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Puberty & Sexual Behavior

Ψ  Puberty is a developmental period ( approximately from 9 to 17 years ) of significant biological changes resulting in secondary sexual characteristics.

•  Link to The Signposts of Puberty

Cognitive & Emotional Changes

Ψ  One of the most significant changes in cognitive development during adolescence is the ability to think in the abstract.

Ψ  Piaget's cognitive Stage 4: formal operations, is achieved during adolescence. Children who attain the formal operation stage are capable of thinking logically and abstractly. They can also reason theoretically. Piaget considered this the ultimate stage of development, and stated that although the children would still have to revise their knowledge base, their way of thinking was as powerful as it would get.

Brain development: reason & emotion

Ψ  The adolescent's brain has an underdeveloped prefrontal cortex, or executive officer, but a well developed limbic system, or producer of emotion.
 
•  This combination of weak control & strong emotion appears to result in many unthinking behaviors during adolescence.

•  Link to Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Reasoning

•  Link to Parenting Styles & Effects

Beyond Adolescence

     Changes in cognitive speed: beginning in the late 50's; processing speed, perceptual speed & reaction time all slow.

     Changes in memory: detail memory declines as we get older & is part of the normal aging process.

     Adulthood - Erikson's psychosocial stages:

•  Link to Stage 5: identity versus role confusion (adolescence, 12- 20) for more info.
 •  Stage 6: intimacy versus isolation (early adulthood, 20 - 40)
  •  Stage 7: generativity versus stagnation (middle adulthood, 40 - 65)
   •  Stage 8: integrity versus despair (late adulthood, 65 +)

Gender Roles, Love & Relationship - Two theories of male-female differences:

Ψ   Three common patterns are:
 
 •  Women take on more domestic tasks
   •  In occupations, women often have lower status
     •  Women & men often have different occupational roles.

Ψ  Evolutionary theory: uses reproductive goals as well as genetic & biological factors to explain the behavior. Sociobiology says that the double standard for male promiscuity has a biological basis — it is not moral or immoral; it simply is a strategy that produces more children.

•  Link to information on Suicide