ADOLESCENCE both testosterone and estradiol are present in the hormonal makeup of
both boys and girls, but testosterone dominates in male pubertal
There is a long history of worrying about how adolescents will “turn out.” development, estradiol in female pubertal development.
In 1904, G. Stanley Hall proposed the “storm-and-stress” view that
adolescence is a turbulent time charged with conflict and mood swings. Testosterone
is a hormone associated in boys with the development of genitals, an
increase in height, and a change in voice.
PHYSICAL CHANGES
Estradiol
Puberty
is a type of estrogen; in girls it is associated with breast, uterine, and
is a period of rapid physical maturation involving hormonal and bodily skeletal development.
changes that occurs primarily during early adolescence.
TIMING AND VARIATIONS IN PUBERTY
SEXUAL MATURATION, HEIGHT, AND WEIGHT
For most boys, the pubertal sequence may begin as early as age 10 or as late
Researchers have found that male pubertal characteristics typically develop as 13½, and may end as early as age 13 or as late as 17.
in this order: increase in penis and testicle size, appearance of straight
pubic hair, minor voice change, first ejaculation (which usually occurs Precocious puberty
through masturbation or a wet dream), appearance of kinky pubic hair,
onset of maximum growth in height and weight, growth of hair in term used to describe the very early onset and rapid progression of puberty.
armpits, more detectable voice changes, and, finally, growth of facial hair. is usually diagnosed when the onset of puberty happens before 8 years of
age in girls and before 9 years of age in boys.
What is the order of appearance of physical changes in females? First, usually is treated by medically suppressing gonadotropic secretions,
either the breasts enlarge or pubic hair appears. Later, hair appears in the which temporarily halts pubertal change.
armpits. As these changes occur, the female grows in height and her hips This treatment is usually given because children who experience precocious
become wider than her shoulders. puberty are eventually likely to have short stature, early sexual capability,
and the potential for engaging in age-inappropriate behavior.
Menarche
a girl’s first menstruation—comes rather late in the pubertal cycle. Initially, THE BRAIN
her menstrual cycles may be highly irregular.
For the first several years, she may not ovulate every menstrual cycle; some Prefrontal cortex
girls do not ovulate at all until a year or two after menstruation begins. No This “judgment” region reins in intense emotions but doesn’t finish
voice changes comparable to those in pubertal males occur in pubertal developing until at least emerging adulthood
females. By the end of puberty, the female’s breasts have become more fully
rounded. Corpus callosum
HORMONAL CHANGES These nerve fibers connect the brain’s two hemispheres; they thicken in
adolescence to process information more effectively
Hormones
Amygdala
powerful chemical substances secreted by the endocrine glands and carried
through the body by the bloodstream The seat of emotions such as anger; this area develops quickly before other
The concentrations of certain hormones increase dramatically during regions that help to control it.
adolescence (Roa & others, 2010).
ADOLESCENT SEXUALITY
, Adolescence Anorexia nervosa
a time of sexual exploration and experimentation, of sexual fantasies and is an eating disorder that involves the relentless pursuit of thinness
realities, of incorporating sexuality into one’s identity. through starvation.
(1) weight less than 85 percent of what is considered normal for their age
Adolescents and height; (2) an intense fear of gaining weight that does not decrease with
have an almost insatiable curiosity about sexuality. They are concerned weight loss; and (3) a distorted image of their body shape
about whether they are sexually attractive, how to do sex, and what the Bulimia nervosa
future holds for their sexual lives
is an eating disorder in which the individual consistently follows a binge-
DEVELOPING A SEXUAL IDENTITY and-purge pattern.
Developing a sexual identity also involves more than just sexual behavior. goes on an eating binge and then purges by self-inducing vomiting or using
Sexual identities emerge in the context of physical factors, social factors, a laxative.
and cultural factors, with most societies placing constraints on the sexual ADOLESCENT COGNITION
behavior of adolescents.
