Chapter 14. Adolescence and Young Adulthood Textbook Solutions

NIOS Class 12 Psychology Chapter 14 Answers

INTEXT QUESTIONS 14.1

Match the following in column A with Column B.

a. Adolescent boys	(i) Widening of hips
b. Beginning of growth spurt for boys	(ii) Widening of shoulders
c. Adolescent girls	(iii) 12 to 17 years of age
d. Beginning of growth spurt for girls	(iv) First menstruation
e. Menarche	(v) 10 and 13 years of age

Ans:

a. ii

b. iii

c. i

d. v

e. iv

INTEXT QUESTIONS 14.2

Fill in the blanks-

1. Thinking of adolescents is ………. and ……………….

Ans: Abstract and logical

2. The ability of adolescents to think of all possible solutions of a problem and systematically test those solutions is called……………………….

Ans: Hypothetical deductive reasoning

3. Imaginary audience and personal fable in adolescents is a feature of ………………..

Ans: Adolescent egocentrism

4. Ability of young adults to think about their own thinking is termed as ……………………

Ans: Meta-cognition

INTEXT QUESTIONS 14.3

1. What challenges does adolescents face while growing up from childhood to adolescence?

Ans: Adolescents face various challenges during the transition from childhood to adolescence, which is clearly evident as well. They get overwhelmed by the fact that at times they are expected to be grown-ups and behave like ones about clothing, mannerisms, actions, responsibilities and tasks one can contribute in and at other times they are told to keep quiet in matters of adult concerns. Likewise, they feel they are often denied their right to their privacy and choice; they have to face uninvited and unnecessary surveillance by parents, grandparents, neighbours, teachers and other adult members of the larger community.

INTEXT QUESTIONS 14.4

State whether the statements given below are True or False.

1. Adolescents are often satisfied with their bodies and overall appearance.

Ans: False

2. Early maturing boys often think positively about themselves and develop healthy peer relations.

Ans: True

3. Adolescent boys sometimes start drinking alcohol, caffeine and smoke cigarettes to ‘show off’ to their friends.

Ans: True

4. Excessive exposure to media is detrimental for healthy development.

Ans: True

TERMINAL QUESTIONS

1. Discuss physical development in adolescent boys and girls.

Ans:

Adolescent girls experience menarche, which is the first menstruation. The age for menarche is around 9-15 years. Girls also experience growth in height, widening of hips, appearance of hair in armpits and pubic area, breast enlargement and so forth.
Adolescent boys experience an increase in height, size of penis and testicles, growth of hair over different parts of the body, such as face and armpits, changes in voice and widening of shoulders.

2. Discuss the cognitive attainments of those in formal operational stage.

Ans:

Hypothetical deductive reasoning: Adolescents think more like scientists. They think of all possible solutions to a problem and systematically test those solutions. In other words, they develop hypotheses and systematically try out those options and choose the best possible option.
Propositional thought: Formal operational thinkers can solve problems merely through verbal presentation of the problems. They understand relations between objects by making logical inferences mentally. They do not need to see the related concrete elements.
Idealistic thinking: Adolescents might think about what ideal standards are, and they might compare themselves and others against those standards. Here, the adolescents will compare themselves with their role models and try to become like them if they think they are already not like them, or as good as they are. They will also think about an ideal society that they would like to make around them.
Adolescent egocentrism: Adolescents are at times self-conscious. This is reflected in their belief that others are always interested in and following what they are doing. They think they are unique and hence are always under the watchful eyes of others. They believe that they are ‘on-stage’ and everyone is always looking at them. This makes them conscious, sometimes of the way they look or appear and at other times, of what they do.

3. State the challenges of transitions from childhood to adolescence.

Ans: Transition from childhood to adolescence brings with it an upheaval of emotions and social expectations. As children start with a growth spurt, expectations from their parents, older persons in the family, neighbourhood, teachers and peers towards them start changing. The question of ‘Who am I’ comes up now and then. This becomes the major cause of role confusion among adolescent boys and girls.

Adolescents feel overwhelmed by the fact that at times they are expected to be grown-ups and behave like ones with regard to clothing, mannerisms, actions, responsibilities and tasks they can contribute to, and at other times they are told to keep quiet in matters of adult concerns. Likewise, they feel they are often denied their right to their privacy and choice.
At one instance, they are considered to be ‘old enough,’ and at other instances, they are expected to behave as ‘children.
Emotionally, adolescent boys and girls experience unusual swings of emotions. Sometimes they feel very good and show heights of love and affection, and at other times they show loneliness, sadness and disinterest.

