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age of consent
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minimum age at which an individual can legally make decisions to engage in sexual behavior
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body image
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our mental image or representation of our body
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clique
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close group of three to a dozen or so friends
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crowd
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large social grouping of many dozens or more members in the social milieu of adolescents
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cultural heritage
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adaptations to the natural and social world that have shared meaning and are passed from generation to generation
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de-idealization
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tendency of adolescents to see a mismatch between the values their parents proclaim, the rules they put forward, and the way imperfect parents lead their own imperfect lives
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friendship
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intimate, emotionally close relationship between two individuals
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gender intensification hypothesis
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prediction that conforming to gender roles is of heightened relevance during adolescence
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gender nonconforming behavior
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behavior that does not match society’s expectations for the individual’s assigned gender
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heteronormativity
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idea that heterosexuality is the norm or preferred sexual orientation and that opposite-sex people are best suited for sexual and marital relationships
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identity
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individual’s complete sense of who they are, including their traits, capabilities, interests, values, and social roles
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identity achievement
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realization and commitment to a coherent understanding of oneself and our relationship with society after exploring various identities
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identity diffusion
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identity status in which the individual has low commitment and does not actively seek an identity; most closely aligns with Erikson’s role confusion
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identity foreclosure
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identity status in which an individual has shown an early commitment to an identity without any prior exploration
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identity moratorium
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stage in which individuals are actively exploring various identities but not declaring an identity to be fully formed
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identity versus role confusion
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fifth stage of Erikson’s psychosocial development, which involves forming a stable and whole identity by first exploring various roles and identities
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possible selves
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various identities toward which adolescents may work in the future
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relational aggression
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practice of including or excluding others or otherwise threatening a sense of belonging such as by spreading gossip
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rite of passage
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socially or culturally explicit markers to recognize the transitioning adolescent’s progress and achievement of adult status in one or more dimensions
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romantic relationship
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bond psychologically distinct from mere liking and including components of affection, intimacy, exclusivity, and interdependence
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stereotype threat
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phenomenon where individuals experience anxiety or fear of confirming negative stereotypes about their social group, which can impair their performance in academic or other achievement-related tasks