How Much Do You Know About Adolescence and Puberty?

Study Notes

Adolescence and Puberty: Physical, Cognitive, Emotional, and Social Changes

Adolescence is the period between childhood and adulthood, marked by physical, emotional, mental, and social changes.
Puberty is the time of physical changes when an individual becomes capable of sexual reproduction, which occurs earlier in girls (12 years) than in boys (14 years) in Western society.
During puberty, there is a great increase in muscle mass and redistribution of body fat, with pelvic growth and greater fat mass in girls, and shoulder growth and more lean body mass in boys.
The growth spurt occurs earlier in females, with maximum growth of 9cm/year at 12 years of age, while males have the maximum growth of 10cm/year at 14 years of age.
Craniofacial changes occur during adolescence, including changes in facial and dental appearance, with the mandible growing more than the maxilla, leading to greater prognathism and chin prominence.
Dental changes occur as all permanent teeth (except for third molars) erupt by age 12, and roots are completed by age 16, except for third molars, which are completed by age 25.
Cognitive changes during adolescence include the ability to cope with complex problems, store information in memory, and analyze information, leading to rebellion, complaining, or accusing behavior.
Emotional changes during adolescence include anxiety about appearance, attraction, strength, masculinity/femininity, and the onset of puberty and hormones, leading to love and sexual urges.
Social changes during adolescence involve the transition from dependence on parents to independence, with increased dependence on peers, who can have both positive and negative influences.
The qualities that make an individual popular among peers include being friendly, energetic, enthusiastic, flexible, forgiving, humorous, outgoing, self-confident but not conceited, and natural.
Adolescents may experience conflicts with parents, but by late adolescence, they can understand and appreciate parental values.
Self-esteem is a measure of personal worth and place in society, linked with self-respect, and adolescents should identify their good qualities and desires while refraining from harmful activities.