Gender Roles and the Adolescent
Jeffrey Schein Adolescent Psychology Spring '05 Dr. Warren Spielberg Midterm Paper
The Crucible of Current Gender Demands and Their Effect on Adolescence
Gender has always had a major impact on adolescence for several obvious reasons. Adolescence is the time when our physical sexual characteristics are developing, along with an influx of hormones, and the onset of sexual urges towards one another. It is virtually impossible to ignore the concepts of gender and gender related issues during adolescence not only due to these physical and chemical changes, but socially, sex will Now more than at perhaps any other time in modern history gender-role, gender identity, and sexuality in general, are at the forefront of society issues. Naturally this is having a greater impact on adolescents than at any other time before. Sexuality is everywhere in the media; on television, in magazines, in the movies, and in our music. Ideas about gender, gender-roles, and sexual orientation are changing rapidly, while at the same time igniting vigorous debate and discourse from all sides of the issues. Along with changing attitudes of gender demands and expectations are open discussions about gay marriage, gays in the military, women in the military, HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, child molestation etc. Now more than any other time in our country's history, adolescents are openly exposed to sexuality issues, and sexually explicit material and information, perhaps complicating what, obviously, is already a very intense time in ones life as far as gender and sexuality issues are concerned. Gender, to begin with, refers less to one's physical reality as it does to society's ideas and concepts of what it means to be male or female. Gender-role refers to patterns of behavior that are partly due to genetic makeup, but perhaps more profoundly from traits that are considered in fashion at a particular time and in a particular
The Crucible of Current Gender Demands and Their Effect on Adolescence
Gender has always had a major impact on adolescence for several obvious reasons. Adolescence is the time when our physical sexual characteristics are developing, along with an influx of hormones, and the onset of sexual urges towards one another. It is virtually impossible to ignore the concepts of gender and gender related issues during adolescence not only due to these physical and chemical changes, but socially, sex will Now more than at perhaps any other time in modern history gender-role, gender identity, and sexuality in general, are at the forefront of society issues. Naturally this is having a greater impact on adolescents than at any other time before. Sexuality is everywhere in the media; on television, in magazines, in the movies, and in our music. Ideas about gender, gender-roles, and sexual orientation are changing rapidly, while at the same time igniting vigorous debate and discourse from all sides of the issues. Along with changing attitudes of gender demands and expectations are open discussions about gay marriage, gays in the military, women in the military, HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, child molestation etc. Now more than any other time in our country's history, adolescents are openly exposed to sexuality issues, and sexually explicit material and information, perhaps complicating what, obviously, is already a very intense time in ones life as far as gender and sexuality issues are concerned. Gender, to begin with, refers less to one's physical reality as it does to society's ideas and concepts of what it means to be male or female. Gender-role refers to patterns of behavior that are partly due to genetic makeup, but perhaps more profoundly from traits that are considered in fashion at a particular time and in a particular