Early Adolescence

INTRODUCTION

Adolescence (from Latin word adolescere,

meaning "to grow up") is a transitional stage of
physical and psychological human development
that generally occurs during the period from
puberty to legal adulthood (age of majority).
The period of adolescence is most closely
associated with the teenage years, though its
physical, psychological and cultural expressions
may begin earlier and end later..
 Time Periods Of Adolescent
• Adolescence is a unique developmental period
– it keeps changing!
• Early adolescence – 9 to 11 years old
• Middle adolescence – 12 to 16 years old
• Late adolescence (early adulthood) – 17 to 20
years old
– Continues to be pushed later (21-24…)
 CHARACTERISTICS OF
ADOLESCENCE YEARS
•• Adolescence is a time of rapid growth and inconsistent
change that varies widely among individuals. In general,
the approximate ages of 10 through 14 are characterized
by:
• Physical growth and hormonal development: bone,
muscle, brain, sexual characteristics, stature.
• A growing ability to use abstract thought.
• Social and emotional growth, including awareness of
others, sense of fairness, social consciousness, sense of
purpose, personal identity (who am I?), peer bonding,
separation from family, and sudden, intense emotions.
 Physical Changes…
 Primary sex characteristics
• The body organs and reproductive structures and
functions that differ between women and men.
• Gonads (testes and ovaries)
 Secondary sex characteristics
• Characteristics of the body that are caused by hormones,
develop during puberty, and last through adult life.
• Changes in genitals/breasts/voice
• Pubic/body/facial hair
 Definition of Puberty
• Pubertas – Latin word for “adult”

• Narrow definition: The process by

which an individual becomes
capable of reproduction.

• Broad definition: The physical,

psychological, and cultural changes
that occur as the growing child
transitions into adulthood.
 Changes…
 Rapid acceleration of physical growth
• Adolescent growth spurt
• 3.5 (girls) to 4.0 (boys) inches/year
• ½ adult weight gained during adolescence
 Changes in body composition
• 3:1 muscle to body fat ratio for boys
• 5:4 for girls
• Emergence of sex differences in physical
performance
 Changes in circulatory and respiratory systems
• Increase in size/capacity of heart and lungs
 Two Roles Of Hormones
 Organizational role (life-long):
– Modification of the organism early in life
• primarily influencing its anatomy
– Organization/structure of CNS
• “Feminine” vs. “masculan-ized” brain and body

 Activational role (specific to puberty):

– Structural “remodeling” of brain
– Increase in salience of sexual stimuli, sexual motivation
– Development of secondary sex characteristics
The hormonal changes brought on by puberty
can affect the adolescent’s behavior in at least
three ways.
 Impact of Puberty
• Sleep patterns
– Delayed phase preference
– Night Owl
• Family relations
– Transformation of parent-child bond
• Peer relations
– Transformation of friendships, romantic
relationships
 Impact of Puberty
• Self-esteem
– Changing body image
– Changing sense of self
• Moods
– Increased stress + Increased sensitivity
• Fluctuation of moods
– Due to hormones or environment?
– “Storm and stress”: myth or fact?
 Timing - Individual Factors
• Genetic factors
– Timing and tempo
• Environmental factors
– Nutrition
– Body weight
– Family conflict
 Early Maturation

• Boys
– Early maturation positives
• Popularity, higher self-esteem
– Early maturation negatives
• Deviant, risk behaviors; more rigidity later
• Girls
– Early maturation positives
• Popularity (cultural dependence)
– Early maturation negatives
• Lower self-esteem, eating disorders, emotions, deviant behaviors
 Late Maturation
• Boys
– Late maturation positives
• Higher levels of creativity, inventiveness
– Late maturation negatives
• Low self-esteem, low social competence
• Girls
– Late maturation positives
• Thinner build
– Late maturation negatives
• Social withdrawal
 Identity Development
• Adolescence  Erickson stage of identity crisis
• Identity
– Sense of individual self
– Selection of commitments, beliefs, values
• Interpersonal process
– Taking their place in the adult community
GENDER &
IDENTITY
• Gender identity: the sense one has of being male or being female
which corresponds, normally, to the person's anatomical sex.

• The affective component of GID is gender dysphoria, discontent

with one's designated birth sex and a desire to have the body of
the other sex, and to be regarded socially as a person of the
other sex.
• GID in children is usually reported as "wanting to be the
other
sex “.

• In many cases, individuals report discomfort stemming

from the feeling that their bodies are "wrong" or meant to
be different.

• Gender identity becomes fixed in most persons by age 2 or

3 years.
 ETIOLOGY- BIOLOGICAL FACTORS
• Resting state of tissue in memmals is initially female &
as fetus develops, a male is produced only if androgen
is introduced by Y chromosome.

• maleness and masculinity depend on fetal and

perinatal androgens.

• Testosterone can increase libido and aggressiveness in

women, and estrogen can decrease libido and
aggressiveness in men.

• Masculinity, femininity, and gender identity result

more from postnatal life events.
 PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS
• Children usually develop a gender identity consonant with
their sex of rearing (also known as assigned sex).

• The formation of gender identity is influenced by the

interaction of children's temperament and parents' qualities
and attitudes.
• Sex-role stereotypes are the beliefs, characteristics and
behaviors of individual cultures that are deemed normal and
appropriate for boys and girls to possess.
• These "norms" are influenced by
family
and the mass-
community
friends othe media,
, an r socializin
d agents. g
• Since many cultures strongly
disapprove of cross-gender behavior,
it often results in significant
problems for affected persons and
those in close relationships with
them.
 Cognitive Changes
• Importance of conceptual structure of thinking
 Propositional logic: thinking constrained by logical relations
– Emphasis on rationality and scientific methodology

• Importance of conceptual resources employed

in thinking
 Five process: Attention, working memory, processing speed,
organization, meta-cognition
 cognitive changes
• Piaget’s – Formal Operational Thought
– Logical, abstract thinking

• Thinking about possibilities

– “If-then” thinking
– Connection between how things are and how they
might have been or could be.

• Thinking about thinking (Metacognition)

– Understanding knowledge (how/when gained)
– Monitoring one’s own mental states
 What is Metacognition?

• Thinking about thinking

• Knowing what we know
• Understanding how we learn
• Being able to discern when and
how to apply strategies for
learning
• Appreciating how our brains work
 Why is metacognition important?

• Studies show that direct instruction, in metacognition

strategies, result in measurable increases in learning.
• For students who struggle, encapsulating the area of
weakness lessens the feelings of overwhelming failure.
• Students who understand how they learn and what they need
to be successful when they learn, are the best communicators
of this very important information.
• When these students understand how to communicate their
metacognitive awareness, they become their own advocates
and can be reflective, independent, self-aware, strategic
learners.
 Issues Related to Puberty
• Bodily Dissatisfaction and Low Self-Esteem
• Mood Swings
• Asserting Independence
• Sexual Awakening
• Identity Conflict
• Physical changes like acne, change of voice,
full grown breast, facial hair etc.
 Influence Of The Environment (Social,
Cultural, Political) On The Growing Child
• Cultural Factors: The idea of culture is vital to understanding
the implications for translation and, despite the differences of
opinion as to whether language is a part of culture or not, the
two are connected. Culture factors range from syntax,
ideologies, religion, language and dialect, to art and literacy.
• Political Factors: The political environment of a country or
region can have a huge impact on how your message is seen
and understood. Politics can be affected by religion, elections,
wars, geographical location, and many other factors.
• Social Factors: Socially factors are things that affect
someone's lifestyle. These could include wealth, religion,
buying habits, education level, family size and structure and
population density.