Youthwork152g Exam Revision
NOTE: References are not needed for the exam, however they are provided
There are 10 out of 15 questions with components within each question. You must answer
the whole question. Note that only the first 10 answers will be marked (5mks each).
Lecture One (2Q) Defining youth
1. Describe the characteristics of today’s youth generation in comparison to previous
generations
Traditionalists -Other names include: Radio babies, builders, industrialists, silent generation
(1900-1945) and WW2 generation
-Generally hard workers from a sense they derive meaning and pride from
work
-Silent generation due to the war
-They did not have a lot of say in what they did but to be dutiful to their
country
Baby Boomers -Good health
(1946-1964) -Wealthiest generation
-Described as work-cantered, independent, goal-orientated and competitive
-Views world as improving over time
Generation X -Other names include: Gen bust, Gen X, Post-boomers, baby busters
(1961-1981) -These young people grew up in high rates of non-nuclear families with parents
who were: workaholics and sought personal gratification, authority and
rankings
-Produced significantly less babies
-Watched as parents were laid off
-Grew up with change
Generation Y -Also known as the millennials
(Early 1980s- -Those graduating high school after 2000
Mid 1990s) -Grew up when internet and social media exploded, during 9/11 and the great
recession
-Compared to previous generations they entered the workforce with high
amounts of debts and delay major life choices such as settling down with
children etc.
Generation Z -Nicknames: Gen Z, iGen, Gen tech etc
(1995-2015- -Trends haven’t really emerged yet as still in this time period
today’s youth -Young people are growing up highly connected, very tech savvy, driven by
population) instant feedback and communicates with individual who do not occupy the
same physical stance
-Also, a new silent generation is emerging due to war in areas of the world
which are under reported and not recognised
-IQ scores are generally higher and they are also accepting of diverse situations
-They interact with lots of information at once and therefore also less likely to
check information and source accuracy
Note: Generational parameters are really blurry
, 2. Provide examples to illustrate how the definition of “youth” varies cross-culturally
In agrarian societies children are expected to take on adult roles and responsibilities at a young age
and children are not segregated from adults- the transition is more seamless. In some cultures, rites
of passage that demarcate the transition between childhood and adulthood are accompanied by
abrupt changes in social expectations. Political events such as war can also play a role in redefining
youth- adolescence/youth may be suspended or non-existent
3. Explain what the concept of “youth” can be considered a social construction
The concept of “youth” can be considered a social construction as it is a term that society has
assumed on a certain group of people that they name “youth”. The term only has meaning through
processes that create dominant ways of thinking about young people and their activities. There is
also no definitive boundary on what “youth” is since youth varies cross-culturally. As humans,
individuals and groups often participate in the construction of their own social role and therefore
youth is another one of these attempts at segregating people into different societal roles. “Youth”
can also be termed as a social construct as the term itself does not have meaning in itself without a
society giving it meaning as the term does not refer to something real, solid or innate.
Further evidence that shows that youth is a social construct is that the term “youth” refers to the
developmental period between childhood and adulthood and that the timing and duration of these
developmental stages varies across individuals, cultures and communities. Defining youth through
age presents its limitations as it does not enable a full explanation of what youth is. Biological and
environmental factors also influence the onset of puberty and thus to define youth and attribute it
to certain factors, it has to be a social construct, as the common understanding of what a youth is
has been constructed and agreed upon by the society.
Lecture Two (1Q) Public perceptions and portrayal of youth
1. Name the three phases that describe the changing perspectives of youth and adolescence
The three phases that describe the changing perspectives of youth and adolescence are:
-Phase 1: Deficit Models (Storm and Stress) and Biology and hormones to blame
-Phase 2: The emergence of distinct youth culture, interest in adolescent life stage (deficit
model) and ecological theories also gained prominence
-Phase 3: Positive youth development- rejects the idea that youth are a problem to be dealt
with
2. Describe the storm and stress view of adolescence and critically evaluate the validity of this
view
The storm and stress view of adolescence is an example of a deficit model that proposes the idea
that teenagers or youth, are a problem that parents need to deal with. It does not acknowledge that
youth are equals to adults and therefore the approach of this model has three key themes. These
themes are: conflict with parents and adults- the tendency to rebel and resit authority, mood
disruptions such as mood swings and risk behaviours such as reckless driving.
The storm and stress model do not necessarily reflect the youth population accurately, as factors
such as individual and cultural variation needs to be considered. This model ignores crucial factors
that contribute to the development of a young person and their behaviour. Such factors include
, ignoring societal change and differences and as a result, the dynamics of being a young person will
also change and reflect something different.
