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The global world--a domain for development in adolescence?
1Department of Public Health, Helsinki University, Finland.
Journal of Adolescence
|March 1, 1989
Summary
Adolescent girls responded differently to nuclear war concerns. One privatized, while another expanded global interests, illustrating varied developmental paths in the nuclear age.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Adolescent Psychology
- Sociology
Background:
- Adolescence presents unique developmental challenges, particularly in the context of global threats like nuclear war.
- Previous research has not fully explored how adolescents navigate concerns about large-scale existential issues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine adolescent development in the nuclear age through case studies.
- To analyze divergent developmental trajectories in response to global concerns.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal case study of two adolescent girls from age 15-16 to 17-18.
- Analysis using Vygotskian concepts: internalization and zone of proximal development.
Main Results:
- Initial concern about nuclear war evolved differently in the two cases.
- Case 1: Privatization and withdrawal from global issues.
- Case 2: Expansion of global interests and activities.
Conclusions:
- Mass media may create a 'global domain' as a new zone of proximal development for adolescents.
- An integrated worldview is a potential developmental outcome within this global domain.