NCJ Number
223229
Journal
Journal of Adolescence Volume: 31 Issue: 3 Dated: June 2008 Pages: 337-353
Date Published
June 2008
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This study examined the plasticity of adolescents’ transitions to behavioral autonomy in the context of East Germany after unification.
Abstract
An earlier timing of autonomy privileges was associated with higher deviant behavior. A later timing of autonomy privileges and responsibilities was linked to structural constraints, specifically, to parental unemployment. Between 1991 and 1996, differences in the timing of some autonomy transitions and differences in some variables associated with the timing of these transitions were observed. The study has implications for the conceptualization of behavioral autonomy in adolescence as comprised of privileges as well as responsibilities. Converging with previous studies it was shown that the timing of some autonomy transitions in the East adapted to Western timing in the course of unification. The findings corroborate the notion of flexibility of developmental transitions under conditions of social change and underline the contextual embeddedness of adolescent development. When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, East Germany was in a state of vast upheaval. Following German unification in 1990 all societal institutions in the East underwent quick and radical change, which was accompanied by changes in norms, cultural products, and symbols. The flexibility of adolescent autonomy timing under social change has rarely been studied. Acculturation research has shown that the timing of autonomy transitions is sensitive to cultural change. This study examined the timing of behavioral autonomy transitions in two same-aged cohorts of East German adolescents assessed in 1991 and 1996. Tables, references