Social Developmental Transitions from Youth to Adulthood (VCE SSCE Health and Human Development): Revision Notes
Social Developmental Transitions from Youth to Adulthood
Introduction
While physical development is often the most visible during adolescence, significant social changes also occur as individuals move from youth to adulthood. These social transformations are just as important as physical changes in shaping who we become as adults.
Social development during the transition to adulthood involves changes across multiple areas including behaviors, social roles, communication methods, and relationship dynamics. Understanding these changes helps us appreciate the complexity of human development beyond just physical growth.
What is social development?
Social development refers to the increasing complexity of behaviour patterns used in relationships with other people. When babies are born, they know very little about how to interact with others. They must learn appropriate social skills and behaviours from the people around them.
Cultural Influence on Social Development
Different cultures raise children with different values and skills regarding social interaction. This means that what is considered appropriate social behaviour can vary significantly depending on cultural background and family values. There is no single "correct" way to develop socially—it depends on cultural context.
Social development encompasses four main aspects:
Behaviours
Behaviours relate to how individuals act around other people. Learning what behaviours are appropriate in different situations is a crucial part of social development.
Infants typically have little understanding of appropriate behaviours when they are born. However, they gradually learn socially acceptable ways to act through observation and guidance from others.
Examples of Learned Behaviours in Early Childhood
Children learn many social behaviours during their early years, including:
- Saying please and thank you
- Becoming toilet-trained
- Learning to use cutlery properly when eating
- Demonstrating good table manners
- Being considerate of others
These behaviours are gradually refined as children observe adults and receive feedback about their actions.
As individuals mature, they continue to refine these behaviours and learn new ones suited to different social contexts.
Social roles and expectations
Throughout life, humans spend considerable time in various groups, and they often have distinct roles within those groups. Understanding and fulfilling these roles is an important part of social development.
Examples of social roles include:
- Employee
- Friend
- Son or daughter
- Coach
- Teammate
- Student
- Parent
Each role typically has a set of behaviours, skills, and expectations associated with it. People learn what is expected of them in each role and adapt their behaviour accordingly.
Gender Roles
Gender roles are a specific type of social role that relate to behaviours considered culturally acceptable for males and females. Although many traditional gender roles have changed over recent decades, some cultures still maintain distinct expectations for males and females. These roles are learned from a very young age and can shape many aspects of society.
Examples of Traditional Gender Roles
While increasingly challenged in modern society, examples of traditional gender roles include:
- Males working whilst females stay at home to care for children
- Men mowing lawns whilst women cook
- Girls playing with dolls whilst boys play with trucks
- Different dress codes for men and women (such as women wearing skirts and men wearing trousers)
It's important to note that these traditional roles are increasingly being challenged and changed in modern society.
Communication skills
Being able to communicate effectively with different groups of people is an essential aspect of social development. These skills continue to develop and improve throughout life.
Communication requires adapting your approach depending on who you're talking to. For example, the way you communicate with an elderly grandparent differs from how you communicate with a sibling or school friend.
Communication occurs in various formats, including:
- Verbal communication (spoken words)
- Written communication (letters, emails, text messages)
- Body language (gestures, facial expressions, posture)
- Sign language (for those who are deaf or hard of hearing)
Communicating effectively in all required formats ensures that you are understood and can understand others properly. Developing skills across multiple communication formats is essential for success in diverse social situations.
Relationship skills
Relationship skills involve knowing how to behave in a relationship and understanding what is expected. These skills are continually refined over time as individuals experience different types of relationships.
Key aspects of relationship skills include:
- Establishing mutual respect
- Taking time to listen to each other's point of view
- Understanding boundaries
- Showing empathy and compassion
- Being reliable and trustworthy
These skills form the foundation for healthy, positive relationships throughout life.
Social changes as youth transition to adulthood
The transition from youth to adulthood involves substantial social changes across all four aspects of social development. These changes are just as significant as the physical changes that occur during this period.
Changes in behaviours
Peer group influence
The peer group becomes extremely influential as youth transition to adulthood. Many social experiences that young people encounter are shaped by their peer group, and this influence often continues into adulthood.
