Prolonged adolescence is also affected by cultural changes, like sexual attitude and practices. “Cultural changes, such as the post 1960s shift in sexual attitudes and practices, have also slowed what was once a rush into adult roles. Fifty years ago, premarital sex was still highly stigmatized. Although the stigma did not deter many young couples from breeching the norms, marriage served as a safety net in the event of a premarital pregnancy. Today, most young people expect to have sex before marriage and have the means to prevent unwanted childbearing.” (Future of Children 4) Since the 1960s, premarital sex has been labeled as “okay” and music and movies are all about influencing the idea that young people should be free to do what they …show more content…
“After World War II, with opportunities for good jobs abundant, young Americans transitioned to adult roles quickly. In 1950, fewer than half of all Americans completed high school, much less attended college. Well paying, often unionized jobs with benefits were widely available to males. The marriage rush and baby boom era at mid-century was stimulated not only by longing to settle down after the war years but also by generous new government programs to help integrate veterans back into society.” (Future of Children 1) Most 1950s adolescents became adults at eighteen and sometimes younger for the women. Some graduated high school, other did not. Some enlisted in the war; others began working in their family businesses. Studies show that this was the most respectful generation of teens in history. They were not perfect, but nevertheless their standards are far from our generation. Part of the reason for this is that drugs, alcohol, and the idea of immediate gratification of sex were not easily accessible. In the 1950s, doctors and scientists had no idea that the brain continued developing into the late twenties. That specific research was established more recently over the past twenty years. Now to compare today’s adolescents. “Prior to World War II, only about one in four young people finished high school. It was commonplace for young people still in their teens to be working full time and married with children. Today close to three in four young people receive high school diplomas, with two in five graduates going on to college. ‘As more and more teens have extended their education,’ says Dr. Joseph Rauh, a specialist in adolescent medicine since the 1950s, ‘the age range of adolescence has been stretched into the twenties.” (Healthychildren.org 1-2) “Today’s young adults and their parents value independence highly, both tolerate and even endorse a slower schedule for
It is important to learn how Teenagers were in the past to take advice from the good of it, and reject the bad, today. We could look at how much less teen pregnancy was back in the 50’s and learn, and we can reject all the exaggerated rulers there were for teenagers during the 1950’s.
From the outside, the 1950’s was a great time for America. Society revolved around the idea of America being a middle-class nation. Americans worshipped conformity, and materialism satisfied the need to conform. However, the prosperity of materialistic America hid the growing, numerous problems. Dissent in any way was not tolerated; all injustice was stifled by a fear of difference. In “Fifties Society,” Alan Brinkley discusses the truth of the era; that the fear of nonconformity was hidden by the seemingly prosperous middle-class nation. Brinkley argues the Beat movement and “feminine mystique” show that the people who did not fit in reveal the true colors of 1950’s society.
Teenagers in the 1950's are so iconic that, for some, they represent the last generation of innocence before it is "lost" in the sixties. When asked to imagine this lost group, images of bobbysoxers, letterman jackets, malt shops and sock hops come instantly to mind. Images like these are so classic, they, for a number of people, are "as American as apple pie." They are produced and perpetuated by the media, through films like Grease and Pleasantville and television shows like Happy Days, The Donna Reed Show, and Leave It to Beaver. Because of these entertainment forums, these images will continue to be a pop cultural symbol of the 1950's. After the second World War, teenagers became much more noticeable in America (Bailey 47). Their presence and existence became readily more apparent because they were granted more freedom than previous generations ever were.
The beliefs of the Greenwhich Village, a group of authors, poets, playwrights, and artists, during the 1920's, included the idea of salvation by the children, i.e., encouraging children to devolp their own personalities, and cultivating their own self-expression. They upheld the idea of paganism, the body is a temple in which there is nothing unclean, a shrine to be adorned by the ritual of love. They upheld idea of living for the moment; the idea of liberty; the belief of female equality; the idea of psychological adjustment, to remove repression's so we can adjust ourselves to any situation and be happy; and the idea of changing place, they believed that by living in Europe a person can become wholly creative.
Leahy’s and Eiter’s (1980) study included 116 adolescent and you adult participants. The participants were from one of three age groups with an equal amount of boys and girls in each; eighth graders with an average age of 13.7, high school juniors with an average age of 17.2, and college aged students with an average age of 20.6 (Leahy & Eiter, 1980). The high school students were mostly middle-class white students from the same public school district in a NYC suburb (Leahy & Eiter
As World War Two came to a close, a new American culture was developing all across the United States. Families were moving away from crowded cities into spacious suburban towns to help create a better life for them during and after the baby boom of the post-war era. Teenagers were starting to become independent by listing to their own music and not wearing the same style of clothing as their parents. Aside from the progress of society that was made during this time period, many people still did not discuss controversial issues such as divorce and sexual relations between young people. While many historians regard the 1950s as a time of true conservatism at its finest, it could really be considered a time of true progression in the American way of life.
Paula Fass’s The Damned and the Beautiful: American Youth in the 1920's delves into the social and cultural climate of the 1920’s middle-class youth in America. Fass observes the multidimensional dynamics of the post-World War I society as citizens adjust to pertinent matters such as industrialization, prohibition and immigration. Amidst the ongoing social, political and economical issues of the early twentieth century, youth played an active role in contemporary life. Adolescents responded to issues through altering their habits, behaviors and viewpoints. Their responses became evident in the public setting and American culture evolved. The transformation of American culture was spearheaded by youth who questioned and went against cultural norms of past generations. Societal changes were visible through family, education, socialization, fashion and style and dating and sexuality.
