Prepared by:

LIVIEN U. CIABAL, PhD, RGC, RPm

 PUBERTY and
ADOLESCENCE
The onset of adolescent is heralded
by two significant changes in
physical development – the
ADOLESCENT or PUBERTAL
GROWTH SPURT and
PUBERTY.
 The changes are brought about by
the activation of the endocrine
glands.
 The process begins as the
hypothalamus instructs the pituitary
to activate the adrenal glands and the
gonads.
PUBERTY and
ADOLESCENCE
 PUBERTY is the point in the
development of man in which the
individual becomes physically capable
of sexual reproduction
 A SEXUAL MATURATION
follows a predictable sequence for
members of both sexes.
 MENARCHE or the first menstrual
period signifies the new stage of
maturation for girls.
 THE ADOLESCENT
GROWTH
SPURT
 The term GROWTH
SPURT refers to the rapid
acceleration in height and
weight that marks the
beginning of adolescence.
 The timing of this event
varies form child to child.
 CHARACTERISTICS
OF PUBERTY
1. PUBERTY IS AN OVERLAPPING PERIOD
Puberty happens during the last years of
childhood and the starting years of
adolescence.
It is about 10 ½ years to 13 years for girls
and about 2 years later for boys.
2. PUBERTY IS A SHORT PERIOD.
Puberty lasts from 2 – 4 years. Rapid maturers
take 2 years while slow maturers take 3 – 4
years.
3. PUBERTY IS MANIFESTED IN BOTH
INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL CHANGES IN
THE BODY.
Primary and secondary sex characteristics are
manifested in the changes.
 CHARACTERISTICS
OF PUBERTY
4. PUBERTY IS A TIME OF RAPID
GROWTH AND CHANGE. The rapid growth
is called PUBERTAL GROWTH SPURT.
5. PUBERTY IS DIVIDED INTO 3 STAGES:
PREPUBESCENT – Secondary characteristics
begin their development but the reproductive
organs are not yet fully developed.
PUBESCENT – Characterized by menarche
for girls and nocturnal emissions in boys.
POSTPUBESCENT – Secondary sex
characteristics become well developed and the
sex organs begin to function in a mature
manner.
Physical Changes of Puberty
• Puberty is the period of several years in which rapid physical
growth and psychological changes occur, culminating 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.
• Males, however, accelerate more slowly but continue to grow
for about six years after the first visible pubertal changes.
 Hormonal Changes
• During this time, both the adrenal glands
and the sex glands mature—processes
known as adrenarche and gonadarche,
respectively.
• These changes are largely influenced by
hormonal activity. Hormones play an
organizational role (priming the body to
behave in a certain way once puberty begins)
and an activational role (triggering certain
behavioral and physical changes). **
BODY CHANGES AT
PUBERTY
Four important physical changes
occur during puberty namely:
 changes in the body size,
 changes in body proportions,
 the development of the primary
sex characteristics, and
 the development of the secondary
sex characteristics.
 A. CHANGES IN THE

BODY
Girls gain an average annual increase of 3 inches
during MENARCHE. After menarche, the rate of
growth slows down to about one inch a year,
coming to a standstill at around 18 for early
maturers, and early 20s in the late maturers.
 Boys grow rapidly between 13 to 14 years, with
the peak occurring at 14 years. After that growth
decelerates and continues at a slower rate until the
age of 21.
 B. CHANGES IN
BODY
PROPORTION
 Certain areas of the body become
proportionally too big because they
reach their mature size sooner
than the other areas.
 The whole body attains adult
proportions in all areas during
the latter part of adolescence.
 C. PRIMARY SEX
CHARACTERISTIC

S
The gonads or testes, which are located in the
scrotum, or sac, are only 10% of their mature size
at the age of 14 years. There is a rapid growth for a
year or two, then growth slows down. The testes
are fully developed by the age of 20 or 21.
 Menarche signifies the new stage of maturation for
girls. This is the beginning of a series of periodic
discharges of blood, mucus, and broke n cell tissues
from the uterus. It occurs approximately every 28
days until the girl reaches menopause usually in the
late 40s or early 50s.
 D. SECONDARY
SEX

