Transcript Chapter 14

Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 14
Chapter 14
Adolescence:
Physical Development
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 14
Adolescence: Physical Development Truth or Fiction?
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American adolescents are growing taller than their parents.
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Girls are fertile immediately after their first menstrual period.
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 14
Adolescence: Physical Development Truth or Fiction?
 Boys and girls who mature early have higher self-esteem than
those who mature late.
 Most adolescents in the United States are unaware of the risks of
HIV/AIDS.
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 14
Adolescence: Physical Development Truth or Fiction?

Substance abuse is the leading cause of death among male
adolescents in the United States.
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You can never be too rich or too thin.
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 14
Adolescence: Physical Development Truth or Fiction?
 Some college women control their weight by going on cycles of
binge eating followed by self-induced vomiting.
 Substance use and abuse is on the rise among high school
students.
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 14
Puberty
The Biological Explosion
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 14
What Is Adolescence?
• Transitional period between childhood and adulthood
• G. Stanley Hall
– Proposed adolescence as separate stage
– Marked by “sturm and drang”
• Sigmund Freud
– Genital stage
• Anna Freud
– Turbulent period
• Current theorists
– Reorganization, not necessarily turbulent or stress
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 14
What Is Puberty?
• Adolescence is psychosocial concept
• Puberty is a biological concept
– Characterized by attainment of sexual maturity
• Puberty is controlled by feedback loop
– Hypothalamus – Pituitary gland – Gonads – Hormones
• Sex hormones trigger development of
– Primary sex characteristics
– Secondary sex characteristics
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 14
What Happens During the Adolescent Growth Spurt?
• Girls begin growth spurt earlier than boys
– Reach peak growth in height about 2 years after spurt began
• Continue to grow at a slower rate for another 2 years
– Weight spurt begins about 18 months after height spurt
• Boys catch up to girls and eventually are taller and heavier
• Body shapes differ by sex
– Boys have broader shoulders
– Girls gain almost twice as much fatty tissue
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 14
Figure 14.1 Spurts in Growth
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 14
Figure 14.2 Growth Curves for Height and Weight
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 14
What Happens During the Adolescent Growth Spurt?
• Asynchronous Growth
– Exception to proximodistal growth
• Hands and feet mature before arms and legs
– Reversal of cephalocaudal growth
• Legs reach peak growth before shoulders and chest
• Secular Trend
– May have reached genetic potential
– Nutrition and health care are factors
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 14
Figure 14.3 Are We Still Growing Taller than Our Parents?
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 14
Pubertal Changes in Boys
• Average age of 11 – first visible sign of puberty
– Accelerated growth of testes
• Hair growth
• Voice deepens
• Increase in penile erections
– Nocturnal emissions
• Gynecomastia – enlargement of breasts
• About age 20 – 21 – puberty ends
– Epiphyseal closure
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 14
Pubertal Changes in Girls
• Menarche
– May begin as early as 9 or as late as 16
– Body weight may trigger menarche
• Hormonal Regulation of Menstrual Cycle
– Ovulate 12 to 18 months after menarche
– Average menstrual cycle is 28 days
• May be irregular during first 2 years
• Psychological Impact of Menarche
– Rite of passage
– Educated and prepared – more positive
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 14
Figure 14.4 The Decline in Age at Menarche
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 14
What Are the Effects of Early or Late Maturation
on Adolescents
• Boys
– Early maturation – more positive effects
• Popular, more poised, heightened self-worth
– Early maturation – negative effects
• Expectations and demands
• Girls
– Early maturation – more negative effects
• Feel awkward and conspicuous
• More problems in school and emotional issues
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 14
How Do Adolescents Feel About Their Bodies?
• Girls have more negative body image
– Preoccupied with body weight
• By late adolescence body dissatisfaction declines
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 14
Emerging Sexuality and Risks of
Sexually Transmitted Infections
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 14
What Kinds of Sexually Transmitted Infections Are There?
• Bacterial infections
– Chlamydia
• Most common STI in adolescents
• Major cause of pelvic inflammatory disease
– Gonorrhea and syphilis
• Viral infections
– HIV/AIDS, genital herpes
– Genital warts caused by HPV
• Linked to cervical cancer
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 14
What Factors Place Adolescents at Risk for
Contracting STIs?
