Adolescence
approximately ages 10/11-18
Growth in
Adolescence
Physical changes associated with
puberty (a period of rapid growth
and sexual maturation) are
triggered by hormones.
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Overall Growth
● Girls begin puberty at around ten years of age and boys begin
approximately two years later.
● During childhood, boys and girls are quite similar in height and
weight. However, gender differences become apparent during
adolescence.
● Boys are taller and heavier than girls
● Sexual changes are divided into two categories: Primary sexual
characteristics and secondary sexual characteristics.
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Primary Sexual Characteristics
Male Anatomy Female Anatomy
Main sex organs: penis and testicles External genitalia, collectively known as the
(produces semen and sperm, vulva, includes mons veneris, labia majora,
responsible for procreation) labia minora, clitoris, vaginal opening, and
Spermarche or first ejaculation of urethral opening.
semen occurs between ages 11 to 15 Internal reproductive organs consist of the
vagina, uterus, fallopian tube and ovaries.
Menarche or the first menstrual period ,
where ovaries release egg cells.
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Secondary Sexual Characteristics
● are visible physical changes not directly linked to reproduction but
signal sexual maturity.
● For males: broader shoulders, lower voice, hair growth occurs in
the pubic area, under arms and on the face.
● For females: bigger breasts, hips broaden, pubic and underarm
hair develops and becomes darker and coarser.
● Acne is part of the hormonal changes during puberty
● For girls, early puberty is associated with depression, substance
use, eating disorders, disruptive behavior disorders, and early
sexual behavior (Graber, 2013).
● Consequences for boys attaining early puberty were increased
odds of cigarette, alcohol, or another drug use (Dudovitz, et al.,
2015).
Gender Role Intensification
● At about the same time that puberty accentuates gender, role
differences also accentuate for at least some teenagers.
● Some girls who excels in subjects like Mathematics or Science may
curb their enthusiasm for fear of limiting their popularity or
attractiveness as girls
● Some boys who were not especially interested in sports previously
may begin dedicating themselves to athletics to affirm their
masculinity in the eyes of others.
● An individual may act like a young adult on one day, but more like a
child the next.
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Adolescent Brain
● The limbic system, which regulates emotion and reward, is linked to
the hormonal changes that occur at puberty.
● The prefrontal cortex which is involved in the control of impulses,
organization, planning, and making good decisions, does not fully
develop until the mid-20s.
● For adolescents the brain’s sensitivity to the neurotransmitter
dopamine (involved in reward circuits) peaks, so the possible
rewards outweighs the risks.
● The adolescent brain is affected by oxytocin which facilitates
bonding and makes social connections more rewarding.
Why Do Adolescents
Not Get Enough Sleep?
According to the National Sleep
Foundation (NSF) (2016), adolescents
need about 8 to 10 hours of sleep
each night to function best. As
adolescent go through puberty, their
circadian rhythms change and push
back their sleep time until later in the
evening (Weintraub, 2016).
Adolescent Sexual Activity
● By about age ten or eleven, most children experience
increased sexual attraction to others that affects social
life, both in school and out (McClintock & Herdt, 1996).
● For girls, adolescent pregnancy could happen.
Eating Disorders
● Muscle Dysmorphia – is a form of Body Dysmorphic Disorder, the
extreme desire to increase one’s muscularity.
● Anorexia Nervosa - an abnormally low body weight, an intense
fear of gaining weight and a distorted perception of weight.
● Bulimia Nervosa – has recurrent episodes of binge eating, then
does inappropriate compensatory behaviors to prevent weight
gain, including purging, laxatives, fasting, etc.
● Binge-eating Disorder - Recurrent episodes of binge eating
Possible treatments: Maudsley Approach for anorexia, and CBT for
bulimia and binge-eating disorder
Cognitive
Development
Cognitive changes include improvements in complex
and abstract thought.
Piaget’s Formal
Operational Stage
Adolescents are able to understand abstract
principles (beauty, love, freedom, etc.) which
have no physical reference.
Adolescents demonstrate
hypothetical-deductive reasoning in solving
problems, and can understand the concept of
transitivity.
Adolescent Egocentrism
Egocentrism or a heightened
self-focus, comes from attributing
unlimited power to their own
thoughts (Crain, 2005).
The imaginary audience and personal
fable are the consequences of
egocentrism.
Information Processing
Cognitive Control
1 Executive functions, such as attention, increases in
working memory, and cognitive flexibility have been
steadily improving since early childhood.
Inductive vs. Deductive
2 Inductive, also called as bottom-up reasoning
and Deductive reasoning, top-down reasoning.
Intuitive vs. Analytical
3 Dual-Process Model; the notion that humans have
two distinct networks for processing information
(Albert & Steinberg, 2011)
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Psychosocial
Development
Self-concept and Self-esteem
Young teens may see themselves as As self-concept differentiates, so too
outgoing but also withdrawn, happy does self-esteem. In addition to the
yet often moody, and both smart and academic, social, appearance, and
completely clueless (Harter, 2012). physical/athletic dimensions of
These contradictions, along with the self-esteem in middle and late
teen’s growing recognition that their childhood, teens also add perceptions
personality and behavior seem to of their competency in romantic
change depending on who they are relationships, on the job, and in close
with or where they are, can lead the friendships (Harter, 2006).
young teen to feel like a fraud.
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Erikson: Identity vs.
Role Confusion
The primary psychosocial task of
adolescence was establishing an identity.
Teens struggle with the question “Who am
I?”
During adolescence we experience
psychological moratorium, where teens put
on hold commitment to an identity while
exploring the options.
If left unresolved, it leads to social isolation
and transition to Adulthood.
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Identity diffusion –those Identity foreclosure -
who have neither explored have made a commitment
the options, nor made a to an identity without
commitment to an identity. having explored the options
It is common in children, (when parents make
the least mature status decisions for their children)
James Marcia’s
Four Identity Identity moratorium - Identity achievement -
Statuses those who explore in
attempt to establish an
those who after
exploration have made a
identity but not yet commitment (not often
committed to it achieved by the end of
adolescence)
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Some other significant areas of psychosocial
development
Romantic
Parent and Teens: Peers Relationships
Autonomy and Attachment
Peer groups evolve from Dating serves many purposes for
While most adolescents get primarily single-sex to teens.
along with their parents, they mixed-sex.
do spend less time with them Deviant peer contagion Relationship inauthenticity -
thus, teenagers greater refers to the transmission incongruence between
desire for independence or or transfer thoughts/feelings and actions
autonomy. of deviant behavior from within a relationship.
one adolescent to
another.
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Thanks!
Do you have any questions?
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