Puberty is a milestone in one’s life where drastic changes in physical, psychological and emotional aspects occur for young people. It a process triggered by hormones that has evolved over time to ensure reproductive and parenting success.
Physical Changes
Adolescence, or teenage as we more commonly know it, is characterized by significant physical growth and changes. These changes may vary among boys and girls. Puberty in girls is marked by the start of menstruation cycle, referred as periods. The enlargement of the breast also takes place during this stage and attains full growth by the age of 18 years. Hair growth in the pubic area and the armpits are also observed. The normal cycle of hair growth that is seen in adults is reached by the average age of 14 years. The adolescent years are also marked by a rapid growth spurt. In girls this growth spurt starts at the age of 11 or usually around the time she reaches menarche and slows down by the age of 16.
On the other hand, physical development among boys during this period includes the growing scrotum and the testicles. The penis also increases in length and reaches the proper adult size and shape by the age of 17 or 18. There is a hair growth observed in the pubis area, armpits as well as the chest and the face. This usually starts around the age of 12; by the time the boy reaches 18 years of age, the pattern of hair growth resembles those of adults. The growth spurt starts at about 13 years and continues on to about 18 years of age. After that, the growth slows down. Another physical change that is observed in adolescent boys is the change in their voices. Their vocal cords grow and as a result, the voice pitch changes into a heavier tone. Physical development and changes at such a sudden and fast rate is quite something for the adolescent kid to deal with.
It is during adolescence that the physical features of the youth stand out leading them to become sensitive of their appearance. This leads to becoming conscious on their clothing and personal hygiene.
Adolescence marks the transition from childhood into adulthood. This stage includes cognitive development. Cognitive development is the progression of thinking from the way a child does to the way an adult does.
There are 3 main areas of cognitive development that occur during adolescence. First, adolescents develop more advanced reasoning skills, including the ability to explore a full range of possibilities inherent in a situation, think hypothetically (contrary-fact situations), and use a logical thought process.Second, adolescents develop the ability to think abstractly. Adolescents move from being concrete thinkers, who think of things that they have direct contact with or knowledge about, to abstract thinkers, who can imagine things not seen or experienced. This allows adolescents to have the capacity to love, think about spirituality, and participate in more advanced mathematics. Youth who remain at the level of a concrete thinker focus largely on physically present or real objects in problem solving and, as a result, may present with difficulty or frustration with schoolwork as they transition throughout high school. Adolescents may also experience a personal fable as a result of being able to think more abstractly. The personal fable is built on the fact that if the imaginary audience (peers) is watching and thinking about the adolescent, then the adolescent must be special or different.
Third, the formal operational thinking characteristic of adolescence enables adolescents to think about thinking or meta-cognition. This characteristic allows youth to develop the capacity to think about what they are feeling and how others perceive them. This thought process, combined with rapid emotional and physical changes that occur during puberty, causes most youth to think that everyone is thinking not just about what they are thinking about but about the youth themselves (imaginary audience).
Social and Emotional Changes
The psychosocial development that occurs during this period can be characterized as developmental tasks that emphasize development of autonomy, the establishment of identity, and future orientation.
Establishment of autonomy—occurs when the adolescent strives to become emotionally and economically independent from parents. During this time, adolescents are concerned with how they appear to others. The peer group, which is typically same-sex, is often idealized and has a strong influence on the adolescent’s development. As a result, adolescents may use clothing, hairstyles, language, and other accessories to fit in with their peers. Similarly, adolescents who do not identify with any peers may have significant psychological difficulties during this period. Adolescents become less preoccupied with their bodily changes as they approach the end of puberty. The adolescent’s attention shifts from being focused on self to adopting the codes and values of larger peer, parental, or adult groups.
During middle adolescence (ages 15-17 years), the peer group becomes a mixed-sex peer group and assumes a primary social role for the adolescent. Adolescents begin to have short, intense “love” relationships, while looking for the “ideal” partner. It is not uncommon for adolescents to have crushes on adults during this stage. Family conflict is likely to be at its peak. As adolescents’ independent functioning increases, adolescents may examine their personal experiences, relate their experience to others, and develop a concern for others.
By late adolescence (ages 18-21 years), adolescents have developed a separate identity from parents. Simultaneously, adolescents may move away from their peer group and strive to achieve adult status. Adolescent conflict with parents may very well decline during this stage. As adolescents begin to enter more permanent relationships, they establish responsible behavior and their personal value system matures.
Another task of adolescence is for youth to develop a sense of identity. Identity relates to one’s sense of self. It can be divided into 2 areas: self-concept and self-esteem. Self-concept refers to an adolescent’s perception of self—one’s talents, goals, and life experiences. It can also relate to identity as part of ethnic, religious, and sexual identity groups. Self-esteem relates to how one evaluates self-worth.
The ability for future orientation is the third area of adolescent psychosocial development. This stage usually occurs during late adolescence (ages 18-21 years). Youth have gained the cognitive maturity that is necessary to develop realistic goals pertaining to future vocation or career, have developed a sense of self-identity, and are most likely refining their moral, religious, and sexual values. It is during this time that youth also expect to be treated as an adult. As autonomy increases, youth are given more responsibility.
IMPLICATIONS
Along with these transitions that take place during adolescence, one may have difficulty in communicating with the youth and developmental concerns may arise. It is therefore recommended that parents pay more attention to their sons and daughters during this stage and spent more time with them. Parental involvement with the adolescent’s school, extracurricular activities and knowledge about their friends circle are encouraged among parents. These steps can protect against future delinquency and risk-taking behavior.
Spending time separately with the parent and the adolescent can help the adolescent independently be able to voice concerns about health information while simultaneously building confidence. As adolescents’ relationships evolve, they may become interested in dating, intimacy, and sex-related experimentation. Adolescents will also need appropriate health information about avoiding risk-taking behavior, such as drug use and unsafe sexual behavior, skills that enhance their ability to negotiate difficult situations with peers, and career guidance.
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