Adolescence
Definition of puberty
 Pubertas – Latin word for “adult”
 Narrow definition:The process by which an individual
becomes capable of reproduction.
 The activation of the HPG/HPA axis
 Broad definition:The physical, psychological, and cultural
changes that occur as the growing child transitions into
adulthood.
Time periods of adolescent
 Adolescence is a unique developmental period
 it keeps changing!
 Early adolescence – 11 to 13 years old
 Continues to be pushed earlier (9-10…)
 Middle adolescence – 14 to 17 years old
 Late adolescence (early adulthood) – 18 to 20 years old
 Continues to be pushed later (21-24…)
Physical changes…
Primary sex characteristics
• The body organs and reproductive structures and functions that
differ between women and men.
• Gonads (testes and ovaries)
Secondary sex characteristics
• Characteristics of the body that are caused by hormones, develop
during puberty, and last through adult life.
• Changes in genitals/breasts/voice
• Pubic/body/facial hair
Changes…
Rapid acceleration of physical growth
• Adolescent growth spurt
• 3.5 (girls) to 4.0 (boys) inches/year
• ½ adult weight gained during adolescence
Changes in body composition
• 3:1 muscle to body fat ratio for boys
• 5:4 for girls
• Emergence of sex differences in physical performance
Changes in circulatory and respiratory systems
• Increase in size/capacity of heart and lungs
Two roles of hormones
Organizational role (life-long):
 Modification of the organism early in life
 primarily influencing its anatomy
 Organization/structure of CNS
 “Feminine” vs. “masculan-ized” brain and body
Activational role (specific to puberty):
 Structural “remodeling” of brain
 Increase in salience of sexual stimuli, sexual motivation
 Development of secondary sex characteristics
Hormone regulatory systems
 Endocrine system
 HPA axis
 Hypothalamus  Pituitary gland  Adrenals
 Corticosteroids
 Regulates body’s response to stress
 HPG axis
 Hypothalamus  Pituitary gland  Gonads (Testes/Ovaries)
 Sex Hormones (Androgens/Estrogens)
 Regulates sexual maturation
The hormonal changes brought on by puberty can affect
the adolescent’s behavior in at least three ways.
Impacts of puberty
 Sleep patterns
 Delayed phase preference
 9 hours: 1 am to 10 am
 Family relations
 Transformation of parent-child bond
 Peer relations
 Transformation of friendships, romantic relationships
Impacts of puberty
 Self-esteem
 Changing body image
 Changing sense of self
 Moods
 Increased stress + Increased sensitivity
 Fluctuation of moods
 Due to hormones or environment?
 “Storm and stress”: myth or fact?
Moods
Timing - individual factors
 Genetic factors
 Timing and tempo
 Environmental factors
 Nutrition
 Body weight
 Exposure to hormones/chemicals
 Family conflict
 Stepfathers
Timing - group factors
 Comparisons
 Across socioeconomic groups
 Impact of poverty
 Dietary intake, health care, exposure to disease
 Across countries
 Impact of industrialization
 Across time periods
 Secular trend
Early maturation
 Boys
 Early maturation positives
 Popularity, higher self-esteem
 Early maturation negatives
 Deviant, risk behaviors; more rigidity later
 Girls
 Early maturation positives
 Popularity (cultural dependence)
 Early maturation negatives
 Lower self-esteem, eating disorders, emotions, deviant behaviors
Late maturation
 Boys
 Late maturation positives
 Higher levels of creativity, inventiveness
 Late maturation negatives
 Low self-esteem, low social competence
 Girls
 Late maturation positives
 Thinner build
 Late maturation negatives
 Social withdrawal
The second wave….
 Longitudinal fMRI studies reveal:
 Period of rapid synaptogenesis and pruning
 Increased myelination (back to front)
 Opportunity for massive cognitive growth and learning
 Shift into Piaget’s formal operations
Among the most
important
changes to take
place in the
adolescence
brain are those
in the prefrontal
cortex and limbic
system.
