SWK 513 Ch8

Understanding Human Behavior and the Social
Environment
Eleventh Edition
Chapter 8
Social Development
in Adolescence
Copyright © 2019 Cengage. All Rights Reserved.

Learning Objectives
• LO 8-1 Describe the social development changes
that adolescents undergo
• LO 8-2 Describe some major problems
encountered by this age group: emotional and
behavior problems, crime and delinquency,
delinquent gangs, and eating disorders
• LO 8-3 Understand theoretical material on the
causes and treatments of these problems
• LO 8-4 Understand material on social work with
groups, including theories about group
development and theories about group leadership

LO 8-1 (1 of 2)
• Describe the Social Development Changes in
Adolescence
– During adolescence, people move from dependence on
parents to becoming more independent and establishing
peer relationships and perhaps intimate relationships.
• Movement from Dependence to Independence
– Young people often are in a conflict between wanting to
be independent of their parents but on another level
realizing their parents are providing for many of their
wants and needs: food, shelter, clothes, emotional
support, spending money, and so on.

LO 8-1 (2 of 2)
– Is Adolescent Rebellion a Myth?
 A few adolescents rebel and fit the stereotype.
 However, Margaret Mead (1935), who studied teenagers in
Samoa and other South Pacific islands, found that when a
culture provides a gradual, serene transition from childhood to
adulthood, rebellion is not typical.
– Interaction in Peer Group Systems
 Adolescents have a strong herd drive and desire to be
accepted by their peers.
• Empowerment of Homeless Youth

LO 8-2 (First Part)
• Describe Some Major Problems Encountered by
This Age Group: Eating Disorders
– Social Problems
 The following social problems are discussed: eating disorders,
emotional and behavioral problems, crime and delinquency, and
delinquent gangs.
 The latter two can be viewed as macro-system problems
because large systems are often involved in the planning and
carrying out of criminal activity, and large systems are involved
in investigating, prosecuting, preventing, and curbing criminal
activity.

LO 8-3 (First Part)
• Understand Theoretical Material on the Causes
and Treatments of these Problems
– Causes
 Anorexics and bulimics have some similarities
– Impacts of Social Forces
 One reason for the increased incidence of anorexia and bulimia
may be the increasing value that our society places on being
slim and trim.
– Treatment

LO 8-2 (Second Part)
This Age Group: Emotional and Behavioral
Problems
– Emotional and Behavioral Problems
and Treatments of These Problems
– Assessing and Treating Unwanted Emotions: Application
of Theory to Client Situations
– Assessing and Changing Deviant Behavior: Application
of Theory to Practice

LO 8-3 (Second Part)
– Assessing and Treating Unwanted Emotions: Application
of Theory to Client Situations
– Many people erroneously believe that emotions are
primarily determined by experiences (i.e., by events that
happen to them).
– Rational therapy has demonstrated that the primary
cause of our emotions is what we tell ourselves about
events that happen to us.

LO 8-2 (Third Part)
this Age Group: Crime and Delinquency
– Macro-System Problems: Crime and Delinquency
 Causes
• Practically everyone occasionally breaks the law.
• If a criminal is defined as someone who has
violated the law, then in a broad sense we are all
criminals.

LO 8-3 (Third Part)
– Causes
 Crime is a comprehensive label covering a wide range of
offenses, such as drunkenness, possession of narcotics, rape,
auto theft, arson, shoplifting, attempted suicide, purse
snatching, incest, gambling, prostitution, fraud, false
advertising, homicide, and kidnapping.
 Obviously, since the nature of these crimes varies widely, the
motives or causes underlying them must also vary widely.
– Self-Talk Explanation for Columbine Massacre

LO 8-2 (Fourth Part)
• Some Major Problems Encountered by this Age
Group: Delinquent Gangs
– Macro-System Problems: Delinquent Gangs
 Juvenile gangs have existed for many decades in the United
States and in other countries.
 The inadequacy of the knowledge base about delinquent gangs
is a major obstacle to developing effective intervention
strategies.
– Four Types of Gangs

LO 8-3 (Fourth Part) (1 of 2)
and Treatment of These Problems
– Sociological Theories: Applications of Theories to Gangs
 Numerous attempts have been made to explain why youths join
gangs and why gangs engage in delinquent or criminal
activities.
 These explanations include biological, psychological, and
sociological theories.

LO 8-3 (Fourth Part) (2 of 2)
 Edwin Sutherland (Sutherland & Cressey, 1970) advanced his
famous theory of differential association in 1939.
 Robert Merton (1968) applied anomie theory to delinquency
and crime.
 Social workers intervene on a mezzo level with a delinquent
gang with a group approach; the worker is viewed as a
“detached worker” or “gang group worker.”

LO 8-4 (1 of 2)
• Understand Material on Social Work with Groups,
Including Theories About Group Development and
Theories About Group Leadership
– Today it is not uncommon to find social workers as both
group leaders and participants in a myriad of settings,
helping solve or ameliorate human or social problems
and planning for and creating change.

LO 8-4 (2 of 2)
• Empowerment Through Social Work with Groups
– Types of Groups
– Models of Group Development over Time
– Task and Maintenance Roles
– Leadership Theories
• The Servant Leadership Approach

SWK 513 Ch8

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