Emotional Reactivity During Adolescence
High intensity of emotions during
adolescence
* Methods of study: Experience sampling
& daily diaries
– Frequent fluctuations in emotions in a day
– Not happy doing schoolwork or being alone
– Choice is key: Adolescents are happy when
doing things they choose to do
record emotions, behaviors, etc. on a daily or regular basis when being prompted
Experience sampling
rate emotions on
a daily basis and for an
extended number of days or
weeks to assess emotional
experiences over time
Daily Diary
Emotional Valence in Adolescents
*” Positive or negative emotion experiences”
* Longitudinal studies show changes over time:
– Mostly, teens experience happiness most (> 70% of the time)
– Happiness declines, while anger, sadness, and anxiety increase from 13-18 years of age
Adolescent Depression
- When negative emotions become painful,
they can signal depression
– Negative symptoms experienced nearly every day,
such as constant sadness, diminished interest and
pleasure in activities, social withdrawal, significant
weight loss/gain, and feelings of worthlessness. - Sex differences in depression
– Girls > boys, perhaps due to rumination
– But boys > girls in suicide
– Negative symptoms experienced nearly every day,
such as constant sadness, diminished interest and
pleasure in activities, social withdrawal, significant
weight loss/gain, and feelings of worthlessness
depression
Adolescent Depression: Diagnosis and treatment
- Diagnosing
– Many being overlooked/masked - Treating depression
– CBT (thoughts, feelings, and behaviors)
– Family-system-approach: working with the person, caregivers, and other family members
– Antidepressants in conjunction
(severe)
Warning Signs of Suicide
Talk, Behaviour, Mood
manage and integrate thoughts, emotions, and
behaviors to attain goals
Self-regulation
Self-Regulation in Adolescence
– High impulsiveness
– Relatively high risk-taking
– High sensation-seeking
Studying Self-Regulation
– Self-report (rating)
– Delay discounting tasks
– Simulated driving study (Steinberg)
Contexts of Emotional Development in Adolescence
- Family context:
– Risk factors: Low supportiveness, harsh
punishment, toxic interactions, poverty - Peer context:
– Peers provide emotional support but also
increase risk-taking - Neighborhood context:
– Extracurricular activities benefit teens
– Neighborhood poverty = risk of emotional or
behavioral problems
– However, there is also a “cost of privilege”
(Luthar & Barkin, 2012)
Relationships with Parents in Adolscence
- Closeness and attachment
– Continues to be important
– Adult Attachment Interview (AAI): open-ended
questions Autonomous, dismissive, preoccupied - Conflict with parents
– Normative and healthy part of teens’ growing autonomy
– What matters is how conflicts are resolved - Monitoring and Disclosure
– Monitoring associated with positive outcomes (e.g., low
substance use; regulated internet use)
–** Selective disclosure (boys > girls in hiding information
from parents)**
Relationships with Siblings in Adolescence:
Why are siblings unique?
– Common history
– Longest lifetime relationships (outlive parents)
– Obligatory not optional
* Nature & quality of sibling relationships
– Power differentials between older & younger decline
– Quality relates to romantic and other relationships
– Viewing differential sibling treatment by parents
relates to negative psychological and behavioral
outcomes
Immigrant Context of Adolescent-Parent Relationship:
Challenge to teens of navigating two cultures
– May create conflict relationships
– Some adolescents may not
understand the hardships their
parents sacrificed, and instead
experience emotional disconnect
Relationships with Peers
* Changes in friendships from childhood to adolescence
– Compatibility: Growing similarities between friends
– Stability: more enduring over time
– Reciprocity: Two-way street (trust and intimacy)
– Respect for individuality
– High levels of possessiveness and jealousy
Bullying in Adolescence
- Bullying
– Physical aggression (decrease over adolescence)
– Verbal aggression (decrease over adolescence)
– Relational aggression (increasing)
– Cyberbullying (increasing) - Anti-bullying programs
– Many are not effective
– Effective approaches include teaching teens that
personality is “malleable”, not fixed
– Small friendship-based groups
– Intensive interactions and emotional
involvement among members
Cliques
– Loosely-connected groups of individuals who
share reputation-based stereotypes
– Offer an identity w/n an organized social
structure
– But may lead to stereotyping, judgement,
and limited exploration of other identities
Crowds
Social Media in Adolescence
- Benefits
– Emotional connection
– Prosocial interactions
– Protective from geographic or social
isolation - Risks
– Overuse
– Misuse & disclosing too much
– Online harassment and unwanted
exposure to sexually explicit material