CHARACTERISTICS
Boys develop muscles that give shape to
their arms, legs, and shoulders. Their voice
becomes husky and later increases in
volume.
 The girls develop wider and rounder hips
as a result of the enlargement of the pelvic
bone and the development of
subcutaneous fat. Shortly after the hips
have started to enlarge, the breasts begin to
develop. The nipples enlarge and
protrude.
 BRAIN
DEVELOPMEN
• T
Adolescents often engage in
increased risk‐taking behaviors and
experience heightened emotions
during puberty; this may be due to
the fact that the frontal lobes of
their brains—which are responsible
for judgment, impulse control, and
planning—are still maturing until
early adulthood (Casey, Tottenham,
Liston, & Durston, 2005).
 COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
in ADOLESCENCE

• In adolescence, changes in
the brain interact with
experience, knowledge, and
social demands and produce
rapid cognitive growth.
 COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
in ADOLESCENCE

Different Perspectives
• Jean Piaget describes adolescence as
the stage wherein thoughts start taking
more abstract forms, and egocentrism
shifts.

• The Constructivist Perspective takes a

quantitative state-theory approach,
hypothesizing that adolescent cognitive
improvements are sudden and drastic.
 COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
in ADOLESCENCE

Different Perspectives
• The Information Processing perspective
derives from artificial intelligence models, and
attempts to explain things in terms of the growth
of specific components of the thinking process

• Improvements in basic thinking abilities

generally occur in five areas: attention,
memory, processing speed, organization, and
metacognition.
 COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
in ADOLESCENCE
Different Perspectives
• Metacognition is relevant in social
cognition, increasing introspection, self-
consciousness and intellectualization. It also
encourages adolescents to question rules,
assertions and such.
• Wisdom, or the capacity for insight and
judgment, is developing through experience,
and increases steadily through age 25...
however, young adolescents have an increased
tendency to engage in risky behavior
 COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
in ADOLESCENCE

