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Social and Personality Development in Times of Social Change
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An ongoing multidisciplinary and multi-site program addresses social and personality development
from early adolescence to young adulthood, comparing young people raised in all parts of former
East and West Germany. This study started soon after unification. Beginning in 1991, adolescents
(aged 13-19 years), young adults (aged 20-29 years), and their parents were interviewed every two
years (3 waves: 1991, 1993, 1995). In addition, from 1993 to 1997, a sample of children (aged 10-13
years) and their parents have been interviewed each year, except for 1996. In the Spring of 1996, a
new cross-sectional study was conducted also involving adolescents and young adults (aged 13-29
years), allowing for comparisons with the 1991 study. The longitudinal surveys were supplemented
by a qualitative study on 91 adolescents aged 11-16 years and their mothers. These mother-child
dyads completed questionnaires, took part in a conflict interaction task which was videotaped, and
also provided samples of saliva which were analyzed with regard to testosterone and cortisol levels.
76 dyads took part in atwo-year-follow-up. A major aspect in the current analyses is the timing of psychosocial transitions during adolescence and young adulthood, such as first romantic relationships or initial vocational plans, the timing of leaving home or the age at marriage. Concerning these transitions, interindividual differences in the timing were studied as a function of psychosocial adversities (illnesses, family disruptions, unemployment, etc.), personality attributes (e. g., agency beliefs, political attitudes), family experiences (economic constraints, marital conflicts, parent-child relationships, social and emotional capital), and peer relations (e. g., clique membership, leisure activities). Moreover, similarities and differences between the two unified parts of Germany were investigated, which revealed the role of institutional and political constraints on adolescent development. It was found that individual experiences and decisions played a greater role in the West as compared to the East, particularly in the timing of transitions which show institutional underpinnings, such as the timing of initial vocational plans or the timing of marriage. Furthermore, in comparing equivalent cohorts in 1991 and 1996, several years after unification, it became clear that the timing of transitions underwent only a gradual change, in spite of the radical change of some institutional and societal contexts. Thus, social change seems to be coupled loosely with psychosocial development, a claim others have made with regard to the consequences of economic hardship. Although transitions represent a core research topic, the research program is actually much broader. Among the various additional aspects, studies on adolescent problem behaviors (depressive mood, delinquent behaviors, substance use), on normative behaviors (pubertal maturation, parent-child relationships, school achievement, etc.), and on values and value change stand out. Concerning the latter, it was shown that unification was accompanied by a trend toward more individualistic over collectivist values in former East Germany. But, as comparisons revealed, these changes applied predominantly to younger cohorts. Older cohorts, whose members completed school and started or even completed vocational training before unification, remained almost unchanged in their orientations. In a nutshell, this research program shows the potentials and limits of plasticity of adolescent development in times of social change.
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Principal investigator: Silbereisen, R. K. |