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THE TEEN YEARS EXPLAINED:
A GUIDE TO HEALTHY ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT
By Clea McNeely, MA, DrPH and Jayne Blanchard
The teen years are a time of opportunity, not turmoil.
The Teen Years Explained: A Guide to Healthy Adolescent Development describes
the normal physical, cognitive, emotional and social, sexual, identity formation,
and spiritual changes that happen during adolescence and how adults can promote
healthy development. Understanding these changes—developmentally, what is
happening and why—can help both adults and teens enjoy the second decade of
life. The Guide is an essential resource for all people who work with young people.
© 2009 Center for Adolescent Health at
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written
permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Printed in the United States of America. Printed and distributed by the
Center for Adolescent Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
For additional information about the Guide and to order additional copies, please contact:
Center for Adolescent Health
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
615 N. Wolfe St., E-4543
Baltimore, MD 21205
www.jhsph.edu/adolescenthealth
410-614-3953
ISBN 978-0-615-30246-1
Designed by Denise Dalton of Zota Creative Group
EXPLAINED
THE TEEN YEARS
THE TEEN YEARS EXPLAINED: A GUIDE TO HEALTHY ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT Clea McNeely & Jayne Blanchard
Clea McNeely, MA, DrPH and Jayne Blanchard
A GUIDE TO
HEALTHY
ADOLESCENT
DEVELOPMENT
explained
THe Teen YeaRS
Clea McNeely, MA, DrPH and Jayne Blanchard
a GUide TO
HealTHY
adOleSCenT
deVelOpMenT
The Teen years
e x p l a i n e d
By
Clea McNeely, MA, DrPH
Jayne Blanchard
With a foreword by
Nicole Yohalem
Karen Pittman
A GUIDE TO
HEALTHY ADOLESCENT
DEVELOPMENT
iv
The Teen years explained
contents
About the Center for Adolescent Health ......................................... vi
Acknowledgments ........................................................................ vii
Foreword by Nicole Yohalem and Karen Pittman ............................ ix
Introduction ....................................................................................1
chapters
1 Physical Development ..............................................................7
Brain Page .........................................................................16
Obesity: Nutrition & Exercise ..............................................17
2 Cognitive Development ........................................................... 21
Sleep ..................................................................................28
Effects of Tobacco, Alcohol & Drugs on the Developing
Adolescent Brain ................................................................29
3 Emotional & Social Development ............................................ 31
Teen Stress.........................................................................38
Bullying .............................................................................40
4 Forming an Identity ................................................................45
Mental Health ....................................................................54
5 Sexuality .................................................................................59
6 Spirituality & Religion ............................................................71
7 Profiles of Development .......................................................... 79
8 Conclusion ............................................................................. 87
Resources & Further Reading .......................................................89
References .................................................................................. 93
Index .........................................................................................103
vi
The Teen years explained
C E N T E R F O R
ADOLESCENT
H E A L T H
A B O U T T H E
T
he Center for Adolescent Health
is a prevention research center at the Johns
Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
and funded by the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention. We are committed to assisting
urban youth to become healthy and productive
adults. Together with community partners, the
Center conducts research to identify the needs
and strengths of young people, and evaluates and
assists programs to promote the health and well-
being of young people. Our mission is to work
in partnership with youth, people who work
with youth, community residents, public policy–
makers, and program administrators to help urban
adolescents develop healthy adult lifestyles.