KEY TERMS
• Relativistic: Of or relating to the concept that points of
view have no absolute truth or validity, and instead have
only subjective value according to differences in
perception
• Mnemonic device: Any specific learning
technique that aids in information retention
 COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
in ADOLESCENCE
KEY TERMS
• Prefrontal cortex: The anterior part of the frontal
lobes of the brain, lying in front of the motor cortex and
pre-motor areas; the brain area associated with higher
cognition
• Introspection: A looking inward; the act or process
of self-examination, or inspection of one's own thought
and feelings; knowing that the mind has it's own acts
and states
 COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
in ADOLESCENCE
KEY TERMS
• Egocentric: Self-centered, absorbed with the self;
selfish
• Intellectualization: The act or process of finding a
rational explanation for some
 COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
and CHANGES IN THE
BRAIN
• Can solve problems through abstract concepts
• Can utilize hypothetical and deductive
reasoning
• Use trial and error to solve problems,
• Have the ability to systematically solve a problem
in a logical and methodical way emerges.
• Brain structure and connectivity in the brain
interact with increased experience, knowledge,
and changing social demands
• Development of executive functions, or cognitive
skills
PIAGET’S STAGES
OF COGNITIVE
DEVELOPMENT
 Perspectives and
Advancements in
Adolescent Thinking
• The constructivist perspective, based on the work of
Piaget, takes a quantitative, state‐theory approach.
This view hypothesizes that adolescents’ cognitive
improvement is relatively sudden and drastic.
• The information‐processing perspective derives
from the study of artificial intelligence and explains
cognitive development in terms of the growth of
specific components of the overall process of
thinking. Improvements in basic thinking abilities
generally occur in five areas during adolescence:
 Perspectives and
Advancements in
Adolescent Thinking
• The information‐processing perspective
Improvements in basic thinking
abilities generally occur in five areas during
adolescence:
 Attention
 Memory
 Processing Speed
 Organization
 Metacognition
 Perspectives and
Advancements in
Adolescent Thinking
5 basic thinking abilities
1. Attention: Improvements are seen in selective
attention (the process by which one focuses on
one stimulus while tuning out another), as well
as divided attention (the ability to pay attention
to two or more stimuli at the same time).
2. Memory. Improvements are seen in both
working memory and long‐term memory.
 Perspectives and
Advancements in
Adolescent
5 basic thinking abilities Thinking
3. Processing Speed. Adolescents think more
quickly than children. Processing speed
improves sharply between age five and middle
adolescence, levels off around age 15, and does
not appear to change between late adolescence
and adulthood.
4. Organization. Adolescents are more aware of
their own thought processes and can use
mnemonic devices and other strategies to think
more efficiently.
 Perspectives and
Advancements in
Adolescent
5 basic thinking abilities Thinking
5. Metacognition. Adolescents can think
about thinking itself. This often involves
monitoring one’s own cognitive activity
during the thinking process.
Metacognition and
Relativistic
Thinking
• Metacognition is relevant in social
cognition and results in increased
introspection, self‐consciousness,
and
intellectualization
Metacognition and
Relativistic
Thinking
• Adolescents are much better able to understand
that people do not have complete control over
their mental activity.
• Being able to introspect may lead to two forms of
egocentrism, or self‐focus, in adolescents, which
result in two distinct problems in thinking:
– the imaginary audience and the personal fable
Metacognition and
Relativistic
•
Thinking
the imaginary audience (when an adolescent
believes everyone is listening to him or her)
• the personal fable (which causes
adolescents to feel that nothing harmful
could ever happen to them). *
**Adolescents are more likely to engage in relativistic
thinking—in other words, they are more likely to
question others’ assertions and less likely to accept
information as absolute truth.
 WISDOM and RISK-
TAKING
• Wisdom, or the capacity for insight and
judgment that is developed through
experience, increases between the ages
of 14 and 25, then levels off.
• Wisdom is not the same as intelligence,
and adolescents do not improve
substantially on IQ tests since their
scores are relative to others in their age
group, as everyone matures at
approximately the same rate.
 PSYCHOSOCIAL
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.
 ADOLESCENT
IDENTITY
EXPLORATION
• Adolescence is the period of life known for the
formation of personal and social identity.

• Adolescents must explore, test limits, become

autonomous, and commit to an identity, or sense of
self.

• Different roles, behaviors, and ideologies must be tried

out to select an identity, and adolescents continue to
refine their sense of self as they relate to others.
 ADOLESCENT
IDENTITY
EXPLORATION
• Erik Erikson referred to the task of
the adolescent as one of identity
versus role confusion.
• Who am I?”
• “Who do I want to be?”
 ADOLESCENT
IDENTITY
EXPLORATION
• Adolescents tend to be rather
egocentric;
• they often experience a self‐conscious
desire to feel important in peer
groups and receive social acceptance
 SELF-
CONCEPT
• Early in adolescence, cognitive
developments result in greater
self‐awareness.
• This leads to greater awareness of others as
well as one’s own thoughts and judgments.
• Develops the ability to think about abstract,
future possibilities and consider multiple
possibilities at once
 SENSE OF
IDENTITY
• identity represents a coherent sense of self
that is stable across circumstances and
includes past experiences and future goals.
• Erikson determined that “identity
achievement” resolves the identity crisis in
which adolescents must explore different
possibilities and integrate different parts of
themselves before committing to their
chosen identity.
 SELF-
ESTEEM
• Self‐esteem consists of one’s
thoughts and feelings about one’s
self‐concept and identity.

