Adolescence

Adolescence

1. Physical Development

   • General
     • increase in testosterone & oestrogen
   • Growth Patterns
     • reverse of proximodistal growth pattern
     • asynchronous growth pattern
   • The Brain
     • growth in prefrontal cortex
     • pruning & principle of 'use it or lose it'
   • Sexual Maturation
     • Primary
       • directly involves sex organs
         • menarche & spermarche
     • Secondary
       • visible changes
     • Early
     • Late
   • Timing of Puberty
     • Garcia-Moro & Hernandez (1990)
     • refers to the start of puberty & it's physical + sexual changes
     • absent fathers
       • physical, family, evolutionary
     • Brooks-Gunn et al. (1985)

2. Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children

   • Survey apart of international research initiative that looks at the well-being of schoolchildren every 4 years
   • General, Substance use, Smoking, Alcohol, Drug use, Food & dieting behaviour, Exercise & physical activity, Bullying and Sexual behaviour

3. Cognitive Development

   • Piaget's Formal Operational Stage
     • abstract thinking & deductive logic
   • Adolescent Egocentrism Theory
     • imaginary audience & personal fable
   • Socio-Emotional Development
     • Erikson's Identity v Role Confusion Stage

4. Identity

   • Marcia's Theories of Identity
     • moratorium
       • no crisis, no commitment
     • diffusion
       • might have had crisis, no commitment
     • foreclosure
       • no crisis, a commitment
     • achievement
       • have had a crisis & commitment

5. In Focus:

   • LGBT People
   • Suicide
   • Eating Disorders