Criticism and limitations of the storm and stress model include
1. The issue of popular media using claims as their evidence that are not factual
2. Ignores the fact that university students are often more privileged than others and
therefore others with different experiences are therefore not accounted for but also
have the same perspective of what it looks like to be a young person applied to them
3. Evidence shows that there is a decline in nearly all types of problematic behaviours
4. Neglects that fact that in the 20 years since this model was created, society has also
changed in forms of what it means to be a part of a community and therefore dynamics
etc would have changed too. This is not accounted for in the model
5. Claims used are from a sample population of university students and therefore not
generalisable
3. Identify some of the sources and implications of the storm and stress view
Potential sources and limitations of the storm and stress view as well as the implications include
1. The overemphasis of biological factors
2. Mass media sensationalism
3. Generalisation of results from samples of deviant adolescents
4. Over interpretation of superficial signs of non-conformity (Bandura, 1964)
5. Pre-existing abnormalities arising in childhood that are not diagnosed until adolescence
6. A possible mechanism for adults to resist change? (Ayman-Nolley & Taira, 2000)
7. Over-representation of particular demographics in media and press (Heinz & Paulson,
2006)
Because of these factors, implications can include misunderstanding the youth population, not
bothering to find out the truth and investigating, placing specific biases and influences the way youth
are seen and thus dealt with when an issue involving them potentially arise.
Lecture Three (2Q) Youth health and wellbeing
1. Define health according to WHO and discuss how it aligns with Maori, Pasifika Principles of
health and wellbeing
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) health is defined as the “complete physical,
mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease of infirmity”. This aligns with the
Maori and Pasifika principles of health and wellbeing as it considers health and wellbeing on a
holistic scale looking at all aspects of the person rather than individualising aspects of health to just
being physical health.
2. Describe the health and wellbeing trends of New Zealand
New Zealand health and wellbeing trends includes
Increasing trend in family relationships with more parental involvement over the years
A 30% decrease of young people having a part-time job
A 50% increase of young people worrying about not having enough food
An increase in fruit and vegetable consumption since 2007
A slight increase then decrease of participation in vigorous physical activity
NOTE: References are not needed for the exam, however they are provided
There are 10 out of 15 questions with components within each question. You must answer
the whole question. Note that only the first 10 answers will be marked (5mks each).
Lecture One (2Q) Defining youth
1. Describe the characteristics of today’s youth generation in comparison to previous
generations
Traditionalists -Other names include: Radio babies, builders, industrialists, silent generation
(1900-1945) and WW2 generation
-Generally hard workers from a sense they derive meaning and pride from
work
-Silent generation due to the war
-They did not have a lot of say in what they did but to be dutiful to their
country
Baby Boomers -Good health
(1946-1964) -Wealthiest generation
-Described as work-cantered, independent, goal-orientated and competitive
-Views world as improving over time
Generation X -Other names include: Gen bust, Gen X, Post-boomers, baby busters
(1961-1981) -These young people grew up in high rates of non-nuclear families with parents
who were: workaholics and sought personal gratification, authority and
rankings
-Produced significantly less babies
-Watched as parents were laid off
-Grew up with change
Generation Y -Also known as the millennials
(Early 1980s- -Those graduating high school after 2000
Mid 1990s) -Grew up when internet and social media exploded, during 9/11 and the great
recession
-Compared to previous generations they entered the workforce with high
amounts of debts and delay major life choices such as settling down with
children etc.
Generation Z -Nicknames: Gen Z, iGen, Gen tech etc
(1995-2015- -Trends haven’t really emerged yet as still in this time period
today’s youth -Young people are growing up highly connected, very tech savvy, driven by
population) instant feedback and communicates with individual who do not occupy the
same physical stance
-Also, a new silent generation is emerging due to war in areas of the world
which are under reported and not recognised
-IQ scores are generally higher and they are also accepting of diverse situations
-They interact with lots of information at once and therefore also less likely to
check information and source accuracy
Note: Generational parameters are really blurry
, 2. Provide examples to illustrate how the definition of “youth” varies cross-culturally
In agrarian societies children are expected to take on adult roles and responsibilities at a young age
and children are not segregated from adults- the transition is more seamless. In some cultures, rites
of passage that demarcate the transition between childhood and adulthood are accompanied by
abrupt changes in social expectations. Political events such as war can also play a role in redefining
youth- adolescence/youth may be suspended or non-existent
3. Explain what the concept of “youth” can be considered a social construction
The concept of “youth” can be considered a social construction as it is a term that society has
assumed on a certain group of people that they name “youth”. The term only has meaning through
processes that create dominant ways of thinking about young people and their activities. There is
also no definitive boundary on what “youth” is since youth varies cross-culturally. As humans,
individuals and groups often participate in the construction of their own social role and therefore
youth is another one of these attempts at segregating people into different societal roles. “Youth”
can also be termed as a social construct as the term itself does not have meaning in itself without a
society giving it meaning as the term does not refer to something real, solid or innate.
