sexually transmitted infection (STI): An infection spread by sexual contact; includes syphilis, gonorrhea, genital herpes, chlamydia, and HIV.

moratorium: Socially acceptable way to postpone achievement. Going to college is a common example.

role confusion: A situation in which people do not seem to know or care what his or her identity is. (Sometimes called identity diffusion.)

sexual orientation: A person’s sexual and romantic attraction to others of the same sex, the other sex, or both sexes.

identity versus role confusion: Erikson’s term for his fifth stage of development, in which the person tries to figure out “Who am I?” but is confused as to which of many possible roles to adopt.

cluster suicides: Several suicides committed by members of a group within a brief period.

peer pressure: When people of the same age group encourage particular behavior, dress, and attitude. This is usually considered negative, when peers encourage behavior that is contrary to norms or morals, but can also be positive.

identity achievement: Erikson’s term for the attainment of identity, or the point at which a person understands who he or she is as a unique individual, in accord with past experiences and future plans. This includes many identities—religions, sexual-gender, political-ethnic, and vocational.

parasuicide: Any potentially lethal action against the self that does not result in death. (Also called attempted suicide or failed suicide.)

suicidal ideation: Thinking about suicide, usually with serious emotional and intellectual impact.

familism: The belief that family members should support one another, sacrificing individual freedom and success, if necessary, in order to protect the family from outside forces.

deviancy training: Destructive peer support in which one person shows another how to rebel against authority or social norms.

rumination: Repeatedly thinking and talking about past experiences and possibilities.

generational forgetting: The idea that each new generation forgets what the previous generation learned.

life-course-persistent offender: A person whose criminal activity continues throughout life; a career criminal.

gender identity: A person’s acceptance of the roles and behaviors that a culture associates with the biological categories of male and female.

adolescence-limited offender: A person whose criminal activity occurs only during adolescence.

clinical depression: Feelings of hopelessness, lethargy, and worthlessness that last two weeks or more.

parental monitoring: Parents’ ongoing awareness of what their children are doing, where, and with whom.

foreclosure: Erikson’s term for premature identity formation, when a person adopts parents’ or society’s roles and values wholesale, without questioning or analysis.