ADOLESCENCE AND ADULTHOOD IN PSYCHOLOGY

ADOLESCENCE  AND ADULTHOOD IN PSYCHOLOGY

ADOLESCENCE :

 is  a developmental  period, lasting from  about ages 12 to 18, during  which many biological, cognitive,  social, and personality traits change from childlike to adultlike.

PUBERTY  refers  to a developmental  period, between the ages  of 9 and 17, when the individual  experiences significant biological changes  that result in developing secondary sexual characteristics and reaching sexual maturity.

BOYS  DURING  PUBERTY : Every  boy wants  to grow up  so he can finally  be a man. Becoming a  man means going through  puberty and experiencing three  major biological changes that occur between  ages 10 and 14. The onset of puberty in a  boy usually occurs about two years later than in a girl.

1)  Puberty  triggers an  increase in PHYSICAL  GROWTH, especially  height, generally  at 13–14 years of  age. The increase in  height may be dramatic,  and a boy may feel strange  as he discovers that he is taller  than his mother and as tall as or taller than his father.

2)  Puberty starts  a physiological  process that results  in a boy’s reaching MALE  SEXUAL  MATURITY,  which  includes growth  of the genital organs—testes  and penis—and production of sperm.  The onset of genital growth begins  at around 11.5 years (the range is from  age 9 to age 16) and continues for approximately  three years. e production and release of sperm begin  at 12–14 years of age.

    The increase  in genital growth  and the production of  sperm are triggered by the  HYPOTHALAMUS,  which  stimulates  the male pituitary gland.  The pituitary in turn triggers  the testes to increase production of testosterone by as much as 18 times more than before puberty.

TESTOSTERONE,  which  is the  major male  hormone, stimulates  the growth of genital organs and the development of secondary sexual characteristics.

3)  The increased production of testosterone  triggers the development of male secondary sexual characteristics.

MALE  SECONDARY  SEXUAL CHARACTERISTICS,  which  are triggered  by the increased  secretion of testosterone,  include the growth of pubic  and facial hair, development of muscles, and a change (deepening) in voice.

GIRLS  DURING PUBERTY

Every girl  wants to grow up so she can finally be a woman. Becoming  a woman means going through puberty and experiencing  three major biological changes that occur between ages  9 and 13. The onset of puberty usually occurs about two  years earlier in girls (average of 10.5 years) than in boys (average of 12.5 years).

1)  Puberty  sets off  a surge in  PHYSICAL  GROWTH,  which is  marked by  an increase  in height that  starts on average  at 9.6 years. is growth  spurt begins about 6–12 months before the onset of breast development.

2)  Puberty  triggers a  physiological  process that results  in a girl’s reaching  female sexual maturity, which primarily involves the onset of menarche.

   MENARCHE  is  the first  menstrual period;  it is a signal that  ovulation may have occurred  and that the girl may have  the potential to conceive and bear a child.

     The onset  of menarche  is triggered by  an area of the brain called  the HYPOTHALAMUS,  which  releases  a hormone  called kisspeptin  that helps to stimulate  the pituitary gland to produce hormones.  These hormones travel throughout the bloodstream and  stimulate the ovaries to greatly increase production of  female hormones (Kotulak, 2006; McKie, 2005; Messenger, 2006).

  ESTROGEN  is  one of  the major  female hormones.  At puberty, estrogen levels  increase eightfold, which stimulates  the development of both primary and secondary sexual characteristics.

3) Puberty marks a major change in the girl’s  body as she develops female secondary sexual characteristics.

  FEMALE  SECONDARY  SEXUAL CHARACTERISTICS,  whose  development  is triggered by  the increased secretion  of estrogen, include growth  of pubic hair, development of breasts, and widening of hips.

         In girls,  the onset of  secondary sexual  characteristics begins at  10.5 years (the range is  from age 9 to age 18) and  continues for about 4.5 years.

