Physical Development During Adolescence

Adolescence is generally a stressful life stage for most individuals. An adolescent typically has a wide variety of issues to consider during this time period in their life- friends, family, school, etc. However, throw an illness such as cancer or diabetes into this already tumultuous period, and this life stage becomes even more complicated than most people ever think possible. In this paper, I will begin by introducing the specific illness that I will be discussing throughout the essay, and I will also discuss what is known about the said illness. I will then introduce to you a specific (fictional) person who has dealt with the aforementioned illness and provide some background on them and their specific situation. Next, I will describe …show more content…
Puberty transforms the body’s physical characteristics from those a child to those more typical of an adult. Sexual development can begin as early as age eight in girls and age ten in boys (Arnett 2016, p. 352). In girls, there is a huge rise in the female sex hormone estradiol, which is responsible for the development of both primary and secondary sex characteristics (Arnett 2016; p. 351) . Primary sexual characteristics are directly correlated with reproduction, and are about the sex organs and sex cells themselves (Arnett 2016; p. 351). The egg is the sex cell in the female, and the sperm is the male sex cell. In girls, the primary sex characteristics resulting from estradiol include ovulation and menarche. In contrast, secondary sexual characteristics are bodily changes that result from increase in sex hormones, but are not related to reproduction (Arnett 2016; p. 351). Examples of secondary sexual characteristics in adolescnt girls include breast development and body hair growth (Arnett 2016, p. 352). As for puberty in the male adolescent, the group of hormones that are responsible for puberty are known as androgens (Arnett 2016; p. 350). The main androgen involved in male puberty is testosterone (Arnett 2016, p. 352). According to figure 8.2 on page 352 of the textbook, some of the physical changes in boys during puberty include body hair growth, sperm production, and a …show more content…
Arnett defines divided attention as, “ability to focus on more than one task at a time” (Arnett 2016; p. 366). He defines selective attention as “the ability to focus on relevant information while screening out information that is irrelevant” (Arnett 2016; p. 366). Arnett also states that adolescents usually show improvements in long-term memory capabilities, which can be used to improve organizational and study habits at school (Arnett 2016; p.366). In middle and high school, organization is extremely important for keeping track of assignment deadlines, writing papers, and studying effectively for tests. Long-term memory is also useful in later adolescence when one is writing essays and filling out applications during the college application