The Napoleon Dynamite in All of Us

By: Hunter Doiron

The movie Napoleon Dynamite shows the difficult social life of Napoleon, a socially awkward character. His high school life consists of bullies, making up socially desirable stories, and an attempt to form a social group.

His social awkwardness leads to him being bullied. One scene shows him unknowingly being bullied as he answers questions from more popular guys laughing at his made-up responses. Baier et al. (2019) looked at how bullying affects the mental health of victims because they recognized the different ways bullying occurs that can all still be harmful. 10,638 students participated in their cross-sectional study at a German high school where they were surveyed on different ways they experienced bullying (physical or psychological, from classmates or teachers, cyberbullying, etc.). Their results showed psychological bullying was the most harmful form of bullying on an adolescent’s mental health. Even though the bullies were not physically harassing Napoleon, this study shows how their sarcasm can hurt Napoleon’s mental health.

There is another scene where Napoleon claims he is the best person he knows at drawing. A different study looked at how adolescents responding in socially desirable ways correlates with their narcissism. They defined social desirability as leading to what they call “self-deceptive enhancement” (Barry et al., 2017). Napoleon’s false stories play into enhancing how he views himself and how he thinks others see him. From the 161 adolescents who answered questionnaires to gage their socially desirable responses along with narcissism, the researchers found there was not a correlation between narcissism and socially desirable responses. Despite no evidence why there was a lack of correlation, they suggested that narcissistic adolescents may not feel compelled to portray themselves positively to others as they already see themselves highly. For Napoleon, his socially desirable stories are not a result of his narcissism but rather some other motive.

Napoleon’s true motive may be to find his social identity according to another group of researchers. They said social identity refers to a social group offering “meaning and belonging” (Koni et al., 2019). Two separate studies were done which consisted of 136 and then 91 adolescents broken into small groups on a sailing voyage where they learned to interact with new people in each study. The researchers were interested to see if new social groups could still promote a healthy sense of social identity which they found to be true in both studies. Napoleon finds two new friends, Pedro and Deb, and he still responds in socially desirable manners with them. It seems that Napoleon’s responses are his attempt to strengthen his social identity in his new social group.

Napoleon Dynamite is typically seen as a comical movie with no plot, but it shows the struggles that so many adolescents go through: bullying, making up desirable stories, and forming new social groups. We can all relate to Napoleon in some way which should encourage us to better empathize with adolescents and attempt to help them as they work through the same struggles we all went through.

References

Baier, D., Hong, J. S., Kliem, S., & Bergmann, M. C. (2019). Consequences of Bullying on

Adolescents’ Mental Health in Germany: Comparing Face-to-Face Bullying and           Cyberbullying. Journal of Child & Family Studies, 28(9), 2347–2357. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-018-1181-6

Barry, C. T., Lui, J. H. L., & Anderson, A. C. (2017). Adolescent Narcissism, Aggression, and

Prosocial Behavior: The Relevance of Socially Desirable Responding. Journal of Personality Assessment, 99(1), 46–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223891.2016.1193812

Koni, E., Moradi, S., Arahanga-Doyle, H., Neha, T., Hayhurst, J. G., Boyes, M., Cruwys, T.,

Hunter, J. A., & Scarf, D. (2019). Promoting resilience in adolescents: A new social identity benefits those who need it most. PLoS ONE, 14(01), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0210521

For Image:

Fabrizio, Doug. “Napoleon Dynamite: The Film With All The Great Skills.” RadioWest,              radiowest.kuer.org/post/napoleon-dynamite-film-all-great-skills.

Perception isn’t just an Illusion

 By: Catherine Blanchard

Adolescence is a time of growth and self-discovery, but often this can be stifled by mental health problems and substance abuse. In a recent study, researchers found that adolescent’s perception of their socioeconomic ranking among their peers could predict their future mental health and substance use. In this longitudinal study, researchers observed how adolescents: viewed their own social status as compared to others, answered personal questions relating to mental health, and participated in different substance use (Russell & Odgers 2020). Overall, it was found that adolescent’s own perception of their state of life could predict these future problems.

