Developmental psychology.pdf

80 The Human Organism
Figure 3.17
Adolescent Growth. As this
photograph suggests, the adolescent
growth spurt generally appears
earlier in girls than boys.
Adolescent Crisis
In the teens or sometimes earlier, the focus of the child's environment shifts from parents
to peers, a change brought about by rapid physiological developments. Stimulated
by hormonal secretions, these developments occur for the first time or in much greater
amounts than previously, and they act on various body parts. Especially influenced are
the sex organs, the muscles and body hair in males, and the mammary glands, hips,
and body hair in females. These developments occur on the average about two years
earlier in females than males, but there are very broad differences within both sexes.
*My younger sister is twelve and
one-half years old and in the last
year she has undergone rapid
physical change. Her height has
increased by approximately two
inches, but more noticeable is the
general maturing of her body. Her
hips and breasts have filled out and
she feels very grown up now that
she has to shave her legs and
underarms. My sister has also
started to menstruate which totally
convinces her that she is now a
woman.
Her joy at her own development
is lessened, however, by the fact
that her best friend, Karen, has not
yet developed any of these signs of
maturation. Karen is only a few
months younger than my sister, but
from a physical standpoint it looks
like years rather than months
separate the ages of the girls.
Karen's figure is still that of a
young girl. She is very sensitive
about the fact that she hasn't
grown like most of her friends. She
has arrived at the conclusion that
she will never grow up—despite
assurances that she is developing
at a normal rate and will soon look
as mature as any of her friends.
Identity Crisis The term adolescence means growing up, and sometimes these
adolescent changes propel the individual from childhood to adulthood at an alarmingly
fast rate. In other instances, they are painfully slow. Once present, these changes have
enormous implications for the individual's sexual, social, emotional, and vocational life
(Figure 3.17).*
The new issue, amid this "storm of puberty," is finding an identity, which means
developing an understanding of oneself, the goals one wishes to achieve, and especially
a work role (Gourevitch, 1980). As suggested earlier, formal operational thinking begins
to play a role for the adolescent in these identity-related issues (Leadbeater &
Dionne, 1981).
In developed countries of the twentieth century, sons and daughters commonly
do not follow in their parents' footsteps, creating special grounds for the crisis of identity
vs. role diffusion, in which the adolescent develops a sense of self or becomes unable
to gain a personal focus. Particularly in a highly specialized society, where the choices
are complex and the opportunities sometimes infrequent, this crisis can be difficult.
Temporary support is sometimes found in groups and cliques or in intolerance of those
with different values, such as older people. Allegiance to a cause also provides some
self-definition, satisfying the need for someone or something to believe in, a need that
is present at all mature stages but most prominent in adolescence (Santrock, 1984).
Puberty and Interaction The term puberty refers to the onset of menstruation in
females, at about age 13, and the presence of sperm cells in males, at about age 15.
Two generations ago the average British girl reached puberty at age 15, but now it
occurs just before age 13. This change has been found throughout Western Europe,
the United States, and other developed parts of the world. Since the onset of puberty
seems to be biologically determined, one wonders what has brought about this change.