An adolescent’s sexual identity involves activities, interests, styles of PIAGET’S THEORY
behavior, and an indication of sexual orientation (whether an individual has
same-sex or other-sex attractions). The Formal Operational Stage
For example, some adolescents have a high anxiety level about sex, others a more abstract than concrete operational thought. Adolescents are no longer
low level. Some adolescents are strongly aroused sexually, others less so. limited to actual, concrete experiences as anchors for thought. They can
Some adolescents are very active sexually, others not at all. Some conjure up make believe situations, abstract propositions, and events that
adolescents are sexually inactive in response to their strong religious are purely hypothetical, and can try to reason logically about them.
upbringing; others go to church regularly, yet their religious training does
not inhibit their sexual activity. hypothetical-deductive reasoning
RISK FACTORS IN ADOLESCENT SEXUAL BEHAVIOR involves creating a hypothesis and deducing its implications, steps that
provide ways to test the hypothesis. Thus, formal operational thinkers
Early sexual activity is linked with risky behaviors such as drug use, develop hypotheses about ways to solve problems and then systematically
delinquency, and school-related problems. deduce the best path to follow to solve the problem.
A recent study revealed that alcohol use, early menarche, and poor parent- Children are likely to solve problems through trial and error; adolescents
child communication were linked to early sexually intimate behavior in begin to think more as a scientist thinks, devising plans to solve
girls. In addition to having sex in early adolescence, other risk factors for problems and systematically testing solutions.
sexual problems in adolescence include contextual factors such as
socioeconomic status (SES), as well as family/parenting, peer, and academic ADOLESCENT EGOCENTRISM
achievement factors
heightened self-consciousness of adolescents. David Elkind (1976) points
CONTRACEPTIVE USE out that adolescent egocentrism has two key components—the imaginary
audience and personal fable
Sexual activity carries with it considerable risks if appropriate safeguards
are not taken. Youth encounter two kinds of risks: unintended unwanted
pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Both of these risks can be
reduced significantly if contraception is used.
imaginary audience
EATING DISORDERS
both boys and girls, but testosterone dominates in male pubertal
There is a long history of worrying about how adolescents will “turn out.” development, estradiol in female pubertal development.
In 1904, G. Stanley Hall proposed the “storm-and-stress” view that
adolescence is a turbulent time charged with conflict and mood swings. Testosterone
is a hormone associated in boys with the development of genitals, an
increase in height, and a change in voice.
PHYSICAL CHANGES
Estradiol
Puberty
is a type of estrogen; in girls it is associated with breast, uterine, and
is a period of rapid physical maturation involving hormonal and bodily skeletal development.
changes that occurs primarily during early adolescence.
TIMING AND VARIATIONS IN PUBERTY
SEXUAL MATURATION, HEIGHT, AND WEIGHT
For most boys, the pubertal sequence may begin as early as age 10 or as late
Researchers have found that male pubertal characteristics typically develop as 13½, and may end as early as age 13 or as late as 17.
in this order: increase in penis and testicle size, appearance of straight
pubic hair, minor voice change, first ejaculation (which usually occurs Precocious puberty
through masturbation or a wet dream), appearance of kinky pubic hair,
onset of maximum growth in height and weight, growth of hair in term used to describe the very early onset and rapid progression of puberty.
armpits, more detectable voice changes, and, finally, growth of facial hair. is usually diagnosed when the onset of puberty happens before 8 years of
age in girls and before 9 years of age in boys.
What is the order of appearance of physical changes in females? First, usually is treated by medically suppressing gonadotropic secretions,
either the breasts enlarge or pubic hair appears. Later, hair appears in the which temporarily halts pubertal change.
armpits. As these changes occur, the female grows in height and her hips This treatment is usually given because children who experience precocious
become wider than her shoulders. puberty are eventually likely to have short stature, early sexual capability,
and the potential for engaging in age-inappropriate behavior.
Menarche
a girl’s first menstruation—comes rather late in the pubertal cycle. Initially, THE BRAIN
her menstrual cycles may be highly irregular.
