Psychology of Childhood and Adolescence in an Urban Context

Sexuality- In terms of childhood and sexuality, in today’s society i feel that there’s a a significant urge to grow up even quicker. As children we are all curious about sex. For example our bodily functions and where babies come from etc. However i feel that in the past these concepts were learned over time as opposed to today where children are overly curious and anxious to see what is so good about this “thing” people rave about. I also think that peer pressure is a deciding factor in why children are becoming increasingly sexually active.  Kids often times want to be just like their peers, so when their peers boast about their sexual encounters, they feel that much more pressured to go down that same path.

Clothing- I feel that in that today’s society, the way children dress, is directled correlated with peer pressure.  As i mentioned previously, children are eager to become adults quickly, so attempting to dress like one is an attempt to meet some of the criteria. When kids dress a certain way, it creates labels for them. In school if you see a child with a name brand shirt, nice jeans and sneakers he’ll have a favorable image. Whereas if you see a child with tight pants that stand above his ankles with glasses, he may be subject to ridicule. In an attempt to win over their peers, children will go that extra step to make sure their wardrobe is up to par, and earn a favorable image. Although often times the way a child dresses is related to peer pressure, selecting a wardrobe can be a child’s way of establishing a sense of identity.

Games- Games, video games in particular, have become more violent and gory today. The sad part is that today, these types of games are becoming more and more accepted. These types of games make it seem that it is alright to inflict pain on others, when that is simply not the case.

Media/tv- Media/tv has made a huge impact on childhood and adolescence today. Children watch shows and movies that have negative ideals and connations. Kids can tune into multiple channels, for example MTV, and watch shows where getting excessively drunk, partying endlessly, and engaging in sexual is how things should be done. These tellevision networks might not have forseen it, but kids are actually picking up the habits that they see on these shows. These actions are quickly becoming a way of life for children and the thought of this generations impact on future generations is a scary thought.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_sexuality

http://parenting.kaboose.com/behavior/emotional-social-development/are-we-raising-brand-followers.html

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0QLQ/is_2007_Feb/ai_n18744248/?tag=rbxcra.2.a.11

http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/parents/television/tv_impact_kids.cfm