56128 - Psychology of Adolescence

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course the student:

• knows the main theoretical and methodological orientations of Adolescence Psychology;
• knows the main developmental tasks in adolescence;
• is able to distinguish between the concepts of personal identity and social identity;
• is able to master concepts such as: developmental tasks, identity crisis, coping, emerging adulthood
• knows the main changes in adolescence (physical, psychological, cognitive, emotional) and their rebounds on identity construction;
• knows the importance of social contexts (family, peers, school, social institutions, culture) in adolescents' development;
• is able to master the concepts of ecological context and psychosocial transition;
• knows the difference between normal and non normal processes of development;
• knows in detail the main theories about the deviance in adolescence and the phenomenon of substance addiction;
• is able to run educational projects in the field of prevention and intervention on social distress;
• is able to critically evaluate educational projects in the field of prevention and intervention on social distress in adolescence;
• can carry out bibliographical researches in his/her field of study;  
• is able to draw up reports of research and reports on his/her activities.

Course contents

The program concerns these topics:

1. The adolescence in classical and recent theories;
2. The main changes in adolescence and their rebounds on the identity construction;
3. The social contexts and their influence on adolescents' development (family, peers, school, institutions);
4. The juvenile deviance and drug addiction;
5. Adolescence between light and shade: autonomy and dependency, bullying, online adolescence, risk taking and possible interventions;
6. Prevention of risky behaviors.

Readings/Bibliography

• Palmonari, A. (a cura di) (2011). Psicologia dell'adolescenza. Bologna: Il Mulino (capitoli 2-4-5-7-11-13-16-17)
• Albiero, P. (a cura di) (edition 2012 o 2021). Il benessere psicosociale in adolescenza. Roma: Carocci (tutto tranne i capitoli 1, 6, 8).

Teaching methods

The course is organised on the basis of:

• Lectures supported by PowerPoint slides;
• Brief group discussions about the proposed themes;
• Supporting material taken from different disciplinary fields (literature, cinema, essay writing).

Assessment methods

The exam will consist in a writing with three open questions. Before the end of the course, a list of some of the possible examination questions will be provided by the teachers.

In case of problems related to the Covid-19 pandemic, the exams will be oral and will take place online on Teams platform.

The maximum score for the exam is 30 with honors and 18/30 is the minimum score to pass the exam. For each question a maximum score of 10 points will be attributed following these criteria: 1) completeness of responses; 2) consistency of the responses; 3) the ability of personal reflection; 4) appropriate lexicon and morphosyntax.

To take the exam, registration through AlmaEsami is required. Those students who fail to register by the scheduled date due to technical problems are required to promptly notify the problem to the teaching office.

Teaching tools

Lessons will be accompanied by PowerPoint slides.

Office hours

See the website of Consuelo Mameli

See the website of Giuseppina Speltini