For the first several years, she may not ovulate every menstrual cycle; some Prefrontal cortex
girls do not ovulate at all until a year or two after menstruation begins. No This “judgment” region reins in intense emotions but doesn’t finish
voice changes comparable to those in pubertal males occur in pubertal developing until at least emerging adulthood
females. By the end of puberty, the female’s breasts have become more fully
rounded. Corpus callosum
HORMONAL CHANGES These nerve fibers connect the brain’s two hemispheres; they thicken in
adolescence to process information more effectively
Hormones
Amygdala
powerful chemical substances secreted by the endocrine glands and carried
through the body by the bloodstream The seat of emotions such as anger; this area develops quickly before other
The concentrations of certain hormones increase dramatically during regions that help to control it.
adolescence (Roa & others, 2010).
ADOLESCENT SEXUALITY
, Adolescence Anorexia nervosa
a time of sexual exploration and experimentation, of sexual fantasies and is an eating disorder that involves the relentless pursuit of thinness
realities, of incorporating sexuality into one’s identity. through starvation.
(1) weight less than 85 percent of what is considered normal for their age
Adolescents and height; (2) an intense fear of gaining weight that does not decrease with
have an almost insatiable curiosity about sexuality. They are concerned weight loss; and (3) a distorted image of their body shape
about whether they are sexually attractive, how to do sex, and what the Bulimia nervosa
future holds for their sexual lives
is an eating disorder in which the individual consistently follows a binge-
DEVELOPING A SEXUAL IDENTITY and-purge pattern.
Developing a sexual identity also involves more than just sexual behavior. goes on an eating binge and then purges by self-inducing vomiting or using
Sexual identities emerge in the context of physical factors, social factors, a laxative.
and cultural factors, with most societies placing constraints on the sexual ADOLESCENT COGNITION
behavior of adolescents.
An adolescent’s sexual identity involves activities, interests, styles of PIAGET’S THEORY
behavior, and an indication of sexual orientation (whether an individual has
same-sex or other-sex attractions). The Formal Operational Stage
For example, some adolescents have a high anxiety level about sex, others a more abstract than concrete operational thought. Adolescents are no longer
low level. Some adolescents are strongly aroused sexually, others less so. limited to actual, concrete experiences as anchors for thought. They can
Some adolescents are very active sexually, others not at all. Some conjure up make believe situations, abstract propositions, and events that
adolescents are sexually inactive in response to their strong religious are purely hypothetical, and can try to reason logically about them.
upbringing; others go to church regularly, yet their religious training does
not inhibit their sexual activity. hypothetical-deductive reasoning
RISK FACTORS IN ADOLESCENT SEXUAL BEHAVIOR involves creating a hypothesis and deducing its implications, steps that
provide ways to test the hypothesis. Thus, formal operational thinkers
Early sexual activity is linked with risky behaviors such as drug use, develop hypotheses about ways to solve problems and then systematically
delinquency, and school-related problems. deduce the best path to follow to solve the problem.
A recent study revealed that alcohol use, early menarche, and poor parent- Children are likely to solve problems through trial and error; adolescents
child communication were linked to early sexually intimate behavior in begin to think more as a scientist thinks, devising plans to solve
girls. In addition to having sex in early adolescence, other risk factors for problems and systematically testing solutions.
sexual problems in adolescence include contextual factors such as
socioeconomic status (SES), as well as family/parenting, peer, and academic ADOLESCENT EGOCENTRISM
achievement factors
heightened self-consciousness of adolescents. David Elkind (1976) points
CONTRACEPTIVE USE out that adolescent egocentrism has two key components—the imaginary
audience and personal fable
Sexual activity carries with it considerable risks if appropriate safeguards
are not taken. Youth encounter two kinds of risks: unintended unwanted
pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Both of these risks can be
reduced significantly if contraception is used.
imaginary audience
EATING DISORDERS
