Clarke writes of Greulich “citing the case of a precocious girl who attained puberty at the age of three years and eleven months: at one year of age, her breasts were quite large; at three years and seven months, she menstruated.” Gabriel (1971, p298) explains this phenomenon as precocious puberty: “In exceptional cases, the restraining substances cease to function, and the releasing mechanism becomes prematurely active. The result is precocious puberty, i.e. sexual development at an early age, perhaps at six.” Clarke (1968, p53) also notes the “basic difference between adolescence and puberty. The two periods begin at much the same time, but adolescence lasts for about eight years and involves not only the pubertal changes in the child-adolescent’s body but also refers to the total process of growing up and to the whole range of characteristics, biological and social-psychological.” The physiological changes in the body that mark the inception of puberty are crucially important in the behavioural changes the adolescent undergoes during this time in his/her life. Puberty effects the adolescents in their mental maturation, curiosity and makes them susceptible to important influences such as peer-pressure and media-coverage on how to look and act.
(Baron, 1998, p. 343) During this period of adolescence development sexual hormones are increased, the boys start to produce sperm and the girls begin their menstrual periods. The start of puberty in adolescence varies in girls. Brenda C. Coleman asserts that most girls begin to menstruate by the time they are thirteen; but for some this process does not start until considerably later, and for others it may begin as early as age seven or eight. (Coleman, 1997) Boys affirms Baron (1998) begins to produce sperm by the time they are fourteen or fifteen; but again for some the process may start either earlier or later. (Baron, 1998) These physical changes in development of the adolescence can have dramatic impacts on the mental development of the adolescence as well.
SOWK 505-FALL 2012 Assignment #1 Dominique Bush October 1, 2012 Tosha Sweets What Makes Teens Tick Many parents go through a time of misunderstanding and deliberate disobedience with their teenage child, however many do not understand the reasons behind the repetitive actions. The article titled, “What Makes Teens Tick” written by Claudia Wallis had many scientific points as to what the teens are affected by during the time of adolescent maturation and growth. A major project that the article focused on was the imaging of teen brains with a focus on several twin brains. Seeing the difference in exposures in addition to the normal development was a great insight to see how different parts of the brain operate. Another topic that is widely discussed and possibly links too many disorders such as ADHD and or Autisms is pruning of the brain.
With a rapidly changing body and brain, adolescents seek out the independence they crave, while still not having the capacity or capability to truly be on their own. This can cause a great deal of imbalance within the parent-child relationship (Steinburg, 2008, p. 43). For some parents, adolescence is the first time they have seen any indication that their child is no longer that perfect, sweet baby that they once held in their arms. This often causes confusion, and is concerning to them. It is usually at this time that I will get a phone call from a parent asking for my help in dealing with their “out of control” teenager, and Tracy Freeland is no different.
Throughout the novel "Looking for Alibrandi" many of the main characters in their adolescent years faced difficulties such as many of the teenagers today. Problems can start from physical disabilities or skin colours, extending to emotional and personal problems which could have been triggered through family and/or friend/peer pressure. Josephine Alibrandi is the main character in the novel and also shows an example of adolescents in the novel facing difficulties. Her aspiration is to successfully complete year twelve at St. Martha's College and study Law. During this year, Josie faces a number of complications which effect her learning and overall concentration on her last year.
Capstone Project: Teen Pregnancy Tamika Mays SOC490: Social Science Capstone Instructor Staccy Lampkin August 13, 2012 Capstone Project: Teen Pregnancy In today’s society it is very common to see adolescents either pregnant or caring for children when they are still children themselves. Unfortunately, this is the harsh reality that many young adolescents girls are forced to deal with when they engage in unprotected sexual activity. With low levels of maturity and an underdeveloped understanding of responsibility, teens are ill prepared to deal with the consequences of their actions. In recent years the media has portrayed teenage pregnancy as just another obstacle that adolescents may face in their young life. This is why teen pregnancy has become a major social and public health problem in the United States and other countries.
Ibrayeva Aigerim TFL 1A The key social and cognitive changes during adolescence. Adolescence is a time of many transitions for both teens (adolescent) and their families. To ensure that teens and adults navigate these transitions successfully, it is important for both to understand what is happening to the teen physically, cognitively, and socially; how these transitions affect teens; what adults can do; and what support resources are available. As you read the following information, keep in mind that while all teens develop, they don’t all follow the same timeline. Throughout this stage there appear physical & psychological changes in adolescent.
Personality traits are still developing and they undergo dramatic biological change at the same time. Within a few years’ time, their weight changes, height changes, and their sexual characteristics start to change. This is a time and period in which they need positive guidance because they need a template, an example of how to be a person that can be accepted into society. Different factors dictate what they see as right and wrong and the world in which they can be accepted in. Adolescence that is still at the age of fifteen and below has not yet matured and is unable to understand and accept responsibility within their family, community, or even workplace.
As most of us know, life in general is full of challenges that we as adults must face everyday. This is no different for teenagers and especially “at-risk” teenagers. At-risk teenagers are teens who are not capable of functioning normally in society due to the circumstances that surround them. “A Variety of Factors Put Teens at Risk” by Laura K. Egendorf and Jennifer A. Hurley discusses the problems at-risk teens have today due to pregnancy, alcohol, and single-parent families, and concludes that the way to address such problems is through school and community based programs. In “Job Training Can Help Teenagers” by Carol Wekesser, she discusses placing and training teens in jobs to help deter the problems associated with at-risk teen issues like pregnancy and alcohol abuse.
Teenage years is probably one of the most challenging periods of life. It is a stage of identity versus confusion – knowing oneself compared to losing oneself. Belonging and being accepted in a group is very important and being "cool" as well. During these years of growing up, teenagers encounter their share of positive and negative experiences. Peer pressure, curiosity, and the availability of drugs are factors that some youthful and vulnerable teenagers have to deal with in their adolescent lives.