Adolescents and Their Music

Abstract

During adolescence, teenagers are expected to develop standards of behavior and reconcile them with their perceptions of adult standards. In this context, music, a powerful medium in the lives of adolescents, offers conflicting values. The explicit sexual and violent lyrics of some forms of music often clash with the themes of abstinence and rational behavior promoted by adult society. Identification with rock music, particularly those styles that are rejected by adults, functions to separate adolescents from adult society. Some forms of rock music extend well beyond respectability in fulfilling this definitional role. Total immersion into a rock subculture, such as heavy metal, may be both a portrait of adolescent alienation and an unflattering reflection of an adolescent's perception of the moral and ethical duplicity of adult society. Physicians should be aware of the role of music in the lives of adolescents and use music preferences as clues to the emotional and mental health of adolescents.

Impact of Music, Music Lyrics, and Music Videos on Children and Youth

“…Pediatricians should become familiar with the role of music in the lives of children and adolescents and identify music preferences of their patients as clues to emotional conflict or problems. 99 2. Pediatricians should become familiar with the literature available on the effects of music and music videos on children and adolescents.…”

Development and validation of theHealthy‐UnhealthyMusicScale

“…This way, music interacts with the context of each young person and their existing state of mental health to potentially intensify experiences and behavioral patterns (McFerran & Saarikallio, 2013 ). At-risk individuals may couple music with their maladaptive behavioral patterns and, therefore, their uses of music can provide clues toward the assessment of their mental health (Brown & Hendee, 1989 ).…”

Effects of Stereotypical Sex Role Movies on Adolescents and Emerging Adults

“…The short-term exposure effect that was found among adolescents warrants attention. Prior research has also shown that adolescents seem to use media content portraying stereotypical sex roles to learn about gender and sexual relationships, as it is suggested by past research (e.g., Brown & Hendee, 1989;Larson, 1990;Arnett, 1992Arnett, , 1995Greenberg, Brown et al, 1992;Arnett, 1995;Steele & Brown, 1995;Bandura, 2002;Brown et al, 2005;Phinney, 2006;Ward & Friedman, 2006;Padilla-Walker, 2007). Also, adolescent participants showed more stereotypical gender views than emerging adults in general.…”

“…Regarding adolescents, a key use of media is related to identity formation (Arnett, 1995). For example, adolescents turn to media to learn about gender, and romantic and sexual relationships (Brown & Hendee, 1989;Larsen, 1990;Greenberg et al, 1992;Arnett, 1995;Steele & Brown, 1995;Brown et al, 2005). Adolescents may perceive that media offers the "forbidden fruits" that parents or educators do not talk about (Sutton et al, 2002: 26).…”