Summary discussion - Essay Example

Puberty and Adolescence Transition into puberty involves a lot of psychological and social issues, and these issues make the life of a teenager calamitous. According to Santrock (2013), adolescents are in the effort to find their own place in the society. Puberty, which is loosely related to adolescence, introduces a lot of hormonal and physical changes in an adolescent. However, the question is whether an early or late onset of puberty leads to an increase or decrease in the troubles faced by adolescents during the transition.

It seems to me that these two are in fact closely related. For example, the belief that breast and pubic hair development signals the onset of puberty is rather strong in the society and there are many studies like Herman-Giddens et al. (1997) and Kaplowitz and Oberfield (1999) considering these as the signs of onset of puberty. So, it is only rational to think that a late or early breast development will lead to a fall in confidence in adolescent girls. However, the claim that puberty for girls begins earlier now is a myth is still in dispute.

For example, American Psychological Association claims based on various studies that puberty occurs 1 year earlier in White girls and 2 year earlier in African American girls than previously thought (p. 7). Anyway, due to the physical and hormonal changes associated with puberty and certain myths about adolescence and puberty, teenagers experience a lot of trouble accepting the changes and finding their place in society. Due to these reasons, adults should spend time with teenagers and listen to their worries offering solutions (American Psychological Association, 2002, p. 8). Yet another point is that as puberty and adolescence are not the same thing, parental care at this stage is a complex issue.

Parents should not consider physical development as the parameter to offer autonomy but age and social and emotional development should be the parameters (American Psychological Association, 2002, p. 8). While transition into adolescence is marked by dealing with physical and psychological changes, the transition into adulthood is more about struggling through the various rites set by the society, which vary from culture to culture.ReferencesAmerican Psychological Association. (2002). Developing adolescents: A reference for professionals.

Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/pi/families/resources/develop.pdfHerman-Giddens, M E., SLora, E. J., Wasserman, R. C., Bourdony, C. J., Bhapkar, M. V., Koch, G. G., & Hasemeier, C. M (1997). Secondary sexual characteristics and menses in young girls seen in office practice: A study from the Pediatric Research and Office Settings Network. Pediatrics, 99, 505-512.Kaplowitz, P. B., & Oberfield ,S. E (1999). Reexamination of the age limit for defining when puberty is precocious in girls in the United States: Implications for evaluation and treatment.

Pediatrics, 104, 936-941.Santrock, J. (2013). Life-span development (14th Ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.