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Whose “best interests” and rights are the courts protecting?
2. Does the class consider adolescence a concept created by developmental psychologists and
socioeconomic conditions, rather than an actual stage of development? What overall
societal impact might we see if children today went to work at age 10 or 12, rather than
remaining in school until they reach 17 or 18 years of age? What was the societal impact of
work rather than education in years past? What other developmental categories could be
reframed today, or may need to be reframed in the future?
3. Many elderly individuals develop paranoid beliefs. Some lay persons as well as
professionals assume this to be a function of the physical deterioration of the brain due to
encroaching senility. What alternative psychological explanation could explain why some
elderly individuals develop beliefs that others are keeping them ignorant of the actual
condition of their health, plotting against them, etc.? What myths or fallacies appear
prevalent in your classes?
4. Psychologists and sociologists have observed that certain homeless children have the
ability to “survive” their homeless experience in better psychological health than do some
others. Have the class speculate what conditions might predispose a given child to
survive,” to suffer minimal negative impact from the experience of homelessness. What
makes some children resilient, and not others?
5. What perceptions does the class have regarding day care? Is day care seen as an option for
child care, or a necessity? What about employer-sponsored day care centers. What
considerations are important to your students regarding this issue?
6. Discuss with the class the impact an individual’s gender identity might have on his or her
sexual orientation. Have them consider how gender role behaviors and gender role
stereotypes fit into this discussion.
7. Discuss rites of passage, nebulous though they may be, in our Western culture. What
occasions mark our transition from one developmental stage of life to the next? How does
our culture accommodate and acknowledge these transitions? What impact do various
rites have on us as individuals? Do students feel our culture should have more concrete
rites of passage, remain as is, or have less?
8. What does the class think about “peer pressure”? Is it a viable phenomenon, or a catchall
invented by parents and behavioral scientists in their attempts to “explain” the sometimes-
annoying behaviors displayed by adolescents? When during development do individuals
feel it, and when during development does it cease to influence thoughts, feelings, and
behavior?
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PSYCHOLOGY AND LIFE
SUPPLEMENTAL LECTURE MATERIAL
The Effect of Divorce on Children
Divorce is troubling, difficult, and painful for children. Discuss with your class about the negative
effects a divorce might have on a child between the ages of 2 and 12 who lives with the mother and
visits with the father on alternate weekends. After mentioning the issues raised below, ask the class
how the concerns may be eliminated.
. The child may feel that he or she caused the divorce.
. The child may feel that the father wouldn’t have left if the father really loved him or her.
. The child may feel insecure. If one parent leaves, the other may leave, too. If the father is
unable to keep a weekend visit with the child, the child may feel that he doesn’t want to see
her or him.
. The child misses the things he or she did with the father, and becomes lonely when
thinking about games they played together.
. The child may have a conflict about loyalty to the parents.
. The parents may involve the child in their disputes, or use the child as a pawn to
manipulate one another.
. Financial considerations may make it necessary for the mother to move, and for the child to
change schools and make new friends.
. The mother may have less time for the child after the separation or divorce because of a job
outside of the home, in addition to her usual responsibilities.
. The mother’s own emotional turmoil over the divorce may make it difficult for her to
minister adequately to the child’s needs.
. Although the child visits with the father on a bi-weekly basis, the child may not have
constant access to a male role model.
. The child may perceive female friends of the father and male friends of the mother as
threats to his or her relationship with the parent.
Alzheimer’s Disease
A man in his late 60’s enters a hardware store, and, for a moment, becomes disoriented. He then
remembers that yesterday he was looking for the car keys that he already had in his hand. A
dreadful thought comes to mind: “Could I have Alzheimer’s disease?”