vii
acknowledgmenTs
acknowledgmenTs
Catherine Bradshaw, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department
of Mental Health, Associate
Director, Johns Hopkins Center for
the Prevention of Youth Violence,
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School
of Public Health
Robert Crosnoe, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of
Sociology & Population Research
Center, University of Texas at Austin
Jacinda Dariotis, PhD
Assistant Scientist, Center for
Adolescent Health, Department of
Population, Family & Reproductive
Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg
School of Public Health
Nikeea C. Linder, PhD, MPH
Assistant Professor, Division of Gen-
eral Pediatrics & Adolescent Medi-
cine, Department of Pediatrics &
Department of Population, Family &
Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins
School of Medicine & Bloomberg
School of Public Health
Arik V. Marcell, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor, Division of Gen-
eral Pediatrics & Adolescent Medi-
cine, Department of Pediatrics &
Department of Population, Family &
Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins
School of Medicine & Bloomberg
School of Public Health
Sara Johnson, MPH, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of
Population, Family & Reproductive
Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg
School of Public Health
Lisa Pearce, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of
Sociology, Fellow, Carolina Popula-
tion Center, University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill
Stephen T. Russell, PhD
Professor & Director, Frances Mc-
Clelland Institute for Children,
Youth & Families, Norton School
of Family & Consumer Sciences,
University of Arizona
Freya L. Sonenstein, PhD
Director, Center for Adolescent
Health, Professor, Department of
Population, Family & Reproductive
Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg
School of Public Health
Janis Whitlock, MPH, PhD
Director, Cornell Research Program
on Self-Injurious Behavior, Research
Scientist, Family Life Development
Center, Lecturer, Human Develop-
ment Department, Cornell University
e authors of e Teen Years Explained: A Guide to Healthy Adolescent Development would like to express our sincere
gratitude to the following people for all of their guidance and support during the creation of this book:
Freya Sonenstein, PhD Nicole Yohalem Karen Pittman
e Guide was made possible by funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to the Center for
Adolescent Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a member of the Prevention Research Centers
Program (CDC cooperative agreement 1-U48-DP-000040). We would also like to thank the Charles Crane Family Founda-
tion and the Shapiro Family Foundation for their support for the Guide.
Members of the Scientific Advisory Board
e Scientific Advisory Board provided insight and information in their professional review of the chapters.
We thank them for their invaluable contribution.
viii
The Teen years explained
Rebkha Atnafou, MPH
Executive Director, e After-
School Institute
Robert Blum, MD, MPH, PhD
Director, Urban Health Institute,
William H. Gates, Sr. Professor &
Chair, Department of Population,
Family & Reproductive Health,
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of
Public Health
Jean-Michel Brevelle
Sexual Minorities Program Manager,
Maryland AIDS Administration
Peter R. Cohen, MD
Medical Director, Alcohol & Drug
Abuse Administration, Maryland
Department of Health &
Mental Hygiene
Barbara Conrad, BSN, MPH
Chief, Division of Sexually Trans-
mitted Diseases/HIV Partner Noti-
fication, Maryland Department of
Health & Mental Hygiene
Cheryl De Pinto, MD, MPH
Medical Director, Child, Adoles-
cent, & School Health, Center for
Maternal & Child Health, Maryland
Department of Health &
Mental Hygiene
Additional Thanks
Denise Dalton, David Jernigan, PhD, Meg Tucker, Seante Hatcher, Beth Marshall, Rosemary Hutzler, Ann Stiller
We would like to thank the youth who contributed their voices, which can be found throughout the Guide.
Special thanks to Layne Humphrey and Christine Verdun Schoennberger for their dedication and hard work on the
early version of the Guide.
Members of the Adolescent Colloquium
e Adolescent Colloquium was formed as a partnership with the Center for Adolescent Health in 2005 to provide
important contributions to the shaping of this project. We thank them for their dedication and participation.