4. Elaborate differences in growing up as a male and female during adolescence and young adulthood.

Ans: Gender differences are observed in adolescents’ decisions regarding career. Boys are pushed more by their parents to settle down in their careers. For girls, settling into income-generating occupations is more a matter of personal choice. Moreover, girls in the lower socio-economic group and in rural areas, despite laws setting age limits for marriage, are pushed into early marriage.

5. Discuss adolescents’ engagement with media and issues of self-image.

Ans: At times, adolescent boys and girls compare their bodies and the overall way they look with popular models. Their constant engagement with the media makes these comparisons worse. When dissatisfied with their bodies, they develop a negative body image of themselves.

Sometimes, they may construct an entire virtual self-image where they interact with people on the internet with a disguised identity. They may post pictures and information about themselves that is so untrue and mismatched with what they truly are in reality. By doing so, they try to live a fantasy life which seems unthreatening. Their engagement with media may sometimes turn compulsive, and they cannot stop themselves from always being ‘online’; posting about every little aspect and event of their lives; and checking their and other persons ‘status.

6. Describe the role of peers and parents in the lives of adolescents.

Ans:

Peers become more important and significantly influence adolescents’ lives. It may be noted that peers sometimes can help solve problems of their adolescent friends; however, they may also sometimes pressurize them for substance use, consumption of alcohol, cigarettes and drugs, conform to certain kinds of clothing, hairstyle, language and so on.
Parents of adolescents may start feeling that their children are no longer sharing their hearts with them. Adolescents may start believing that their parents do not understand their newly emerging concerns. They perceive their parents as rather outdated and inflexible. Parents continue to monitor and keep adolescents on track.
Teachers of adolescents are expected to be particularly sensitive to dealing with the above mentioned adolescent concerns. One of their key jobs is to guide adolescent boys and girls to the possible career choices. Along with that, they are expected to give space to the adolescents in solving their problems and making decisions for themselves. Teachers become the anchors that adolescents can approach in times of advice and care.

7. Comment on the issues and concerns during young adulthood.

Ans: Young adulthood brings with it certain issues and concerns related to relationships and vocational and career choices.

Relationships during Young Adulthood

According to Erikson’s theory of psycho-social development, young adults finding a mate and having a loving relationship with that partner fulfills the need for intimacy. Those who can establish and maintain caring and affectionate relationships with partners of the opposite sex feel positive and fulfilled at this stage of life. And others continue to get educated and delay settling down with a life-partner, either through marriage or otherwise, until their mid 30s.

With marriage, partners of both genders learn to adjust their ways of living to adjust to their life-partner. The nature and degree of these adjustments may vary, but both partners face these settlement issues. They also face the question of starting a family and subsequently raising children. Managing homes and social obligations that are part and parcel of getting married are other important issues in marriages.

Settling into Vocational or Career Choices

Another significant concern of young adulthood is completing higher studies and eventually becoming financially self-supporting. By young adulthood, most men are expected to settle down in their vocational choices. Young adulthood is also seen as a time to work hard and establish oneself in one’s chosen profession.

Gender differences are observed in identifying and working towards life goals. While the priority task for men is taking up a job, for girls, the question of whether to enter an income-generating profession is a matter of personal choice. Young women may choose to work outside the home or to get married and settle into the role of a wife and eventually a mother.

8. What are the issues and concerns related to substance use drugs?

Ans: uncommon. Adolescents often get into the trap of trying these substances once,’ to either to ‘show off’ to their friends and others or sometimes under extreme peer pressure to consume these and later become addicted to them.

At times, they start drinking alcohol, caffeine and smoking cigarettes as a way to cope with adolescent-related stresses.
Later, these drugs themselves become responsible for impeding and interfering with healthy coping mechanisms.
Once habituated, adolescents find it difficult to leave these drugs.
They fail to acknowledge that substance use and drugs have detrimental long term physical, socio and psychological effects on adolescents.
These pose special health hazards to their development.

9. Describe the different symptoms of drugs and substance addiction.

Ans: Some of the Symptoms of Drug Addiction

Feeling that one has to take the drug regularly
Having an intense urge for the drug
Over time, needing more and more of the drug
Keeping a constant supply of the drug so that one is not short of it
Arranging for money by unfair means to buy drugs
Continuing to take drugs even after knowing their harmful effects

10. During the stage of young adulthood, how young men and women become apt at identifying and managing their emotions?

Ans: During the stage of young adulthood, young men and women become adept at identifying and managing their emotions.

They are no longer slaves to mood swings.
They are better at expressing their emotions in socially appropriate ways.
They have most often resolved the confusion about their role and are more comfortable with their sense of self and identity.
Young adults’ interactions with others around them become more responsible.
Unlike adolescents who may some days behave responsibly and at other days may become totally irresponsible, young adults’ behaviour with others becomes more coherent and predictable.