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Sexual activity
Sex with multiple partners
Failure to use condoms
Substance abuse
Sharing hypodermic needles with an infected person can
transmit HIV
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 14
What Can Be Done to Prevent STIs?
• Education Strategies
– Increased knowledge about STIs
• Prevention Strategies
– Enhance teens sense of control
• Effective decision making and social skills
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 14
A Closer Look
Preventing HIV/AIDS and Other
STIs: It’s More Than Safe(r) Sex
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 14
Health in Adolescence
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 14
How Healthy Are American Adolescents?
• Most American adolescents are healthy
• May be less healthy than their parents
– Lifestyle factors and risky behaviors
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 14
What Are the Causes of Death Among Adolescents?
• Death rates for males is twice as great
• Accidents, suicide and homicide – 75% of all teen deaths
• Accidents
– 60% of teen deaths
– Most involve motor vehicles
• Homicide
– More frequent for poor and in urban areas
– Greatest among African American adolescents
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 14
What Are the Nutritional Needs of Adolescents?
• Rapid growth
– Average girl – 2,200 calories
– Average boy – 3,000 calories
• Need for calcium – bone growth
• Nutritional deficits
– Irregular eating habits
– Fast food or junk food
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 14
What Are Eating Disorders?
• Gross disturbances in eating patterns
• Anorexia Nervosa
– Characterized by fear of being overweight
– Distorted body image and refusal to eat
– 4 to 5% mortality rate
• Bulimia
– Characterized by recurrent cycles of binge eating and purging
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 14
What Are the Origins of Eating Disorders?
• Psychoanalytic perspective
– Anorexia is an effort to remain prepubescent
• Family control issues
• Child abuse, sexual abuse are risk factors
• Social-cognitive perspective
– Personal perfectibility
• Genetic factors
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 14
Treatment and Prevention of Eating Disorders
• Antidepressants
• Family therapy
• Cognitive-behavioral therapy
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 14
What Is Substance Abuse? What is Substance Dependence?
• Substance abuse
– Ongoing use of a substance despite the problems it causes
• Substance dependence
– No control over substance
– Tolerance – body becomes habituated to substance
– Abstinence syndrome – withdrawal symptoms
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 14
What Are the Effects of Depressants?
• Slows the activity of the nervous system
• Alcohol
– Lowers inhibitions
– Intoxicant
– Relaxes
• Heroin
– Provides an euphoric “rush”
• Barbiturates
– Legitimate medical uses
– Used illegally to produce a mild euphoria
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 14
What Are the Effects of Stimulants?
• Speed up heart beat and other bodily functions
• Nicotine
– Raises rate of burning calories, lowers appetite
– Addictive stimulant in tobacco
• Cocaine
– Euphoria, boosts self-confidence, reduces appetite
• Amphetamines
– Used to stay awake or reduce appetite
– High doses cause restlessness, insomnia, irritability
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 14
What Are the Effects of Hallucinogenics?
• Bring on perceptual distortions or hallucinations
• Marijuana
– Used to relax and elevate mood
– Impairs perceptual-motor coordination
– Interferes with short-term memory and learning
• Ecstasy (MDMA)
– Feelings of elation and self-confidence
– Lowers inhibitions and increase risky behaviors
• LSD
– Impairs coordination and judgment
– Hallucinations and paranoid delusions
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 14
How Widespread Is Substance Abuse?
• Over 50% of high school seniors have used illicit drugs
• 30% high school seniors engage in binge drinking
– Occasional death from alcohol overdose
– Connected with reckless behaviors
• 3% high school students use steroids
– Used to build muscle mass
• More adolescents disapprove of regular drug use than
experimental drug use
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 14
What Factors Are Associated With Substance
Abuse and Dependence?
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Peer pressure, acceptance by peers
Rebelling against moral or social constraints
Curiosity
Escape from boredom
Imitating parents or adults
Predictors of drug use and abuse
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Association with peers who use or tolerate drugs
Parental communication discourages drug use
School problems
Biological factors
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 14
Developing in a World
of Diversity
Sex, Education, and Substance Abuse
Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development, Second Edition, Spencer A. Rathus
Chapter 14
How Can We Treat and Prevent Substance Abuse?
• Difficult to treat
– Often doesn’t want to stop
– Relapse problems
– Need to address other disorders and family dysfunctions