Further evidence that shows that youth is a social construct is that the term “youth” refers to the
developmental period between childhood and adulthood and that the timing and duration of these
developmental stages varies across individuals, cultures and communities. Defining youth through
age presents its limitations as it does not enable a full explanation of what youth is. Biological and
environmental factors also influence the onset of puberty and thus to define youth and attribute it
to certain factors, it has to be a social construct, as the common understanding of what a youth is
has been constructed and agreed upon by the society.
Lecture Two (1Q) Public perceptions and portrayal of youth
1. Name the three phases that describe the changing perspectives of youth and adolescence
The three phases that describe the changing perspectives of youth and adolescence are:
-Phase 1: Deficit Models (Storm and Stress) and Biology and hormones to blame
-Phase 2: The emergence of distinct youth culture, interest in adolescent life stage (deficit
model) and ecological theories also gained prominence
-Phase 3: Positive youth development- rejects the idea that youth are a problem to be dealt
with
2. Describe the storm and stress view of adolescence and critically evaluate the validity of this
view
The storm and stress view of adolescence is an example of a deficit model that proposes the idea
that teenagers or youth, are a problem that parents need to deal with. It does not acknowledge that
youth are equals to adults and therefore the approach of this model has three key themes. These
themes are: conflict with parents and adults- the tendency to rebel and resit authority, mood
disruptions such as mood swings and risk behaviours such as reckless driving.
The storm and stress model do not necessarily reflect the youth population accurately, as factors
such as individual and cultural variation needs to be considered. This model ignores crucial factors
that contribute to the development of a young person and their behaviour. Such factors include
, ignoring societal change and differences and as a result, the dynamics of being a young person will
also change and reflect something different.
Criticism and limitations of the storm and stress model include
1. The issue of popular media using claims as their evidence that are not factual
2. Ignores the fact that university students are often more privileged than others and
therefore others with different experiences are therefore not accounted for but also
have the same perspective of what it looks like to be a young person applied to them
3. Evidence shows that there is a decline in nearly all types of problematic behaviours
4. Neglects that fact that in the 20 years since this model was created, society has also
changed in forms of what it means to be a part of a community and therefore dynamics
etc would have changed too. This is not accounted for in the model
5. Claims used are from a sample population of university students and therefore not
generalisable
3. Identify some of the sources and implications of the storm and stress view
Potential sources and limitations of the storm and stress view as well as the implications include
1. The overemphasis of biological factors
2. Mass media sensationalism
3. Generalisation of results from samples of deviant adolescents
4. Over interpretation of superficial signs of non-conformity (Bandura, 1964)
5. Pre-existing abnormalities arising in childhood that are not diagnosed until adolescence
6. A possible mechanism for adults to resist change? (Ayman-Nolley & Taira, 2000)
7. Over-representation of particular demographics in media and press (Heinz & Paulson,
2006)
Because of these factors, implications can include misunderstanding the youth population, not
bothering to find out the truth and investigating, placing specific biases and influences the way youth
are seen and thus dealt with when an issue involving them potentially arise.
Lecture Three (2Q) Youth health and wellbeing
1. Define health according to WHO and discuss how it aligns with Maori, Pasifika Principles of
health and wellbeing
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) health is defined as the “complete physical,
mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease of infirmity”. This aligns with the
Maori and Pasifika principles of health and wellbeing as it considers health and wellbeing on a
holistic scale looking at all aspects of the person rather than individualising aspects of health to just
being physical health.
2. Describe the health and wellbeing trends of New Zealand
New Zealand health and wellbeing trends includes
Increasing trend in family relationships with more parental involvement over the years
A 30% decrease of young people having a part-time job
A 50% increase of young people worrying about not having enough food
An increase in fruit and vegetable consumption since 2007
A slight increase then decrease of participation in vigorous physical activity