The peer group may influence:
- Choice of clothing and fashion style
- Preferred style of music
- Types of activities they participate in
- Formation of their identity
As individuals strive for independence, they may spend most of their free time with peers. During this time, they might experiment with different behaviours within the peer group.
Risky Behaviours and Peer Influence
Some behaviours that youth experiment with may be considered risky, such as vaping or experimenting with alcohol. It's important to understand that peer pressure can lead to both positive and negative outcomes. While peers can encourage healthy behaviours and personal growth, they can also influence risky decision-making.
Culture and family influence
Culture and family continue to play a significant role in social development during the transition to adulthood. They may influence:
- The social circle and relationships people form
- Career choices and educational paths
- Where they choose to live
- How they spend their spare time
- Values and beliefs they hold
Development of independence
Youth generally move from being essentially dependent on their parents to being largely independent as adults. They learn how to act among different groups and adapt their behaviour according to the situation. This growing independence allows them to make more decisions for themselves and take greater responsibility for their actions.
Changes in social roles and expectations
Greater independence and a wider range of social experiences contribute to the development of more complex social roles during the transition to adulthood.
Examples of new or evolving roles include:
Employee role: Many young people gain paid employment for the first time as they transition to adulthood, developing skills and expectations associated with being an employee. This role introduces responsibilities such as punctuality, following instructions, and working collaboratively with colleagues.
Boyfriend or girlfriend role: Intimate relationships experienced during this stage may develop new roles involving commitment, trust, and emotional support. These relationships require different skills than friendships and help youth learn about romantic partnerships.
Increased complexity of existing roles: Having greater responsibility for their own actions promotes an increase in the complexity of social roles already played, such as son, daughter, and student. These roles evolve as young people are expected to behave more maturely and take on additional responsibilities.
Development of communication skills
The types of interactions that occur change significantly as youth are given greater freedom and treated more like adults. As a result, their communication skills are further developed.
During this transition, individuals often communicate in many different ways. The use of the internet, mobile phones, and social media can significantly influence how youth communicate with friends and learn about the world.
The nature of relationships changes during this time as many peer groups include members of different genders. This further develops communication skills and provides opportunities to experience new types of relationships. As youth transition to adulthood, they often experience a range of more intimate relationships, which require different communication approaches.
Growth in relationship skills
Taking responsibility
In gaining greater independence, youth often learn that they are responsible for their own actions, decisions, and consequences. As a result, young people may question more things, which can contribute to conflict with parents or other caregivers.
Reorganising parent relationships
Up until this point, parents have often made most decisions for their child. During youth, relationships with parents are often reorganised so that both the young person and parent have a say in decision-making.
As a result of increasing independence, youth may disagree with parents more often, which can lead to escalating conflict. However, most people enter adulthood with a deeper understanding of their parents, and parents develop a better understanding of their adult children. This conflict is a normal part of the transition process.
Intimate relationships
Many individuals experience their first intimate relationship with another person as they transition to adulthood. Some will also experience their first sexual relationship during this time.
New skills are learned and developed as a result of these relationships, including:
- Conflict resolution
- Compromise
- Emotional intimacy
- Trust-building
- Communication in intimate contexts
Towards the end of the youth stage and into adulthood, individuals usually develop a clearer sexual identity. They may begin looking for a serious relationship based on this clearer understanding of themselves.
Remember!
Key Points to Remember:
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Social development is the increasing complexity of behaviour patterns used in relationships with other people, encompassing behaviours, social roles, communication skills, and relationship skills.
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The peer group becomes highly influential during the transition to adulthood, affecting clothing choices, music preferences, activities, and identity formation.
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Youth develop more complex social roles as they gain employment, experience intimate relationships, and take greater responsibility for their actions.
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Communication skills are enhanced through greater freedom, the use of technology and social media, and experience with intimate relationships.
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Relationships with parents are often reorganised during youth, moving towards shared decision-making, though this can initially lead to increased conflict before deeper mutual understanding develops.
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The transition to adulthood involves changes across all four aspects of social development: behaviours, social roles and expectations, communication skills, and relationship skills.