Physical Changes

in Adolescence
 PUBERTY
• a developmental period in which
hormonal changes cause rapid
physical alterations in the body,
culminating in sexual maturity.
•between nine and 14 years for girls
•between 10 and 17 years for boys.
Puberty begins…
• when the pituitary gland begins to stimulate the
production of the male sex hormone testosterone
in boys
• the female sex hormones estrogen and
progesterone in girls
Primary sex Characteristics -the sex
organs concerned with reproduction

Secondary sex Characteristics-

(features that distinguish the two sexes
from each other but are not involved in
reproduction
 Therelease of these sex hormones triggers the
development of the primary sex characteristics
Primary sex characteristics includes..
enlargement of the testicles and the penis in boys
development of the ovaries, uterus, and vagina in girls
Secondary sex characteristics
are also developing, such as an enlarged Adam’s apple,
a deeper voice, and pubic and underarm hair in boys
and enlargement of the breasts and hips and the
appearance of pubic and underarm hair in girls
menarche, the first menstrual period, typically
experienced at around 12 or 13 years of age
Cognitive Development in Adolescence
 As teenagers mature, the prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain
responsible for reasoning, planning, and problem solving, also
continues to develop (Goldberg, 2001).
 Adolescents often seem to act impulsively, rather than
thoughtfully, and this may be in part because the development of
the prefrontal cortex is, in general, slower than the development
of the emotional parts of the brain,
 Adolescents often seem to act impulsively, rather than
thoughtfully,
 Teenagers are likely to be highly self-conscious, often creating an
imaginary audience in which they feel that everyone is constantly
watching them
The Self
“separate, self-contained, independent,
consistent, unitary, and private” (Stevens, 1996).
“separate,” it means it is distinct, different, and
unique from others
; it is self-containing of its own thoughts,
characteristics, and volition
Example
Profile picture
The Self
 The Self is unitary in that it is the center of all experiences and
thoughts that run a person
 the self is private- . A person may sort out information, feelings,
and emotions, and thought processes within the self. The whole
process is never accessible to anyone but the self. This suggests
that the self is isolated from the external world. It lives within
its own world
 Theideal self pertains to the image or aspirations of what you
want to become
 actual self as the term implies “actual”, is your present self
that you see on the daily basis
Self-Concept
 This is a collection of beliefs about one’s basic nature, unique
qualities, and typical behavior
 r.Although we may have so many dimensions in which we describe
ourselves such as “I’m grateful” or “I’m friendly”, we have
separate concepts of our physical, social, emotional and
intellectual selves; yet we are still referring to one single entity
that is unique and very distinct from others (Don Hamachek,
1992). Our various self-concepts are characterized by relatively
distinct thoughts and feelings. That is, we may have considerable
information about our social skills and feel quite confident about
them but have limited information about our physical skills and
feel less confident about this aspect of our self.
 Development in Adolescence
 Some of the most important changes that occur during adolescence
involve the further development of the self-concept and the
development of new attachments
s young children are most strongly attached to their parents, the
important attachments of adolescents move increasingly away from
parents and increasingly toward peers.
 According to Erikson, the main social task of the adolescent is the
search for a unique identity — the ability to answer the question
“Who am I?” In the search for identity, the adolescent may
experience role confusion in which he or she is balancing or
choosing among identities, taking on negative or undesirable
identities, or temporarily giving up looking for an identity
altogether if things are not going well.
Cultural Values/ Cultural Guidelines
 Self-concept is also indirectly influenced by cultural
values. In the study of Cultural Psychology, in this age
of technology and social media, we accept our
differences, especially on how we accept the culture
and beliefs of others.
 Thesociety in which we are raised defines what is
“good” and “bad” in personality and behavior.
 Thesecultural values influence how we interpret our
behavior. In the Philippines, our cultural values were
shaped by historical colonization
Self-knowledge
 stems from the actual – self. It derives from our social
interactions of society that provide insight into how others
react to us. It is the same as gaining feedback from others.
The reaction of other people is an essential aspect of gaining
actual-self or our self-image. Even our social roles are
adjusted, on how we view ourselves today, and how ideally
(ideal self) what we would like to be in the future. There is a
negotiation that exists between the two selves, which is
complicated by numerous exchanges between the ideal self
and actual self. These exchanges are exemplified in these
social roles, and they are adjusted continuously and re-
adjusted.