puberty

Examples of puberty in the following topics:

• Physical Development in Adolescence

  • During puberty, an adolescent experiences a period of rapid physical growth that culminates in sexual maturity.
  • The onset of puberty typically occurs at age 10 or 11 for females and at age 11 or 12 for males; females usually complete puberty by ages 15 to 17, while males usually finish around ages 16 to 17.
  • Females tend to attain reproductive maturity about four years after the first physical changes of puberty appear.
  • While the sequence of physical changes in puberty is predictable, the onset and pace of puberty vary widely.
  • During puberty, bones become harder and more brittle.

• Cultural and Societal Influences on Adolescent Development

  • When children go through puberty in the United States, there is often a significant increase in parent-child conflict and a decrease in cohesive familial bonding.
  • When children go through puberty, there is often a significant increase in parent-child conflict.

• Socioemotional Development in Adolescence

  • Adolescence is the period of development that begins at puberty and ends at emerging adulthood; the typical age range is from 12 to 18 years, and this stage of development has some predictable psychosocial milestones.
  • During puberty, adolescents experience changes in the levels of certain neurotransmitters (such as dopamine and serotonin) in the limbic system.

• Sexual Orientation

  • At the point of puberty, some may be able to claim their sexual orientations while others may be unready, or unwilling, to make their homosexuality or bisexuality known, since it goes against historical norms in American society.

• The Endocrine System

  • Pineal gland: regulates biorhythms and mood, and stimulates the onset of puberty.

• Cultural and Societal Influences on Child Development

  • Biological milestones such as puberty tend to be universal, while social milestones, such as the age at which children begin formal schooling or individuate from their parents, can differ greatly across cultures (Gesell & Ilg, 1946).

• Cognitive Development in Adolescence

  • These changes generally begin at puberty or shortly thereafter, and some skills continue to develop as an adolescent ages.

• Sexual Orientation

  • At the point of puberty, some may be able to claim their sexual orientations, while others may be unready or unwilling to make their alternative sexuality known, since it goes against American society's norms.