Chapter 7 - Adolescence Flashcards
Puberty
Pubertyis the period of rapid growth and sexual development that begins in adolescence andstarts at some point between ages 8 and 14.
Hormones play an____ role(priming the body to behave in a certain way once puberty begins) and an______ role(triggering certain behavioral and physical changes).
organizational, activational
Two phases of puberty:
Puberty occurs over two distinct phases, and the first phase,adrenarche, begins at 6 to 8 years of age and involves increased production of adrenal androgens that contribute to a number of pubertal changes—such as skeletal growth. The second phase of puberty,gonadarche, begins several years later and involves increased production of hormones governing physical and sexual maturation.
Primary sex characteristics
Primary sexcharacteristicsare organs specifically needed for reproduction—the uterus and ovaries in females and testes in males.
Secondary sex characteristics
Secondary sexcharacteristicsare physical signs of sexual maturation that do not directly involve sex organs, such as development of breasts and hips in girls, and development of facial hair and a deepened voice in boys.Both sexes experience development of pubic and underarm hair, as well as increased development of sweat glands.
Menarche
The first menstrual period (menarche) is followed by more growth, which is usually completed by four years after the first menstrual period began.Girls experience menarche usually around 12–13 years old.
Spermarche
For boys, the usual sequence is growth of the testes, initial pubic-hair growth, growth of the penis, first ejaculation of seminal fluid (spermarche), appearance of facial hair, a peak growth spurt, deepening of the voice, and final pubic-hair growth. (Herman-Giddens et al, 2012).[20]Boys experience spermarche, the first ejaculation, around 13–14 years old.
When does the Growth Spurt happen?
Males experience their growth spurt about two years later than females. For girls the growth spurt begins between 8 and 13 years old (average 10-11), with adult height reached between 10 and 16 years old. Boys begin their growth spurt slightly later, usually between 10 and 16 years old (average 12-13), and reach their adult height between 13 and 17 years old. Both nature (i.e., genes) and nurture (e.g., nutrition, medications, and medical conditions) can influence both height and weight
Puberty and wanting to fit in
Most adolescents want nothing more than to fit in and not be distinguished from their peers in any way, shape or form (Mendle, 2015).[21]So when a child develops earlier or later than his or her peers, there can be long-lasting effects on mental health. Simply put,beginning puberty earlier thanpeers presents great challenges, particularly for girls.The picture for early-developing boys isn’t as clear, but evidence suggests that they, too, eventually might suffer ill effects from maturing ahead of their peers. The biggest challenges for boys, however, seem to be more related to late development.
Adolescence and brain development
The human brain is not fully developed by the time a person reaches puberty. Between the ages of 10 and 25, the brain undergoes changes that have important implications for behavior. The brain reaches 90% of its adult size by the time a person is six or seven years of age.Thus, the brain does not grow in size much during adolescence. However, the creases in the brain continue to become more complex until the late teens. The biggest changes in the folds of the brain during this time occur in the parts of the cortex that process cognitive and emotional information.
During adolescence,myelinationandsynaptic pruningin the prefrontal cortex increases, improving the efficiency of information processing, and neural connections between the prefrontal cortex and other regions of the brain are strengthened.However, this growth takes time and the growth is uneven.
5 facts about brain:
- It does not keep getting bigger as you get older but it continues to mature.
2.The teenage brain is ready to learn and adapt.
- Many mental disorders appear in adolescence: schizophrenia, anxiety, depression, bipolar, and eating disorders.
- The teen brain is resilient - Although adolescence is a vulnerable time for the brain and for teenagers in general, most teens go on to become healthy adults. Some changes in the brain during this important phase of development actually may help protect against long-term mental disorders.
- Teens need more sleep than children or adults.
Adolescence and limbic system, amygdala, prefrontal cortex maturation.
Thelimbic systemdevelops years ahead of the prefrontal cortex. Development in the limbic system plays an important role in determining rewards and punishments and processing emotional experience and social information. Pubertal hormones target theamygdaladirectly and powerful sensations become compelling (Romeo, 2013).[24]Brain scans confirm that cognitive control, revealed by fMRI studies, is not fully developed until adulthood because the prefrontal cortex is limited in connections and engagement (Hartley & Somerville, 2015).[25]Recall that this area is responsible for judgment, impulse control, and planning, and it is still maturing into early adulthood (Casey, Tottenham, Liston, & Durston, 2005).
KEY TAKEAWAYS: adolescent brain development
In sum, the adolescent years are a time of intense brain changes. Interestingly, two of the primary brain functions develop at different rates. Brain research indicates that the part of the brain that perceives rewards from risk, the limbic system, kicks into high gear in early adolescence. The part of the brain that controls impulses and engages in longer-term perspective, the frontal lobes, matureslater. This may explain why teens in mid-adolescence take more risks than older teens. As the frontal lobes become more developed, two things happen. First, self-control develops as teens are better able to assess cause and effect. Second, more areas of the brain become involved in processing emotions, and teens become better at accurately interpreting others’ emotions.[27]
Sleep for teens:
Although it may seem like teens are lazy, science shows thatmelatoninlevels (or the “sleep hormone” levels) in the blood naturally rise later at night and fall later in the morning in teens than in most children and adults. This may explain why many teens stay up late and struggle with getting up in the morning. Teens should get about 9-10 hours of sleep a night, but most teens don’t get enough sleep. A lack of sleep makes paying attention hard, increases impulsivity, and may also increase irritability and depression.[28]
Teens and media
Recent studies have indicated that the average teenager watches roughly 1500 hours of television per year, and 70% use social media multiple times a day.[30]As such, modern day adolescents are exposed to many representations of ideal, societal beauty.
Body dissatisfaction:
The concept of a person being unhappy with their own image or appearance has been defined as “body dissatisfaction.” In teenagers, body dissatisfaction is often associated with body mass, lowself-esteem, and atypical eating patterns.Scholars continue to debate the effects of media on body dissatisfaction in teens. What we do know is that two-thirds of U.S. high school girls are trying to lose weight and one-third think they are overweight, while onlyone-sixth are actually overweight (MMWR, June 10, 2016).[31]
