Download PSYC 2314 Lifespan Development

PSYC 2314
Lifespan Development
Chapter 14
Adolescence:
Biosocial Development
Puberty Begins
• Ages 11 to 20
• Begins when adrenal glands and gonads
(sex glands) release hormone production,
GH (growth hormone) and GnRH (gonad
releasing hormone), respectively.
• Testosterone and estrogen
Puberty Begins
• Physical growth during puberty usu. begins
sometime between 8 and 14.
• The “normal” age of menarche varies
widely, from 9-18 years.
Impact of Puberty
• Emotional
– Hormonal levels make a relatively small direct
contribution to the daily emotional changes of
puberty.
• Psychological
– Indirect impact of visible changes, which is
powerfully influenced by the values and
expectations of the developing person’s family,
peer group, and culture.
Stress and Hormones
• The interaction of biogenetic and
psychosocial factors affects hormone
production.
The Growth Spurt
• Between 10 and 14, a typical girl gains
about 38 lbs. and 9 5/8 inches; a typical boy,
42 lbs. and 10 inches, between 12 and 16.
• Internal organs—lung and heart—also
grow, which give the adolescent increased
physical endurance.
The Growth Spurt
• During puberty, oil, sweat, and odor glands
become more active, producing acne in
approximately 90 percent of all boys and 80
percent of all girls and a need for
deodorants in most. 
• Nutritional requirements include a need for
additional calories and about 50% more
calcium, iron, and zinc.
Sexual Characteristics
• Primary Sex Characteristics
– Menarche
– Spermarche
• Attitudes toward menarche and spermarche
have changed over the past two decades.
Sexual Characteristics
• Secondary Sex Characteristics
– Breasts and pubic hair in girls
– Pubic and facial hair and lowering of the voice
in boys
Body Image
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Self Appraisal
Impact on Self Esteem
Gender Differences
Social Environment Influences
Sexual Abuse
• Childhood sexual abuse: any erotic activity
that arouses an adult and excites, shames, or
confuses a young person—whether or not
the victim protests and whether or not
genital contact is involved.
• Onset of sexualized adult-child interaction
is typically between 8 and 12.
Factors Determining Damage
• Repeated Incidence
• Distorted adult-child relationships
• Impairment of the child’s ability to develop
normally
Drugs
• Drug abuse: the ingestion of a drug to the extent
that impairs the user’s well-being, either
biologically or psychosocially, significantly more
than it helps the person.
• Drug addiction: a person’s dependence on a drug
or a behavior in order to feel physically or
psychologically at ease.
• Drug use: the ingestion of a drug, regardless of
the amount or effect of ingestion.
Drugs
• Drug use is increasing among younger
adolescents.
– Gateway drugs: tobacco, alcohol, and
marijuana act as the door opening to regular use
of multiple drugs.
Influences of Drugs
• Tobacco: limit growth spurt
• Alcohol: loosens inhibitions and impairs
reasoning
• Marijuana: seriously slows down thinking
processes and may produce a lack of
motivation and indifference toward the
future.
Measurements
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Education
Strict drunk-driving laws
Higher prices of alcohol and cigarettes
Harsher punishments for those who sell
tobacco and alcohol to minors