal communication. According to the research performed by Gilligan and her colleagues, women tend to interpret moral dilemmas with an emphasis on maintaining harmonious relationships. Also, female children are more likely to base their morality on the perceived behavior of other people.

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Question 2: Identify major influences in the development of adolescent sexual attitudes and behaviors.

Answer 2: In adolescence, people receive influence on moral issues from a number of different sources. Although parental values are still important, the adolescent also derives much of his feeling about morality from religious sources and teachers. Sometimes, the values of the parents or community are seen as stifling by the adolescent, who then rebels against them. Teenagers are likely to imitate the behavior of their family members, and so youngsters with an older and sexually active sibling, a single parent, or a mother who became sexually active at a young age tend to be more promiscuous. Poor, crowded, crime-ridden, and segregated neighborhoods have higher rates of teenage sexual activity. Most psychologists also feel that the media, and especially television, contribute to a climate of permissiveness.

Question 3: Discuss the development of adolescent sexual identity.

Answer 3: Adolescents are engaged in the turbulent process of developing a sexual identity, a process made necessary and more complicated by the rapid increase in sex hormones. It is imperative for adolescents to manage their behavior appropriately, so as to avoid pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Some adolescents find that their sexual attractions are centered on people of the same sex or members of both sexes. When this is the case, the adolescent is likely to have more trouble establishing sexual identity. Developing a sexual identity is even more problematic for transgendered teenagers.

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