During the post WWII period in America, the face of the nation changed greatly under the presidency of Truman and Eisenhower. America underwent another era of good feelings as they thought themselves undefeatable and superior over the rest of the world. Communism was the American enemy and American sought to rid the world of it. Because of the extreme paranoia caused by Communism, conformity became an ideal way to distinguish American Culture from the rest. Conformity became a part of every American Life to a large extent. It became evident through the medium of culture, society and politics throughout the era of the 50s.
Adolescence that exists in "Generation X" varies from that which existed during the baby boomers years. Children grow up so quickly nowadays, parents sigh. Now as always, most adolescents are looked down upon by adults and people of authority. Most teenagers are uncontrollable and they are a problem to society. The teenage years are supposed to be the years of discovery, responsibility, and maturing. The majority of ...
Questionable behavior among young adults has always existed. Since time began the previous generation has always been suspect of their progeny. I’m sure somewhere during the Pleistocene Epoch one hominid noticed another, slightly more erect, hominid using a stone tool for the first time and muttered their version of “kids these days.” Few would disagree that young adulthood is a time to explore life’s options, and take chances while relatively unburdened by the usual responsibilities one acquires with age and status. It must also be stated that while pondering the state of the youth today many older adults conveniently downplay their own adventures and youthful misdeeds. In recent years though, how has our social climate changed? Are we more revealing as a society? What role does the media play in changing social attitudes? How much influence does it have on our young men and women? Current sensationalistic news programs, reality television series, and gratuitous sex and violence in popular music and videos can have an impact on the behavior of young adults.
At the end of World War II teens had little disposable income because everything went towards the war effort (Rose 191). Coming off of World War II and the Great Depression, 1950’s teens were some of the first not growing up in a time of anxiety and through a tight economy. Many of these young adult’s parents grew up during the depression and saw many goods as unnecessary luxuries; while on the other hand these teens saw these items as necessities (Kallen 149). By growing up during prosperous times in the fifties these teens saw many products and buying behaviors differently than their parents. Since the United States was hitting prosperous times, many of these teenagers’ parents were employed and making plenty of money compared to the previous years. With extra money many parents wanted their kids to live better childhoods than they did during the Great Depression and would so give their children spending money (Cosgrove; "The 1950s Lifestyles and Social Trends: Topics in the News."). For the first time teenagers had “large amounts of disposable income to spend” (Kallen 149). Another difference that distinguished teenagers in the 1950’s from those before them was the emergence of their own subculture. During World War II financial and social constraints caused teens, specifically girls, to have similar styles as their parents
transcends into adulthood (Casey, 2008). During adolescence there are examinable changes in various areas of life. These changes occur physically as the adolescent goes through puberty, as well as psychological changes where high emotional reactivity emerges, and social development is at its height (Casey, 2008). Adolescents are more likely than adults or children to engage in risky behaviour that can subsequently lead to death or illness by drunk driving, carrying weapons, using illegal drugs, and engaging in unprotected sex, which in turn can lead to STD’s and teenage pregnancies (Eaton, 2006). The prior is proof that adolescents do engage in risky behaviour. Through this essay we will explore the various theories of why risky behaviour is at its height during adolescence.
In America, the society runs on what teenagers want. From Nicki Minaj to the junior section at Sears, most of what the people see, hear, or touch is aimed at the teenagers. Being an adolescent is probably the most exciting and most popular time period in a person’s life. The teens seem to have it all, but what about the parents who raise them? The parents of the teenagers never get any credit during this time period, although they have every right to. Parents and teenagers should strive for a strong, lasting relationship for these years, though most times there isn’t one. The relationship between teenagers and parents is the most vital bond in the family because this relationship should and will prepare them for the next step in life.
Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary (1980) defines adolescence as "the state or process of growing up"; even more specifically, adolescence is also defined as "the period of life from puberty to maturity terminating legally at the age of majority". Looking back on their adolescence, adults often conjure up grand memories, and laugh at their mistakes. Adolescence is a period in life that everyone must 'survive' in order to become an adult, although some go through it more turbulently than others. "Falling approximately between the ages of 12 and 20, adolescence is characterized by physical changes leading to sexual maturity" (Encyclopedia.com). Along with these obvious physical changes, more complex and hidden changes occur in an adolescent's attitude, outlook, and self-identity. Ultimately, the 'goal' of adolescence is to gain personal independence, and a sense of one's self. Although these physiological changes happen slowly, the environment has a great impact on how one's adolescent period will affect the person when they reach adulthood. Affective discipline at home, strong support groups, and a loving environment are all part of the key to surviving this difficult period and becoming a stronger person in the end. Many teenagers without the right combination of support factors in their lives can 'slip through the cracks' and discover a world more hostile than ever imagined. Our job as parents in today's society requires an understanding of this pro...
A big social change in adolescences is that they are searching for identity (“Social and emotional”). They are trying to figure out who they are and where they belong (“Social and emotional”). They seek for more independence and responsibility, both at home and in school (“Social and emotional”). They want to be a part of new experiences, which makes teenagers more prone to taking risks (“Social and emotional”). Adolescences think about “right” or “wrong” which helps make their values and morals (“Social and emotional”). Adolescents are more influenced by peers because they want to be accepted (“Social and emotional”). In this age group, adolescents start to have a sexual identity (“Social and emotional”). This means they might start a romantic relationship where they become sexually active (“Social and emotional”). Although not all teenagers engage in sexual relations, some wait till they are older or married. Communication is a huge part of adolescent development (“Social and emotional”). They communicate in ways such as internet, mobile phones, social gatherings, and social media (“Social and emotional”). An adolescent might want to spend less time with family and more time with their friends (“Personality development”). Teenagers also tend to see things differently as their parents and have more arguments (“Personality