Adolescents Development and Puberty

Adolescents (12 to 18 Years)

• Adolescence is a period of physical and psychological maturation, leading to a personal identity.
• Major developmental milestones include puberty and the cessation of body growth.
• At the end of this period, individuals are prepared for adulthood.
• The length of adolescence varies culturally, ranging from 18 to 20 years in some cultures.

Introduction

• Adolescence is the period in which an individual develops physically and psychologically and gains a personal identity.
• Key milestones in adolescent development are the onset of puberty and the cessation of body growth.
• Reaching the end of this period typically prepares the individual for adulthood and its responsibilities.
• Adolescent duration is somewhat dependent on cultural norms, with North America having a longer duration.

Puberty

• Puberty is the initial stage of adolescence in which sexual organs start to develop and mature.
• Menarche for girls is the onset of menstruation.
• Ejaculation is the expulsion of semen, which marks puberty in boys.
• Puberty onset varies, for girls between 10 and 14 years, and for boys between 12 and 16 years.

Adolescent Stages

• Adolescence is divided into three stages: early (ages 12-13), middle (ages 14-16), and late (ages 17-20 or possibly up to 20 years).
• Late adolescence is usually more stable in comparison to early and middle adolescence.
• During the later stages, adolescents often focus on planning their future and gaining economic independence.

Physical Development

• During puberty, growth accelerates significantly compared to the slow, consistent growth of childhood.
• This period of accelerated growth is known as the adolescent growth spurt.
• Growth spurts begin earlier in girls than boys (around ages 10-14 for girls and 12-16 for boys).
• Girls often surpass boys in height during this time due to an earlier growth spurt.

Physical Growth: Male

• Physical growth continues through adolescence.
• The maximum height is typically reached between ages 18 and 19.
• Some men may gain additional height through their 20s.
• An average male may increase their weight by 32 kg and height by 41 cm from the age of 10 to 18.

Physical Growth: Female

• The accelerated growth rate in females peaks around age 12.
• Maximum height is usually achieved between ages 15 and 16.
• During the ages of 10-18, the average female will typically gain around 25 kilograms in weight and grow approximately 24 centimeters.
• Physical growth is influenced by factors like heredity, nutrition, medical care, health status, family size and background, and the surrounding environment and culture.

Physical Growth Patterns

• The sequence of physical growth typically begins with the head, hands, and feet reaching adult size developmentally.
• The limbs grow before the trunk, resulting in an appearance that seems leggy and awkward in the beginning stages of puberty.
• As development progresses, the trunk, shoulders, chest, and hips grow, and the skull and facial bones change.

Glandular Changes

• Eccrine and apocrine glands increase secretions during puberty.
• Eccrine glands produce sweat, while apocrine glands are primarily activated by emotions.
• Apocrine gland activity happens primarily in the axillae, anal and genital areas, external auditory canals, around the umbilicus, and around the breasts.
• Sebaceous glands become more active in response to androgens, which can contribute to acne.

Sexual Characteristics

• Both primary (reproductive organs) and secondary sexual characteristics appear during puberty.
• Primary characteristics include testes, penis, ovaries, vagina, and uterus.
• Secondary characteristics distinguish the sexes but do not directly relate to reproduction (e.g., pubic hair, breast development, and voice changes).

Sexual Characteristics: Male

• Puberty often starts with pubic hair appearance and scrotum/testicle enlargement.
• The first ejaculation is a significant milestone of male puberty, usually occurring around age 14.
• Fertility typically follows months after the first ejaculation and sexual maturity is commonly achieved by age 18, which means ability to reproduce.

Sexual Characteristics: Female

• Breast development (thelarche) and pubic hair growth are early signs of puberty.
• Menarche, the onset of menstruation, is a significant milestone, occurring about 1 1/2 to 2 years after the start of breast development.
• Menstrual cycles may initially be irregular or incomplete with ovulation.
• Female reproductive organs typically reach their adult size around age 18-20.

Tanner Stages

• These stages classify the different stages of sexual maturation in males and females. They are used to identify the stage in development of a teenager.

Psychosocial Development

• According to Erikson, the crucial psychosocial task in adolescence is establishing a sense of identity.
• The potential difficulty in this stage is role confusion.
• Body changes and the need to establish an occupational identity can make forming a stable identity difficult.
• Finding and being included in groups and cliques is one way teens navigate this.

Psychosocial Development - Continued

• Adolescents look for trusted role models, influencing their aspirations, choices, and behavior.
• Developing a sense of trust in themselves and others is a recurring task.
• The struggle for autonomy can cause tension between wanting to please their parents and conforming to peer pressures.
• Understanding a healthy self-concept involves acknowledging both personal strengths and weaknesses.

Moral Development

• Young adolescents typically operate at a conventional level of moral development (e.g., abiding by rules, standards and laws).
• Moral development in teens is marked by the questioning of values and beliefs from societal norms.
• Moral reasoning can evolve to a more principled level with a consideration for individual rights and the potential need or desire for changing social rules and laws.

Spiritual Development

• According to Fowler, adolescents reach the synthetic-conventional stage of spiritual development.
• This stage involves believing in teachings and values learned from societal norms without critical examination.

Further Study

• Adolescents' confidence and self-worth can depend on acceptance and validation from family and peers.
• Peer groups offer opportunities for belonging and learning about social roles which can lead to the ability to have fulfilling relationships.
• Adults can influence adolescents by providing role models to encourage decision-making in determining which aspects of either gender roles to adopt or reject.
• There may be an apparent conflict with parents due to difference in adolescent ideals and parental expectations causing a gap in values.