References

Russell, M. A., & Odgers, C. L. (2020). Adolescents’ Subjective Social Status Predicts Day‐to‐Day Mental Health and Future Substance Use. Journal of Research on Adolescence (Wiley-Blackwell), 30, 532–544. doi-org.ezproxy.franu.edu/10.1111/jora.12496

Image: https://www.talkspace.com/blog/5-ways-improve-body-image-confidence-mental-health/

Educational Expectations Improve Achievement

 By: Hunter Doiron

When I was in high school, I was expected to go to college by others and myself. A recent study in Sweden looked at how adolescent and parent expectations could benefit the educational attainment for the adolescent. Educational attainment means looking at what level of schooling the adolescent is expected to complete. They surveyed students and parents asking them how far they expected the adolescent to go in their education. They found that higher expectations meant higher educational achievement for the adolescent. As this study shows, healthy and achievable expectations can encourage adolescents in their pursuit for achievement.

References

Almroth, M., László, K. D., Kosidou, K., & Galanti, M. R. (2020). Individual and familial

factors predict formation and improvement of adolescents’ academic expectations: A longitudinal study in Sweden. PloS One, 15(2), e0229505. https://doi-org.ezproxy.franu.edu/10.1371/journal.pone.0229505

Steinberg, Laurence D. Adolescence. McGraw-Hill Education, 2020.

For Image:

“My Kid Is Going to College - A Guide for Parents.” FamilyApp, 15 Oct. 2020, familyapp.com/guide-                parents-college/.

The More The Merrier... Literally

    By A. Bieri

    The way an adolescent spends their leisure time or “down time” plays an important role on the way they develop mentally.  Researchers from the National Institute of Public Health (2020) preformed a study on a group of about 2,500 adolescents with the aim of learning if the amount of leisure activities that an adolescent engages in will have an effect on mental health outcomes and the usage of substances.  During their studies, it was found that the more activities that an adolescent participates in, the less likely the individual is to develop mental health issues, where as those who engage in little to no leisure activities are more likely to have a declining mental health and at risk of using substances (Santini, 2020).  Activities such as athletics, computer games, reading books, and other hobbies have significant effects on the developing mind of an adolescent which is important because it paves a way for the sort of adult that adolescent will be one day.

Santini, Z., Meilstrup, C., Hinrichsen, C., Nielsen, L., Koyanagi, A., Koushede, V., Ekholm, O., Madsen, K. (2020) Associations between multiple leisure activities, mental health and substance use among adolescents in Denmark: A nationwide cross-sectional study. Behavioral Neuroscience. http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.franu.edu:2048/10.3389/fnbeh.2020.593340

The Future Is Bright (Mostly): How Anxiety Shapes Teens' Perceptions About Their Futures

 By Taylor Decuir  

    Most teens imagine bright futures; however, for teens with anxiety, this is harder. Ramsgaard et al. (2019) investigated the differences in how anxious teens versus teens without anxiety describe their past, future, and cultural expectations. One hundred and sixty-nine teens were instructed to write about their past, future, and how these events were shaped by cultural expectations of life experiences. While anxious teens still envisioned bright futures, when compared to peers, their narratives contained fewer details of positive social support. Their narratives also reflected the limitations and struggles of their current lives, suggesting that they believed anxiety would predict their quality of life.

References

Beaumont, M. (2018). [Teen girl contemplating future] [Photograph]. Milton Accountant. http://www.miltonaccountant.com/ 4-tips -achieving -positive-money-mindset/

Ramsgaard, S., Bohn, A., & Thastrum, M. (2019). Past and future life stories in adolescents with anxiety disorder: Comparison with community controls. Memory, 27(7), 998-1010. https://doi.org/10.1080/09658211.2019.159566

Does Parenting Really Affect Aggressiveness in Adolescents?

    My parents are the best people I know. Out of the 20 years of my life, they have never tried to hurt or betray me. Everything they do is to benefit and help me grow to become successful and happy. I know they are so good to me because I am their oldest daughter. Their parenting style is authoritative. Authoritative is defined as parents will listen and respond to my thoughts while having high standards. When I have their support, it makes me feel good and always puts me in a good mood.

    Parental support is the love and affectionate bond between children and their parents. Van et al. (2020) hypothesized that when adolescents feel supported, they are less likely to show aggressive behavior. On the other hand, aggression increases when parents are too controlling or use negative parenting (Van et al., 2020).  The study tested the association between parenting and aggression and if dopamine genetics also play a role. 

    The authors of this article found that there is no association between parenting and behavior. However, the study did provide some proof that the link between parental support and aggression was controlled by dopamine reactivity. According to Van et al., (2020), the dopaminergic pathway is connected to the neurotransmitter dopamine which is linked to impulsivity and emotion regulation skills which can contribute to aggression. For example, if an adolescent has low or high levels of dopamine, they become less active in being normal. Instead, they will go towards risky behaviors such as experimenting with drugs. 

