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Hoorcolleges Wild years: Researching youth in different cultures ()
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Lectures Wild yearsLecture 1: Adolescence across cultures
What is adolescence?
Adolescence can be a time of both disorientation and discovery. The transitional period can raise
questions of independence and identity; as adolescents cultivate their sense of self, they may face
difficult choices about academics, friendship, sexuality, gender identity, drugs, and alcohol.
Most teens have a relatively egocentric perspective on life; a state of mind that usually abates with
age. They often focus on themselves and believe that everyone else—from a best friend to a distant
crush—is focused on them too. They may grapple with insecurities and feelings of being judged.
Relationships with family members often take a backseat to peer groups, romantic interests, and
appearance, which teens perceive as increasingly important during this time.
Transition from childhood into adulthood (Erikson (1980)
- Intermediate period of moratorium
- Peer groups are important
- Independent adults roles emerge
How about other parts in the world?
What are similarities and differences in adolescence across cultures?
similarities
- Can be defined by a word or expressed through visual signs (dress)
- Usually starts with puberty (reproductive maturity)
- Sudden transition from childhood to new roles and responsibilities
- Courtship (almost always ends with marriage? most literature reviewed is from 1991)
- Peer groups are particularly important
Fox
- A system of social status and methods of indicating it
- Courtship practices
- Psychoses and neuroses
- Homicide and suicide
- Dancing
- Myths and legends
Social sanctions for deviations from social norms are perceived as appropriate
Differences
- Age of adolescence
- School
- Peers with different lives
- Responsibilities
- Needs
, - Controversy about whether adolescence as distinct social phase exist across cultures (more
wealth, more schooling, they will not die that early)
- Time for moratorium to try out different roles and identities only in contexts with extended
schooling and wealth – groups that can afford not to have young people take on adult roles
fast 9 too western definition of adolescence?)
- Distinct stage or progression in roles and responsibilities
Problems about storm and stress may mostly arise in western societies
Long period of adolescence + youth
Absence of clear rituals
Little involvement in adult duties + responsibilities
In western countries also less turbulent than stereotypes suggest
Adolescence as a period of preparation for independence from parents
- Only in societies where adulthood implies being independent from parents
- No need because married couples also live close to their families
- Family unit provides financial / social support, livelihood, and statusTime with peers
- Similar for more family-oriented cultures
- (Necessity to become independent from parents also implies stronger necessity to rebel
against parents adolescence as period of conflict)
In HRAF, it seemed that adolescents in most societies rather spent most of their time with adults of
the same gender.
Gender differences in time spent with peers
- Male adolescents: more time with peer groups than female adolescents
- Peer groups of females usually smaller; and less significant than for their male counterparts
- But isn’t that a cross-cultural similarity? depending on how you define the cultural / social
context
- Boys and girls are socialized differently – the ideas (norms, beliefs, values) that they are
steered by are different Cultural differences in sanctions for deviations from social norms
Whether physical confrontation, social ostracism, or gossip are perceived as more appropriate as
sanctions for deviations from social norms varies (Eriksson et al., 2021)
Emerging adulthood
- Identity explorations (relevant choices in love)
- Instability (changes of jobs/romantic partners)
- Self-focus (few outside obligations; much space for independent decision-making)
- Feeling in-between (not adolescent anymore, but not really adult yet)
- Felt possibilities (optimistic outlook on life as adult)
Arnett, 2015
- Possibly based on specific cultural ideas
- Being personally independent and self-sufficient before taking on adult commitments
- Mariage needs to be based on romantic love
- Choice of work is based on personality identity
- Between late adolescence and mid 20s life should be devoted to enjoyment and leisure
, What does WEIRD mean and why is too much of it in the social science
WEIRD (Henrich, Heine, & Norenzayan, 2010)
- Western
- Educated
- Industrialized
- Rich
- Democratic
Why can it be a problem if most participants in research are from WEIRD cultures?
Theoretical Implications:
- Lack of generalizability: findings may be different in different cultural contexts
- Wrong conclusions if we assume that all “people” are like participants in our research
Practical Implications:
- Interventions may not work or even be counterproductive (“iatrogenic effects”), if we try to
apply them in cultural contexts where they have not been tested
e.g., design, organizations, therapy
Scientific and medical norms from WEIRD contexts are imposed on other contexts (“scientific
colonialism”)
We may incorrectly categorize / diagnose people based on standards derived from WEIRD cultures à
other ways of being or acting are pathologized
Why is it a problem if most researchers are from WEIRD cultures?
- Our cultural background influences what we find, how we interpret our findings and what
we conclude
- Scientific colonialism
Social and personal values, beliefs, norms determine what we research and how we research it
- Which research do we fund? Which research do we define as relevant to examine?
- Which outcome variables do we examine?
- What do we define as desirable outcome?
- How do we measure abstract concepts?
Possibly incomplete theorizing and empirical findings if we study social scientific phenomena from
one cultural perspective only
Positionality and reflexivity
Positionality = all the characteristics making up who you are and how you view the world; e.g.,
sociodemographic characteristics, beliefs, values, experiences, etc.
Reflexivity = the influence of one’s positionality on the research process and interpretations of
research outcomes;
- on choice of topics
- on what is considered a desirable outcome
- on interpretation of study results
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