Puberty and Adolescence PDF

PUBERTY AND ADOLESCENCE Transitional stages Childhood vs adulthood Puberty  Period of life span when the child changes from an ASEXUAL TO A SEXUAL being.  Puberty is the stage in development during which maturation of the sexual apparatus occurs and reproductive capacity is attain...

PUBERTY AND ADOLESCENCE Transitional stages Childhood vs adulthood Puberty  Period of life span when the child changes from an ASEXUAL TO A SEXUAL being.  Puberty is the stage in development during which maturation of the sexual apparatus occurs and reproductive capacity is attained.  The word puberty is derived from the Latin word PUBERTS, which mean age of manhood. PUBERTY  Physical growth  Ends childhood  Brings individual to adult:  Size  Shape  Sexual potential  The development of PRIMARY SEX CHARACTERISTICS involves organs and structures of the body related to reproduction.  SECONDARY SEX CHARACTERISTICS involve the visible signs of sexual maturity that do not involve sex organs directly. Characteristics of puberty  Puberty is an overlapping period  Puberty is short period  Puberty is divided in to stages Stages of puberty Post prepubescent Pubescent pubescent Secondary Criteria of Secondary sex sexual sex characteristi maturity characteristi cs begin to appear cs become appear Menarche in well But the girls and developed reproductive nocturnal in Sex organs organs are boys.Secon begin to yet not fully dary sex function in a developed characteristi mature cs continue manner to develop  Puberty is a time of rapid growth  Puberty is negative phase  Puberty is occur in variable age GROWTH SPURT  First sign of puberty that is readily apparent to others  One year after hormone increases  Epiphyses – long bone cartilage turns to bone  Period of rapid physical growth “Sam grew five inches in ninth grade. His body changed so fast that for a while he lost his physical coordination. He seemed to be bumping into things all the time and looked really gangly there for a while.” FACTORS AFFECTING ONSET  Male/female  Genes  Body type  Secular trend  Past 100 years  Each generation starts earlier  The timing of puberty is a key factor for how adolescents react to it.  Early maturation is generally positive for boys.  Early maturing boys tend to be better at athletics, be more popular, have more positive self- esteem, and grow up to be more cooperative and responsible. Adolescence  The developmental stage between childhood and adulthood.  The age at which adolescence begins and ends is imprecise, partly because society is unclear about the roles of people in this stage (no longer children, not yet adults).  Adolescence (1904) – G. Stanley Hall  Time of rebirth – way of seeing the world changes  Erratic physical changes  Erratic emotional & moral development  Each generation capable of surpassing previous generation in moral and intellectual leadership because the young are idealistic, altruistic, & self-sacrificing Adolescent  Psychological Development The “Tasks” of Adolescence  Develop and accept body image  Undergo cognitive maturation  Concrete-abstract thinking  Present future orientation in time  Causality: single multiple cause/effect possibilities  Achieve independence from parents  Adopt peer codes and lifestyles  Establish identity (sexual, moral, vocational etc.) NEEDS OF ADOLESCENTS  Need for security (comes from acceptance by parents and peers)  Need for new experiences (desire for adventures, apart from everyday routine)  Need for status (desire for adult rights and privileges)  Need for physical adequacy (looks for appraisal from others, especially peers) The challenges for young people  x Challenging authority  x Taking risks  x Experimenting with drugs, smoking, and sex  x Challenging the moral and social structure of society  x Demanding rights  x Taking responsibility for self and others The challenges for young people  x Developing relationships  x Understanding sexuality  x Renegotiating rules at home  Psychological Development and Changes Socioemotional development  Horm o p h y s n e s c on ic t chan al chang rol most g e o have es in the s of ado f the out le w in yo more to way you scence, ard ur br d t b ain. o with ch hink and ut Betw ange fe e l e s oc c u wave en the y rring of grow ears place th of 10. and a deve nd 13 a T he lopm dram br a i n en t ta a ti c brain wi l l a kes I m pr use. cells and ctually “ oved conn prun ectio eb ns th ack” the Men s at yo an l ta l C u do Ch nta ge Abstr ha ng not a ct Th es: inkin g Me Reas Impu on i ng S lse C k i lls ontro l  Mental Changes Abstract Reasoning Thinking: Skills: Is your ability to think at a higher Is your ability to level and process solve problems, ideas that involve make wise choices complex ideas. and make decisions Example: You based on added understand your information. own hunger pains, but now you begin Impulse to think about the world’s problems of Control: Teens have a tendency to react impulsively, hunger. doing things on a dare that may be dangerous to their health. As teens age, reasoning skills begin to put the brake on impulsive actions. Search for Meaning: Choosing a way of life that is right for you. Emotional Search for Values: Establishing beliefs that Changes are important to you. Search for Self: This is a search for your identity; hair style, clothes, behaviors, seeking approval from others. During adolescence, individuals start to define meaning in their lives, a set of personal values,  Identity Vs Role Confusion self- portrayal Identity Emotiona crisis l swings “storm self- and esteem stress Adolescent Egocentrism  Heightened self-consciousness of adolescents which is reflected in their belief that others are as interested in them as they are & in their sense of personal uniqueness David Elkind proposes two types of social thinking:  imaginary audience: a belief that they are ‘on stage’ and that their every act is being viewed by an imaginary audience  personal fable: sense of uniqueness making them feel that no one can understand them Gender Comparisons of Adolescents’ Self-Images Girls Boys Impulse control Educational toneBody Socialimage relationships Mora ls Vocational/educational aspirationsMastery of the world Psychological problemsAdjustm Category of ent Familial self-esteem self Sexual self -.4 -.2 0 +.2 +.4 Statistical score  Emotional development in adolescence  State of “storm and stress” is not constant  But emotional highs and lows increase  From age10-14 years, both sexes experience some moodiness Itis normal to be moody Moodiness may be affected more by