(pre) frontal development
 Final development of executive function
 Planning/problem-solving
 Impulse control
 Seat of “sober 2nd
thought”
 Full maturation – sometime between adolescence and early
adulthood
 Coincides with child-onset schizophrenia
 Failure in executive functioning
heightened arousal
 Increased hormone activity
 estrogen & testosterone
 Sexual stimulation
 Social status conflict
 Increased neurotransmitter activity
 heightened emotional sensitivity/reactivity
 Limbic system (norepinephrine)
 increased risk, stimulation-seeking behaviors
 Punishment/reward system (dopamine)
 increased fluctuations in mood
 Serotonin
timing of brain maturation
 Limbic system matures early in puberty
 Prefrontal cortex matures several years later
 Heightened need for reward/stimulation
 leads to increased risk-taking, stimulation-seeking behaviors
 Higher level of emotional volatility
 Underdeveloped “sober” assessment of risks
 Increased cognitive/social demands
 Creates cognitive overload
 Difficulty with impulse control
Timing of brain maturation
 Time gap may explain why adolescence is a period of
heightened experimentation with risky behaviors.
 Increased risk of
 violence/criminal activity
 kids under 18 account for 25 of violent crime in US
 drug & alcohol experimentation
 unsafe sexual activities
conduct problems
Adolescents whose
prefrontal cortical
development is less mature
than normal are even more
likely to have conduct
problems.
Populations most at risk?
Teen pregnancy
Risk factors
Physical
 Sexual maturation
 4-5 years before psychological/emotional maturation
 Becoming longer as puberty starts earlier
 Brain development
 Heightened activation of limbic system
 Increased attraction to risky behaviors
 Pre-frontal development incomplete
Consequences
 SES factors
 50% of pregnancies occur in most impoverished populations
 Less opportunity for education
 Less access to birth control
 Reduced internal locus of control
 Exposure to other risk factors
 drugs, alcohol, abuse, lack of parental monitoring
 Desire for family/stability
Consequences
 Should we be concerned about this?
 For teenage parents
 mother in particular
 For baby
 For families
 For community
 Methods of prevention?
Impact of substance abuse
 Alcohol/drug abuse
 Greater potential impairment in learning
 More widespread brain damage
 Repeated exposure may effect path and quality of development
 Due to reduction in plasticity, this damage cannot be corrected later!
 So, does this mean all experimentation with drugs/alcohol bad?
Adolescent substance abusers
Adolescent substance abusers
 Compared to experimenters:
 more antisocial, impulsive acts
 start earlier
 more likely to be affected by
genetic and environmental factors
 low SES
 family drug use
 family difficulties
 physical, sexual abuse
 poor school performance
 Should we be worried about exposure to graphic violence
through media?
 Why or why not?
 What reasons might we have for thinking adolescents are
particularly vulnerable to aggression/violence?
social implications
 What should the social attitudes be about adolescent exposure
to and involvement in high-stimulation/high-risk activities?
 SexualActivity
 Drugs & Alcohol
 Violence
Identity development
 Adolescence  Erickson stage of identity crisis
 Identity
 Sense of individual self
 Selection of commitments, beliefs, values
 Interpersonal process
 Taking their place in the adult community
Cognitive changes
 Importance of conceptual structure of thinking
 Propositional logic: thinking constrained by logical relations
 Emphasis on rationality and scientific methodology
 Importance of conceptual resources employed in thinking
 Five process:Attention, working memory, processing speed, organization,
meta-cognition
Cognitive changes
 Piaget’s – Formal OperationalThought
 Logical,abstract thinking
 Thinking about possibilities
 “If-then” thinking
 Connection between how things are and how they might have
been or could be.
 Thinking about thinking
 Understanding knowledge (how/when gained)
 Monitoring one’s own mental states
Relativism
 Not everything is “black and white”
 Recognition of importance of perspective
 Death of childish “realism/absolutism”
Can result in extreme skepticism
• Rejection of authority
• Rejection of cultural/social norms
• Everything is “ok” – no right/wrong
Tolerance for different beliefs
• Though less tolerance for actual interaction/helping
Adolescent egocentrism
 Increased introspection, self-consciousness, rationalization
 Responsible for adolescent version of egocentrism.
 Imaginary audience
 Personal fable
 Importance of personal individuality
 Crisis never begins: diffusion
 Crisis begins –> ends with foreclosure
 Crisis begins –> ends with achievement
 Psychosocial moratorium
 Period of exploration
 Importance in contemporary society?
 What are some of the grounds of identity?
 Gender
 Ethnicity/culture
 Age group
 Vocation
 Political ideology
 Religious/moral values
 What is gender identity?