• High self‐esteem is often derived from

their ability to successfully influence
their friends.
 BEHAVIORAL and
PSYCLOGICAL
ADJUSTMENT
Concerns
 Identity Formation
 Aggressive behavior
and Antisocial
Behavior
 Anxiety and
Depression
 Academic
Achievements
 CONCERNS DURING
PUBERTY and
ADOLESCENCE
1. SEX DIFFERENCES IN GROWTH RATES
While males and females grow at about the
same rates during childhood, females
experience puberty and the adolescent
growth spurt 2 years earlier than males.
2. DIFFERENT GROWTH RATES OF BODY
PARTS
Hands and feet grow before arms and
legs,
and arms and legs grow before the torso.
Noses, ears, and jaws can outpace the
growth of the rest of the face.
 CONCERNS DURING
PUBERTY and
ADOLESCENCE
3. IRREGULAR CHANGES IN WEIGHT
AND PHYSIQUE
The rapid gains in height, the shifts in
body fat, and the late development of
muscle tissue can cause the adolescent’s
physique to change dramatically.
4. TROUBLESOME SKIN CHANGES
Sweat and odor glands step up their
activity, producing odor and the need for
frequent bathing. The oil glands
become active and may cause skin
problems like acne.
 CONCERNS DURING
PUBERTY and
ADOLESCENCE
5. PERSONALITY/APPEARANCE
His physical growth and development
make the adolescent develops self-
consciousness. RELATIONSHIPS
The adolescent’s sense of self, his sense of
new self, his new role, and his view of the
future usually overwhelms the young
adolescent, affecting his interaction with
significant others.
 CONCERNS DURING
PUBERTY and
ADOLESCENCE
7. VARIATION IN AGE OF
MATURITY
Sexual maturation can begin anytime
within a six year range for both
sexes.
 EFFECTS OF
DEVIANT
MATURING
DEVIANT MATURER
is one whose sexual maturation occurs a year
or more from the norm of the sex.
EARLY MATURERS
children who mature sexually earlier than their sex
group.
LATE MATURERS
children who mature sexually later than their sex
group.
 EFFECTS OF
DEVIANT
MATURING
RAPID MATURER
when children require less than the
normal time for their sex group to
complete the maturational process.
SLOW MATURERS
children who need more than the
normal time.
 EFFECTS OF
DEVIANT
BOYS
MATURING
Early growth in height and muscle is
generally advantageous to boys. They
usually gain leadership status
because of their physical growth
prowess. The boy who lags behind
in size, strength, and mature
appearance is at disadvantage until
he catches up in the growth spurt.
 EFFECTS OF
DEVIANT
MATURING
GIRLS
The consequences of early pubescence
are more complex for girls. Changes
in the height and shape of the body
sometimes interfere with early social
adjustment.
 EFFECTS OF
DEVIANT
GIRLS
MATURING
Some girls can be very particular with
their physical appearance and begin to
join maturer groups, engaging in the
maturer
group’s activities. This could facilitate early
maturation when other aspects of growth and
development are not neglected.
THE ROLE OF
SIGNIFICANT
OTHERS
Based on many researches and studies, the
concerns and problems of the growing
individual in this stage are varied. They range
from physical, social, emotional, academic,
and moral. Growing up towards the healthy
direction depends largely on the individual’s
interaction with the significant others –
parents, peer group, teachers, and
authorities.
THE ROLE OF
SIGNIFICANT
OTHERS
Parents can do a lot to help their teeners
cope with their “growing up pains.” The key
is to prepare them adequately for the
expected physical changes. Maintaining open
communication between parents and
children give the young adolescent
opportunity to ask questions about their
experiences.
 PERFORMANCE TASK
I. Key terms/concepts to define
1. Adolescent growth spurt
2. Puberty
3. Primary sex characteristics
4. Secondary sex characteristics
5. Menarche
6. Deviant maturers
7. Early maturers
8. Late maturers
9. Rapid maturers
10. Slow maturers
 PERFORMANCE TASK
II. Get pictures of yourself, one just before you
reached puberty and another one of your
current age. Briefly discuss all the changes
and development you experienced and
the most significant memories you could
still remember during the stage of
puberty.