Life Span Development II School Age and Adolescence

Life Span Development II: School age and Adolescence 3 (2+1)

Lesson 26 : Adolescent interests

Social interests

Social interests depend on opportunities adolescents have and how popular they are with members of the peer group. An adolescent whose family’s socioeconomic status is low for example, will have fewer opportunities to develop an interest in parties and dancing than adolescents from more favorable home backgrounds. Similarly, an adolescent who is unpopular will have a limited repertoire of social interests.

Common social interests of adolescents:

1. Parties: Interest in parties with members of the opposite sex first manifests itself at about age thirteen or fourteen. Girls enjoy parties more than boys throughout adolescence.

2. Drinking: Drinking on dates or at parties becomes increasingly more popular as adolescence progresses.

3. Conversations: All adolescents derive a sense of security from getting together with a group of peers and talking about the things that interest or disturb them. Such get-togethers provide an opportunity to blow off emotional steam and get a new perspective on their problems.

4. Helping Others: Many young adolescents are sincerely interested in trying to help people they feel have been misunderstood, mistreated, or oppressed.

5. World Affairs: Through courses in school and the mass media, adolescents often develop an interest in government, politics and world affairs. They express this interest mainly through reading and discussions with their peers, teachers and parents.

6. Criticism and Reform: Almost all young adolescents, but especially girls, become critical and attempt to reform their parents, peers, schools and communities. Their criticisms are generally destructive rather than constructive, and their suggestions for reform are usually impractical.

7. Talking on phones, chatting, face book, sites etc.