 Function of gender roles
 Adolescence – adulthood
 Gender intensification
 Social/cultural pressures
 Peer pressures
 Parental pressures
 Biological pressures
 What is ethnic identity?
 Identification
 Physical/psychological characteristics
 Cultural practices/beliefs
 Racial socialization
 Majority vs. minority status
 Dislocation from native lands
 Cultural heritage
 Positive vs. negative identity
 Assimilation vs. marginality
 Bi-culturalism
 Vocational identity
 Aspect of identity associated with career.
 Being a lawyer
 Being a janitor
 Religious identity
 Aspect of identity associated with religious belief system.
 Being a Christian or Buddhist
 Being an atheist
 Age identity
 Aspects of identity associated with age group.
 Being a teenager
 Being an elderly person
Identity and stereotypes
 Identities commonly incorporate/activate stereotypes
 Common characteristics associated with
 Being female
 Being NativeAmerican
 Being a plumber
 Being a liberal
 Some characteristics positive, others negative.
 Stereotype activation makes these characteristics salient.
 This can have incredibly powerful effects on behavior.
 Gender and ethnicity stereotypes
 Influence on academic performance
 When gender made salient
 Females under-perform on math exams
 When ethnicity made salient
 Blacks under-perform on academic tests
 Whites over-perform on academic tests
 Can be activated by something as simple as asking ethnicity on
demographic form!
 Clash of multiple identities
 Asian females
 Baseline math performance
 When gender made salient, perform less well
 When ethnicity made salient, perform better
Other effects
 When primed with racial stereotypes people were more likely to
perceive a power tool as a gun.
 People primed with elderly stereotype will perceive hills to be steeper
and distances longer.
 People primed with stereotype of obesity perceived people to be less
intelligent, more lazy.
 Priming with gender influences perception of artistic pieces and
writing.
 Priming of identity stereotypes facilitate specific interpretations of
behavior.
 Positive identity stereotypes create “uplift”
 Negative identity stereotypes create “threat”
 A person can have a mixture of both in their identity.
 Subtle and powerful influence of our identity on our
perception, attitudes, and behaviors.

CARING FOR ADOLESCENT TEENS AND 10724203.ppt

  • 1.
  • 2.
    Definition of puberty Pubertas – Latin word for “adult”  Narrow definition:The process by which an individual becomes capable of reproduction.  The activation of the HPG/HPA axis  Broad definition:The physical, psychological, and cultural changes that occur as the growing child transitions into adulthood.
  • 3.
    Time periods ofadolescent  Adolescence is a unique developmental period  it keeps changing!  Early adolescence – 11 to 13 years old  Continues to be pushed earlier (9-10…)  Middle adolescence – 14 to 17 years old  Late adolescence (early adulthood) – 18 to 20 years old  Continues to be pushed later (21-24…)
  • 4.
    Physical changes… Primary sexcharacteristics • The body organs and reproductive structures and functions that differ between women and men. • Gonads (testes and ovaries) Secondary sex characteristics • Characteristics of the body that are caused by hormones, develop during puberty, and last through adult life. • Changes in genitals/breasts/voice • Pubic/body/facial hair
  • 5.
    Changes… Rapid acceleration ofphysical growth • Adolescent growth spurt • 3.5 (girls) to 4.0 (boys) inches/year • ½ adult weight gained during adolescence Changes in body composition • 3:1 muscle to body fat ratio for boys • 5:4 for girls • Emergence of sex differences in physical performance Changes in circulatory and respiratory systems • Increase in size/capacity of heart and lungs
  • 6.
    Two roles ofhormones Organizational role (life-long):  Modification of the organism early in life  primarily influencing its anatomy  Organization/structure of CNS  “Feminine” vs. “masculan-ized” brain and body Activational role (specific to puberty):  Structural “remodeling” of brain  Increase in salience of sexual stimuli, sexual motivation  Development of secondary sex characteristics
  • 7.
    Hormone regulatory systems Endocrine system  HPA axis  Hypothalamus  Pituitary gland  Adrenals  Corticosteroids  Regulates body’s response to stress  HPG axis  Hypothalamus  Pituitary gland  Gonads (Testes/Ovaries)  Sex Hormones (Androgens/Estrogens)  Regulates sexual maturation
  • 8.
