NCJ Number
206635
Journal
Youth & Society Volume: 36 Issue: 1 Dated: September 2004 Pages: 77-101
Editor(s)
Kathryn G. Herr
Date Published
September 2004
Length
25 pages
Annotation
This article examines whether commitment to the old political system in Germany and high self-efficacy beliefs measured before German unification would predict change in psychological distress in East German adolescents after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Abstract
The German unification is a prototype of abrupt social change, with a new economic system, new institutions, and new laws governing the lives of the people in East Germany. The unification brought up new opportunities and risk for development. However, with the breakdown of the political system of the former East Germany, people lost many frames of reference because many previous values and norms were no longer socially accepted and individual goals became obsolete. This study focused on the effects of social change on adolescent development. The study analyzed whether identification with the former political system and high self-efficacy beliefs measured before the onset of social change would be related to changes in psychological distress after the breakdown of the previous political system. The study found that a higher identification with the former political system in 1989 was associated with a marginal increase in psychological symptoms. However, high self-efficacy beliefs measured before German unification predicted a decrease in symptoms. In 1989, some months before the Berlin Wall came down, the majority of East German adolescents showed moderate to low commitment to the political and ideological system of the GDR. Conclusions drawn from the study include: (1) East German adolescents, on average, adapted well to social change because of German unification; (2) even those who were committed to the old political system did well; (3) individuals with very low self-efficacy beliefs are a group at risk in the process of social change; and (4) future research on the effects of commitment to the old system on coping with social change should include older age groups with more stable attitudes and values and analyze to what extent self-efficacy beliefs would also help them to adjust to changing societal conditions. It is concluded that adolescence is a period of value formation so that attitudes can easily be adapted to new societal conditions. References