environmental experiences than hormonal changes Behavioral changes Sleep Anger Eating Mood Irritation Negative Friendship behaviors IDENTITY FORMATION  Identity is a self-portrait of many parts:  Desired career path  Religious beliefs  Social and intimate relationships  Sexual and gender identity  Cultural or ethnic identity  Personality traits  Physical body image  Identity formation occurs gradually over time, occurring before and continuing after adolescence  Identity formation--James Marcia  Adolescence is a time of exploration  Four identity statuses that involve commitment: Diffusion Foreclosure Moratorium Achievement  Adolescents also show a Need for confidence in parental support Need for a developed sense of industry Gain in self-reflective view of their future Identity Status Marcia  Crisis  questioning of previous identity and beliefs, goals, & values  Commitment  involves a dedication to and acceptance of one’s identity and beliefs, goals, & values  No exploration Exploration No commitment Identity Diffusion Moratorium Commitment Foreclosure Identity Achievement Maddy Brink  Identity Diffusion “I don’t worry about values ahead of time; I decide things when they happen.” “I don’t know what I believe.” Identity diffuse people do not know how they will end up, nor do they care. They are just living for the moment and give little thought to the future. If diffuse people do not mature by adulthood – bad news. They have little self-esteem and little autonomy; they are usually disorganized, complicated, and Maddy Brink  Foreclosure “I’ve known since I was young what I wanted to be.” “It’s better to have a firm set of beliefs than to be open to different ideas.” Foreclosed people commit to an identity, but they commit to an identity that has been handed to them, usually by some authority. This is natural at a young age, but often in young adulthood, children of wealthy parents accept the predetermined identities that their parents give them. Foreclosed adults are characterized by a disapproval of showing strong emotion, support for authoritarian views, a need for social approval, poor results in stressful situations, stereotypical relationships, great behavior, and happy family life. Maddy Brink MORATORIUM “Whe n I ha v make e to decis a big know i o n , Il as mu ike to can a ch as I bout i t. ” People in the moratorium status are exploring their identities, but they have not yet committed to any certain ideology yet. They are experimenting and searching for a set of ideas and beliefs to call their own. Moratoriums are characterized by anxiety, high self-esteem, internally oriented behavior, cultural sophistication, a need for both rebellion and acceptance, short deep relationships, and favorable reception from others. Maddy Brink Figure 11.16 Marcia’s four identity statuses. According to Marcia (1980), the occurrence of an identity crisis and the development of personal commitments can combine into four possible identity statuses, as shown in this diagram.  Marcia’s Four Statuses of Identity Position on occupation and Identity status ideology Identity Identity Identity Identity diffusion foreclosure moratorium achievement Crisis Absent Absent Present Present Commitment Absent Present Absent Present  Adolescents’ identity development affected by  Individuality (self-assertion, separateness)  Connectedness (mutuality, open to other views)  Ethnic and cultural group membership  Gender (may be more complex for females)  Male identity formation may precede intimacy stage  Female intimacy may precede or co-develop COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT IN ADOLESCENCE  Adolescent Cognition  Piaget’s Theory: Adolescent was in formal operational stage of cognition where thought is more abstract & adolescents are no longer limited to actual, concrete experiences as anchors for thought  They can now conjure up make-believe situations & events that are hypothetical possibilities & then try to reason logically about them  In this stage: adolescent has ability to develop hypotheses, or best guesses to solve problems as in algebraic equation  They systematically deduce, or conclude best path to follow in solving equation Challenge to Piaget’s formal Operational Stage  There is much more individual variation than what he envisioned  Indeed, it is estimated than only 1 out of 3 young adolescents is a formal operational thinker, and many American adults never become such thinkers Information Processing in Adolescents  Ability to process information improves in areas of memory, decision making critical thinking & self-regulatory learning  Robert Sternberg found that solving problems, such as analogies, requires individuals to make continued comparisons between newly encoded information & previously encoded information  Adolescents probably have more Adolescent Cognitive Capacities Adolescents have:  Increased speed, automaticity & capacity of information processing  More breadth of content knowledge,  Increased ability to construct new combinations of knowledge  Greater range for applying or obtaining knowledge  Capacity to set goals for extending knowledge  Awareness of their emotional makeup to: periodically monitor their progress, fine-tune their strategies, evaluate obstacles & make adaptations  Values  Adolescents carry with them a set of values that influences their thoughts, feelings& actions  Over past two decades, they have shown an increased concern for personal well-being & decreased concern for well-being of others & demonstrate an increasing need for self- fulfillment & self-expression  Some signs indicate that today’s students are shifting toward stronger interest in welfare of society as there has been increase in percentage of freshmen who said that they were strongly interested in participating in community action programs Moral Education  The Hidden Curriculum  John Dewey recognized that schools provide moral education through a ‘hidden curriculum’ which is conveyed by moral atmosphere that is a part of every school  Teachers serve as models of ethical or unethical behavior  Through its rules & regulations, school administration infuses school with a value system Morbidity & Mortality in Adolescence Primary sources of death/disability are related to problems with control of behavior and emotion accidents, suicide, homicide, depression, alcohol & substance use, violence, reckless behaviors, eating disorders, risky sexual behaviors… risk-taking, sensation-seeking, and erratic (emotionally-influenced) behavior onset of problems with later health consequences