Eva Schmitt-Rodermund

Gender Differences at Puberty: Short-term and long-term consequences of early versus late physical maturation in adolescents

We are all confronted almost daily with a major source of interindividual variation – people of the same chronological age vary tremendously in physical attributes and behaviors. Some look younger (and consequently may feel younger) than their age would predict, whereas others look older (and may disregard this entirely). A particularly impressive case of variation occurs during puberty: whereas some early adolescents appear physically almost fully grown, others still remind one of a child, and yet both may attend the same classroom and share the same chronological age. In the many domains of everyday interactions we adapt our behavior to the perceived age of others, our expectations and behavioral overtures toward young people may be inadequate; either we treat them like grown-ups (thus overtaxing capabilities) or like children (thereby underestimating potential). At any rate, it is likely that such behaviors, if persistent, could lead to age-inappropriate changes in the behavior of the young. Social reactions to physical maturation also vary widely across cultures. The onset of puberty in girls is universally followed by more restrictions than is observed for boys. Girls are subjected to menstrual taboos, dress codes, and limitations of their activities, whereas boys usually do not have to deal with increased supervision and limitations of their freedom (Petersen, Silbereisen, and Sorensen, 1996). This chapter deals with interindividual variation in the timing of puberty and its association with differences in psychosocial functioning; as will be seen, this relationship is complex and goes well beyond the role of the social processes just mentioned.

Where do entrepreneurial skills come from

Applying Lazears jack-of-all-trades theory, we investigate the formation of entrepreneurial skills in two data sets on innovative new firms. Our results suggest that traditional human capital indicators individually have little or no influence on entrepreneurial skills. However, consistent with Lazears theory, those entrepreneurs who exhibit a varied set of work experience have higher entrepreneurial skills relevant for starting and growing a firm. This supports the notion that a varied set of work experiences rather than depth of any particular type of experience or education is important for the development of entrepreneurial skills.

Well-adapted adolescent ethnic German immigrants in spite of adversity : The protective effects of human, social, and financial capital

About 10% of 1081 adolescent ethnic German immigrants aged between 10 and 20 from Russia and Kazakhstan experienced severe difficulties during acculturation. They felt discriminated against in various domains of their lives and failed at school. Not surprisingly, this group at risk also reported higher rates of delinquent activities than the others. Yet, there were a few young people who seemed to function well even under such bad conditions. The present paper aims at shedding light on the processes behind such positive developmental outcomes in spite of discrimination and school failure. We computed logistic regressions (1 = delinquent, 0 = not delinquent) separately for the risk group and the normative group, with protective factors (personal and family assets) as predictors. Financial assets, language competence, or shorter residence predicted membership in the non-delinquent group for those at risk and not at risk alike. Educational attainment of the father, however, worked differently for the two groups, but opposite to what was expected: Among those at risk, a higher education of the father posed an additional problem, whereas those whose fathers had a lower education often showed less problematic outcomes. Given that there is ample evidence that high parental educational levels relate to positive adolescent outcomes in non-immigrant groups, it seems that intergenerational transmission does not work under conditions of a “glass ceiling”, which may be particularly problematic for immigrant families from higher educational backgrounds.

Wohlbefinden der jugendlichen Aussiedler

Die Situation der Jugendlichen und Kinder unter den Aussiedlern unterscheidet sich von der der Eltern insofern grundlegend, als es zumeist nicht sie waren, die den Entschlus zur Ausreise in der Familie aufbrachten oder durchsetzten (Baumeister, 1991; Suss, 1995). In einer Befragung von 1992 berichteten von 224 polnischen Aussiedlern 37%, sie hatten die Entscheidung zur Ausreise allein getroffen und 40% entschieden gemeinsam mit dem Partner.

Differentielle Akkulturation von Entwicklungsorientierungen unter jugendlichen Aussiedlern

Sprachschwierigkeiten, eine traditionelle Wertorientierung oder auch die ablehnende Haltung der Einheimischen machen den Aussiedlern eine Eingliederung in Deutschland schwer, den Erwachsenen ebenso wie den Jugendlichen. Jugendliche Aussiedler haben jedoch eine Zahl besonderer Schwierigkeiten, wenn es darum geht sich in Deutschland zurechtzufinden (Malchow et al., 1990; Suss, 1995; Dietz & Roll, 1998). Sie erleben den Umzug nach Deutschland in eine Zeit, der die Ablosung vom Elternhaus beginnt und es eine ei-gene Identitat zu finden gilt (Erikson, 1973).

Akkulturation von Aussiedlern: Viel gelernt — noch mehr zu tun

Wer vorwitzig genug ist, das Buch gleich an dieser Stelle aufzuschlagen, fragt sich vielleicht, ob nach so vielen Darstellungen von Befunden, die auch eine Uberprufung eines umfassenderen Modells beinhalten, uberhaupt noch etwas offen geblieben sein kann. Jeder, der in empirischer Arbeit erfahren ist, weis naturlich die Antwort: und ob!

Gute Miene zum bösen Spiel: Resilienz unter arbeitslosen Aussiedlern

Arbeitslos zu sein, insbesondere in einer Situation, in der Erwerbsarbeit zu Integration und Eingewohnung in ein neues Lebensumfeld beitragt, ist fur die Betroffenen nicht leicht. Entsprechend viele Aussiedler berichten in einer solchen Situation von depressiven Verstimmungen, Hoffnungslosigkeit und psychosomatischen Symptomen (Gunkel & Priebe, 1992). Angesichts solcher und ahnlicher kritischer Lebenssituation nicht, wie die meisten Betroffenen, den Mut und das Wohlbefinden zu verlieren, wird als Resilienz bezeichnet (Rutter, 1990).