    The hormonal changesbrought on by puberty can affect the adolescent’s behavior in at least three ways.
  • 9.
    Impacts of puberty Sleep patterns  Delayed phase preference  9 hours: 1 am to 10 am  Family relations  Transformation of parent-child bond  Peer relations  Transformation of friendships, romantic relationships
  • 10.
    Impacts of puberty Self-esteem  Changing body image  Changing sense of self  Moods  Increased stress + Increased sensitivity  Fluctuation of moods  Due to hormones or environment?  “Storm and stress”: myth or fact?
  • 11.
  • 12.
    Timing - individualfactors  Genetic factors  Timing and tempo  Environmental factors  Nutrition  Body weight  Exposure to hormones/chemicals  Family conflict  Stepfathers
  • 13.
    Timing - groupfactors  Comparisons  Across socioeconomic groups  Impact of poverty  Dietary intake, health care, exposure to disease  Across countries  Impact of industrialization  Across time periods  Secular trend
  • 14.
    Early maturation  Boys Early maturation positives  Popularity, higher self-esteem  Early maturation negatives  Deviant, risk behaviors; more rigidity later  Girls  Early maturation positives  Popularity (cultural dependence)  Early maturation negatives  Lower self-esteem, eating disorders, emotions, deviant behaviors
  • 15.
    Late maturation  Boys Late maturation positives  Higher levels of creativity, inventiveness  Late maturation negatives  Low self-esteem, low social competence  Girls  Late maturation positives  Thinner build  Late maturation negatives  Social withdrawal
  • 16.
    The second wave…. Longitudinal fMRI studies reveal:  Period of rapid synaptogenesis and pruning  Increased myelination (back to front)  Opportunity for massive cognitive growth and learning  Shift into Piaget’s formal operations
  • 17.
    Among the most important changesto take place in the adolescence brain are those in the prefrontal cortex and limbic system.
  • 18.
    (pre) frontal development Final development of executive function  Planning/problem-solving  Impulse control  Seat of “sober 2nd thought”  Full maturation – sometime between adolescence and early adulthood  Coincides with child-onset schizophrenia  Failure in executive functioning
  • 19.
    heightened arousal  Increasedhormone activity  estrogen & testosterone  Sexual stimulation  Social status conflict  Increased neurotransmitter activity  heightened emotional sensitivity/reactivity  Limbic system (norepinephrine)  increased risk, stimulation-seeking behaviors  Punishment/reward system (dopamine)  increased fluctuations in mood  Serotonin
  • 20.
    timing of brainmaturation  Limbic system matures early in puberty  Prefrontal cortex matures several years later  Heightened need for reward/stimulation  leads to increased risk-taking, stimulation-seeking behaviors  Higher level of emotional volatility  Underdeveloped “sober” assessment of risks  Increased cognitive/social demands  Creates cognitive overload  Difficulty with impulse control
  • 21.
    Timing of brainmaturation  Time gap may explain why adolescence is a period of heightened experimentation with risky behaviors.  Increased risk of  violence/criminal activity  kids under 18 account for 25 of violent crime in US  drug & alcohol experimentation  unsafe sexual activities
  • 22.
    conduct problems Adolescents whose prefrontalcortical development is less mature than normal are even more likely to have conduct problems. Populations most at risk?
  • 23.
  • 24.
    Risk factors Physical  Sexualmaturation  4-5 years before psychological/emotional maturation  Becoming longer as puberty starts earlier  Brain development  Heightened activation of limbic system  Increased attraction to risky behaviors  Pre-frontal development incomplete
  • 25.
    Consequences  SES factors 50% of pregnancies occur in most impoverished populations  Less opportunity for education  Less access to birth control  Reduced internal locus of control  Exposure to other risk factors  drugs, alcohol, abuse, lack of parental monitoring  Desire for family/stability
  • 26.
    Consequences  Should webe concerned about this?  For teenage parents  mother in particular  For baby  For families  For community  Methods of prevention?
  • 27.
    Impact of substanceabuse  Alcohol/drug abuse  Greater potential impairment in learning  More widespread brain damage  Repeated exposure may effect path and quality of development  Due to reduction in plasticity, this damage cannot be corrected later!  So, does this mean all experimentation with drugs/alcohol bad?
  • 28.