    Van et al., (2020) goes in depth that a stronger dopamine level leads to more aggressive behavior. Those who have high levels could also involve adolescents in risky behaviors. This proves that an adolescents’ aggressive behavior could be from genetics. Based on the Biosocial Developmental Model, there are many ways where aggression can take place. One of them is associated with genetics by high levels of dopamine, another is parenting which is associated with effortful control. Effortful control is the ability to detect mistakes and engage in planning (Van et al., 2020). 

    According to the study by Eisenberg et al. 2005, the connection between aggression and parental support and punishment respectively became less correlated when adolescent effortful control took place. I even had those moments where even though I knew my rights and wrongs but I still would be angry if my parents did not allow me to do something. When it comes to parenting, it is important to observe your child and think of ways of how to successfully raise kids.

References:

Van Heel, M., Bijttebier, P., Claes, S., Colpin, H., Goossens, L., Hankin, B., Van Den Noortgate, W., Verschueren, K., Young, J., & Van Leeuwen, K. (2020). Parenting, Effortful Control, and Adolescents’ Externalizing Problem Behavior: Moderation by Dopaminergic Genes. Journal of Youth & Adolescence, 49(1), 252–266. https://doi-org.ezproxy.franu.edu/10.1007/s10964-019-01149-1

What do Adolescents think about Sexual Education?

 

What do Adolescents think about Sexual Education?

Sexuality, education, adolescents

Ansleigh Barras

You may find yourself wondering if the adolescents in your life need or want sexual education? As adults, we understand the importance of sexual education for our adolescents health, safety, and sanity. The idea of sexual education is uncomfortable for some, yet we know that the transition from childhood to adulthood will naturally come with questions. Sexual education will not only teach one about safe sex, but also about their reproductive health. One ought to assess what patterns are found among adolescents concerning their perception of the best time and place for sexual education. The empirical article I found polled a total of 250 students, and found that only 4% of the girls and 4% of the boys had received sexual education from their parents (2018). This left the majority of the group to rely on their schools, communities, or else where to teach them the basics of sexual education. From the small percent of girls and boys whose parents taught them about sexual education, 50% of the girls found it helpful, and 33% of the boys found it helpful; both 14% of the boys and girls claimed that their parents' training was embarrassing (2018). We can begin to conclude here that the parents do have an impact on their adolescents in regards to sexual education. 

Moving from the household to the schools, 41% of the girls claimed that sexual education ought to be given in a school setting and 26% of girls voted that sexual education be taught in college specifically; turning to the boys, 35% voted that sexual education should be taught in schools, whereas 45% voted that sexual education be reserved for college (2018). Sexual education includes more than just preaching abstinence-only. A well rounded education involves (but is not limited to) information about STDs, contraception, and pregnancy. 

From these statistics, one can conclude that many of the 250 adolescents seem to want sexual education in some classroom setting, and for those whose parents braved themselves into sharing some education of sex and sexuality, about half of the boys and girls found it helpful. All in all, we know that adolescent’s reproductive and sexual health ought not to be overlooked, for their choices in adolescence impact their future.

References

Rupali, Chhina, A. K., Gupta, S., Grover, S., Shivani, & Chhabra, S. (2018). Study To Assess Perception And Need Assessment Of Sex Education Among School Going Adolescents. International Journal of Community Health & Medical Research, 4(4), 43–46. doi: 10.21276/ijchmr

Association Between Peer Acceptance and Sexual Behaviors from Adolescence to Young Adulthood

Wesche et al. (2019) hypothesized that well-liked adolescents are more likely than their peers to participate in sexual activity. This could lead to adolescents with sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancy. Wesche et al. (2019) conducted a research to find connections between adolescent peer acceptance and sexual outcomes in adolescence and young adults. Results show that peer acceptance is associated with increased likelihood of sexual activity prior to the age of 16. By the age of 19, adolescents were more protective against having STI. This contradicts to the authors’ hypothesis. Adolescents who are well-liked is not associated with the risky young adults who have sex without condoms, have casual sex, and having more sex partners. As a matter of fact, well-liked adolescents are protective against contracting an STI by young adulthood.

References:

Wesche, R., Kreager, D. A., Feinberg, M. E., & Lefkowitz, E. S. (2019). Peer Acceptance and Sexual Behaviors from Adolescence to Young Adulthood. Journal of Youth & Adolescence, 48(5), 996–1008.