ADOLESCENTS

THE  BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL  APPROACH  views  adolescent  development as  a process that  occurs simultaneously  on many levels and includes hormonal,  neural, sexual, cognitive, social, cultural,  and personality changes that interact and influence  each other (Herdt, 2004; D. L. Tolman et al., 2003).

COGNITIVE  DEVELOPMENT  refers  to how a  person perceives,  thinks, and gains an  understanding of his or  her world through the interaction  and influence of genetic and learned factors.

THE  FORMAL  OPERATIONS  STAGE,  the  last of Piaget’s  four cognitive stages,  extends from about age 12  through adulthood. During this  stage, adolescents and adults develop  the abilities to think about abstract or  hypothetical concepts, to consider an issue  from another’s viewpoint, and to solve cognitive  problems in a logical way.

PERSONALITY  AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT  refer  to how  a person develops  a sense of self or  self-identity, develops relationships  with others, and develops the skills  useful in social interactions.

PERSONAL  IDENTITY or  SELF-IDENTITY  refers  to how we  describe ourselves  and includes our values,  goals, traits, perceptions,  interests, and motivations.

ADULTHOOD:

Erikson’s  Psychosocial  Stages

Stage  5 Identity versus Role Confusion Period.  Adolescence (12–20)

Potential  conflict. Adolescents  need to leave behind the  carefree, irresponsible, and  impulsive behaviors of childhood  and develop the more purposeful, planned,  and responsible behaviors of adulthood. If  adolescents successfully resolve this problem,  they will develop a healthy and confident sense  of identity. If they are unsuccessful in resolving  the problem, they will experience role confusion, which  results in having low self-esteem and becoming unstable or socially withdrawn.

Stage  6 Intimacy versus Isolation Period.  Young adulthood (20–40)

Potential  conflict. Young  adulthood is a time  for finding intimacy by developing  loving and meaningful relationships.  On the positive side,we can find intimacy  in caring relationships. On the negative side,  without intimacy we will have a painful feeling  of isolation, and our relationships will be impersonal.

Stage  7 Generativity versus Stagnation Period.  Middle adulthood (40–65)

Potential  conflict. Middle  adulthood is a time  for helping the younger  generation develop worthwhile  lives. On the positive side, we  can achieve generativity through raising  our own children. If we do not have children  of our own, we can achieve generativity through  close relationships with children of friends or relatives.  Generativity can also be achieved through mentoring at work  and helping others. On the negative side, a lack of involvement  leads to a feeling of stagnation, of having done nothing for the younger generation.

Stage  8 Integrity versus Despair Period.  Late adulthood (65 and older) Potential  conflict. Late  adulthood is a time  for reflecting on and reviewing  how we met previous challenges and  lived our lives. On the positive side,  if we can look back and feel content about  how we lived and what we accomplished, we will  have a feeling of satisfaction or integrity. On the  negative side, if we reflect and see a series of crises,  problems, and bad experiences, we will have a feeling of regret and  despair.

GENDER  ROLES : As  boys and  girls grow  to become men  and women, they acquire  a set of behavioral and cognitive rules called gender roles.

GENDER  ROLES  are  traditional  or stereotypical behaviors,  attitudes, values, and personality  traits that society says are how males and females should think and behave.

PHYSICAL  CHANGES: AGING

NORMAL  AGING  is  a gradual  and natural  slowing of our physical  and psychological processes  from middle through late adulthood.

PATHOLOGICAL  AGING  may  be caused  by genetic defects, physiological  problems, or diseases, such as Alzheimer’s , all of which accelerate the aging process.

The  aging  process  is caused  by a combination  of certain genes and  proteins that interfere  with organ functioning and  the natural production of toxic  molecules (free radicals), which in  turn cause random damage to body organs  and DNA (the building blocks of life). Such  damage eventually exceeds the body’s ability to  repair itself and results in greater susceptibility  to diseases and death (Olshansky et al., 2002).