Adolescent Identity Evolutionary, Cultural and Developmental Perspectives [Paperback]

As our world becomes increasingly permeable, and as human populations are rapidly converging and transitioning within a global interconnectedness, it is vital that we look to, and learn from, those most adept at the adaptation, creation, and contesting of culture: adolescents. This text is designed to bridge critical gaps in the understanding of the daily lives, identity development, and experiences of adolescents in diverse cultures around the world. Cultural context is predictive of developmental uniqueness; comparisons provide insights into how social structures and relationships influence the manifestation of individual patterns of development and experience. In quantitative and qualitative detail, the contributors relate the nature of adolescent life to cultural, biological, ecological, demographic, and social variables. The findings of this book will be relevant not only to other social anthropologists, but also to sociologists and developmental/educational psychologists.

1. Introduction: Adolescent Identity, Risk and Change  Bonnie L. Hewlett  Part One: Evolution: History and Hunter-Gatherers  2. Childhood, Adolescence, and Longevity: An Essay on Human Evolutionary Life History  Barry Bogin  3. Risky Adolescent Behavior: An Evolutionary Perspective  Bruce J. Ellis  4. Hunter-Gatherer Adolescence  Bonnie L. Hewlett and Barry S. Hewlett  Part Two: Culture and Development: Ritual, Risk, and Identity  5. Identity Development, Crises & Continuity: Death Defying Leaps in the Lives of Indigenous & Non-Indigenous Youth  Michael J. Chandler and William L. Dunlop  6. Contributions of Ritual Expressions at Puberty to Optimal Identity Formation of North American Indian Girls  Cal6