    Adolescent substance abusers Adolescentsubstance abusers  Compared to experimenters:  more antisocial, impulsive acts  start earlier  more likely to be affected by genetic and environmental factors  low SES  family drug use  family difficulties  physical, sexual abuse  poor school performance
  • 29.
     Should webe worried about exposure to graphic violence through media?  Why or why not?  What reasons might we have for thinking adolescents are particularly vulnerable to aggression/violence?
  • 30.
    social implications  Whatshould the social attitudes be about adolescent exposure to and involvement in high-stimulation/high-risk activities?  SexualActivity  Drugs & Alcohol  Violence
  • 31.
    Identity development  Adolescence Erickson stage of identity crisis  Identity  Sense of individual self  Selection of commitments, beliefs, values  Interpersonal process  Taking their place in the adult community
  • 32.
    Cognitive changes  Importanceof conceptual structure of thinking  Propositional logic: thinking constrained by logical relations  Emphasis on rationality and scientific methodology  Importance of conceptual resources employed in thinking  Five process:Attention, working memory, processing speed, organization, meta-cognition
  • 33.
    Cognitive changes  Piaget’s– Formal OperationalThought  Logical,abstract thinking  Thinking about possibilities  “If-then” thinking  Connection between how things are and how they might have been or could be.  Thinking about thinking  Understanding knowledge (how/when gained)  Monitoring one’s own mental states
  • 34.
    Relativism  Not everythingis “black and white”  Recognition of importance of perspective  Death of childish “realism/absolutism” Can result in extreme skepticism • Rejection of authority • Rejection of cultural/social norms • Everything is “ok” – no right/wrong Tolerance for different beliefs • Though less tolerance for actual interaction/helping
  • 35.
    Adolescent egocentrism  Increasedintrospection, self-consciousness, rationalization  Responsible for adolescent version of egocentrism.  Imaginary audience  Personal fable  Importance of personal individuality
  • 36.
     Crisis neverbegins: diffusion  Crisis begins –> ends with foreclosure  Crisis begins –> ends with achievement  Psychosocial moratorium  Period of exploration  Importance in contemporary society?
  • 37.
     What aresome of the grounds of identity?  Gender  Ethnicity/culture  Age group  Vocation  Political ideology  Religious/moral values
  • 38.
     What isgender identity?  Function of gender roles  Adolescence – adulthood  Gender intensification  Social/cultural pressures  Peer pressures  Parental pressures  Biological pressures
  • 39.
     What isethnic identity?  Identification  Physical/psychological characteristics  Cultural practices/beliefs  Racial socialization  Majority vs. minority status  Dislocation from native lands  Cultural heritage  Positive vs. negative identity  Assimilation vs. marginality  Bi-culturalism
  • 40.
     Vocational identity Aspect of identity associated with career.  Being a lawyer  Being a janitor  Religious identity  Aspect of identity associated with religious belief system.  Being a Christian or Buddhist  Being an atheist  Age identity  Aspects of identity associated with age group.  Being a teenager  Being an elderly person
  • 41.
    Identity and stereotypes Identities commonly incorporate/activate stereotypes  Common characteristics associated with  Being female  Being NativeAmerican  Being a plumber  Being a liberal  Some characteristics positive, others negative.  Stereotype activation makes these characteristics salient.  This can have incredibly powerful effects on behavior.
  • 42.
     Gender andethnicity stereotypes  Influence on academic performance  When gender made salient  Females under-perform on math exams  When ethnicity made salient  Blacks under-perform on academic tests  Whites over-perform on academic tests  Can be activated by something as simple as asking ethnicity on demographic form!
  • 43.
     Clash ofmultiple identities  Asian females  Baseline math performance  When gender made salient, perform less well  When ethnicity made salient, perform better
  • 44.
    Other effects  Whenprimed with racial stereotypes people were more likely to perceive a power tool as a gun.  People primed with elderly stereotype will perceive hills to be steeper and distances longer.  People primed with stereotype of obesity perceived people to be less intelligent, more lazy.  Priming with gender influences perception of artistic pieces and writing.  Priming of identity stereotypes facilitate specific interpretations of behavior.
  • 45.
     Positive identitystereotypes create “uplift”  Negative identity stereotypes create “threat”  A person can have a mixture of both in their identity.  Subtle and powerful influence of our identity on our perception, attitudes, and behaviors.