Puberty
a period of rapid physical maturation involving hormonal and bodily changes that occurs primarily during early adolescence; in between child and adulthood
Hormones
powerful chemical substances secreted by the endocrine glands and carried through the body by the bloodstream
Timing of Puberty
Boys: Begin- 10-13.5, Ends- 13-17
Girls: menarche (period) between 9 and 15
Amygdala
the region of the brain that is the seat of emotions, like anger, which develops more quickly than other regions that control it
Pruning
synaptic connections that survive and indicated that the activities adolescents choose to engage in and not engage in influence which neural connections will be strengthened and which will disappear
Risks of Not Using Contraceptives
unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections
United States
highest adolescent pregnancy and childbearing rates in the industrialized world
3 Leading Causes of Adolescent Deaths
accidents, homicide, and suicide
Anorexia Nervosa
an eating disorder that involves the relentless pursuit of thinness through starvation; a distorted body image, follows an episode of dieting or life stress, 10 times more likely to occur in females than males
Bulimia Nervosa
an eating disorder in which the individual consistently follows a binge-and-purge pattern, vomiting or using laxatives
Concrete Operational Stage
Piaget's third stage of cognitive development which begins around the age of 7 and ends around age 11 when the formal operational stage begins
Formal Operational Stage
Piaget's fourth cognitive development stage that begins around age 11; thought is more abstract, no longer limited to concrete experiences as thoughts, can develop make-believe situations, hypothesize and reason logically; I
Adolescent Egocentrism
heightened self-consciousness of adolescents; two key parts are imaginary audience and personal fable
David Elkind
Studied adolescent egocentrism
Imaginary Audience
adolescents belief that others are as interested in them as they themselves are, as well as attention getting behavior, think they are "on stage
Personal Fable
the part of adolescent egocentrism that involves an adolescent's sense of uniqueness and invincibility
Examples of Personal Fable
diary, parents do not understand what going through, driving fast, drinking and driving, unprotected sex
Identity
a self-portrait composed of many pieces; career, political identity, religious identity, relationship, motivation to achieve, intellectual identity, sexual identity, cultural/ethnic identity, interests/ hobbies, personality, and physical identity (body im
Identity vs. Role Confusion
Erikson's fifth developmental stage; adolescents are faced with deciding who they are, what they are all about, and where they are going in life
Psychosocial Moratorium
Erikson's term for the gap between childhood security and adult autonomy; society leaves adolescents free of responsibilities and free to try different identities
James Marcia
reasoned Erikson's theory on identity development contains four statuses of resolving identity crisis: identity diffusion, identity foreclosure, identity moratorium and identity achievement; identity is determined by crisis or commitment
Crisis
a period of identity development during which the individual is exploring alternatives; aka: "exploration
Commitment
the part of identity development in which adolescents show a personal investment in identity
Identity Diffusion
Marcia's term for the status of individuals who have not yet experienced a crisis or made any commitments (exploration)
Identity Foreclosure
Marcia's term for the status of individuals who made made a commitment but have not experienced a crisis; parents say you will be this...
Identity Moratorium
Marcia's term for the status individuals who are in the midst of a crisis, but their commitments are either absent or vaguely defined
Identity Achievement
Marcia's term for the status of individuals who have undergone a crisis and have made a commitment
Cliques
a small group that ranges from 2 to about 12 individuals, averaging about 5-6 individuals, and can form because adolescents engage in similar activities
Crowds
larger than cliques and less personable, usually forms based on reputation; members may or may not spend much time together; Ex: jocks, druggies, nerds
Rite of Passage
a ceremony or ritual that marks an individual's transition from one status to another; Ex: high school graduation ceremony
Juvenile Delinquent
an adolescent who breaks the law or engages in behavior that is considered illegal; wide range of infractions from littering to murder
Depression
15%-20% of adolescents; age 15 females rate is twice as high as males due to body image, discrimination, puberty, family factors,
Suicide
rare in childhood, escalates in adolescents and increases in adulthood; third leading cause of death in 10-19 year olds in United States; females more likely to attempt, males more likely to succeed, males use more lethal ways like guns, females cut wrist
4 Problems that Affect Most Adolescents
drug abuse, juvenile delinquency, sexual problems, and school-related problems
Intensive Individualized Attention
adolescents attached to responsible adults who give them attention and deals with their specific needs
Community-Wide Multiagency Collaborative Approaches
different programs and services that uses local media and community education with a substance-abuse curriculum in schools
Early Identification and Intervention
Reaching younger children and their families before children develop problems, or at the beginning of the problems