Final answer:
Margaret Mead studied adolescence in Samoa, presenting her findings in her book 'Coming of Age in Samoa', which focused on the sexual life stages and the open approach to adolescence in Samoan culture. She also researched gender roles in New Guinea, ultimately showing that gender behaviors are culturally constructed.
Step-by-step explanation:
Margaret Mead studied adolescence in Samoa. Her exploration of this period was through her groundbreaking work in the field of cultural anthropology, particularly in her most famous book, Coming of Age in Samoa (1928). In this work, Mead presented her findings on the sexual life stages of women and men in Samoan culture, noting an adolescence characterized by romantic and sexual freedom, vastly different from that of the United States.
By contrasting the sexual socialization processes in Samoa with those in the U.S., Mead highlighted the role culture plays in these experiences. She observed that Samoan society allowed for a more open attitude towards sexuality, where adolescent boys and girls were free to experiment with romantic and sexual relationships without the repressive attitudes and strict discipline associated with Euro-American culture.
In addition to her work on adolescence, Mead conducted extensive research on gender roles in several societies in New Guinea, as presented in her 1935 book, Sex and Temperament in Three Primitive Societies. Her observations challenged the prevailing thought of the time by showing that gendered behaviors and temperament were not universally based on biological differences but were culturally constructed.