Christine Evans
Community Health Educator, Cen-
ter for Maternal & Child Health,
Maryland Department of Health &
Mental Hygiene
Marina Finnegan, MHC
Director of Prevention Strategies,
Governor’s Office for Children,
Maryland
Patricia I. Jones, BS
Abstinence Education Coordina-
tor, Center for Maternal & Child
Health, Maryland Department of
Health & Mental Hygiene
Mary Anne Kane-Breschi
Office for Genetics & Children with
Special Health Care Needs Resource
Development, Maryland Depart-
ment of Health & Mental Hygiene
Rebekah Lin
Communications & Technical
Assistance Specialist, e After-
School Institute
Pam Putman, BSN, MPH
Healthy Teens & Young Adults Fam-
ily Planning & Reproductive Health,
Maryland Department of Health &
Mental Hygiene
Ilene Sparber, LCSW-C
Interagency Coalition on Teen Preg-
nancy & Parenting, Montgomery
County Department of Health &
Human Services
Mischa Toland
Interagency Coalition on Teen Preg-
nancy & Parenting, Montgomery
County Department of Health &
Human Services
Carmi Washington-Flood
Chief, Office of Community
Relations & Initiatives, Maryland
Department of Health &
Mental Hygiene
Pearl Whitehurst
Program Coordinator, Office of
Community Relations & Initiatives,
Maryland Department of Health &
Mental Hygiene
Disclaimer: While many people have provided guidance in the development of this book,
e Teen Years Explained:
A Guide to Healthy Adolescent Development
represents the thoughts of its authors, who are responsible for its content.
It does not reflect the views of the Adolescent Colloquium, the Scientific Advisory Board, the State of Maryland govern-
ment agencies, Johns Hopkins University, nor any of its funders.
ix
foreword
foreword
Not since the 2002 publication of Community Programs to Promote Youth Development have we recommended adding any
lengthy publications to the “must-read” list for youth workers, teachers, parents, or anyone interested in ensuring young
people’s positive development. But make room on the bookshelf, because the time has come with the release of e Teen
Years Explained: A Guide to Healthy Adolescent Development.
By compiling in plain English the science behind adolescence, the authors have produced a comprehensive yet accessible re-
source that 1) explains, without oversimplifying, the complex processes of development; 2) challenges and empowers adults
to invest more attention, more time, and more resources in adolescents as they transition to adulthood; and 3) gives youth-
development professionals the knowledge they need to ensure that healthy adolescent development is an explicit goal of
their work.
Everything from basic social development theory to cutting-edge neuroscience is packed into this guide, making it a useful
reminder of some key principles underlying the youth development movement and a resource for adults who find themselves
helping teens navigate a world that likely feels different from the one they grew up in.
At the Forum for Youth Investment, we are committed to supporting leaders who are working on youth issues. One thing
we try to do is meet people where they are, but quickly help them see a bolder path. Simple catchphrases often help us do
that, and three in particular are reinforced by this guide.
by Nicole Yohalem and Karen Pittman, Forum for Youth Investment
Core supports
& opportunities
B
e
h
a
v
i
o
r
a
l
H
e
a
l
t
h
E
d
u
c
a
t
i
o
n
a
l
A
t
t
a
i
n
m
e
n
t
Dropouts &
illiteracy
Delinquency
& violence
Isolation,
depression
& suicide
Unemployment
Sexual activity
& substance
abuse
S
o
c
i
a
l
&
E
m
o
t
i
o
n
a
l
H
e
a
l
t
h
V
o
c
a
t
i
o
n
a
l
R
e
a
d
i
n
e
s
s
&
S
u
c
c
e
s
s
C
i
v
i
c
E
n
g
a
g
e
m
e
n
t
1. Problem-free isn’t fully
prepared
In the 1990s, this phrase helped
capture both the need for, and
approaches to, risk reduction.
Ensuring teenagers enter adulthood
addiction-free, without dropping out
of school, and with no arrest record is
a short-sighted goal that reflects low
expectations. Embracing adolescence
as a time of opportunity is difficult,
given the real risks associated with
this period and the unacceptable
numbers of young people who are, in
fact, dangerously disconnected. Yet
reframing development as a positive,
normative process is critical if parents,
professionals, and institutions are to
support, socialize, challenge,
and instruct.
i
Without going into detail on effec-
tive practice, the Guide reinforces the
idea that successful efforts to prevent
specific problems and promote positive
development depend on supportive
relationships, accurate information,
and skill-building opportunities.
ii
Core supports & opportunities
of youth problem prevention
SOURCE: Forum for Youth Investment
x
The Teen years explained
Youth workers and youth organizations have long claimed some of the outcome areas depicted in the figure (e.g., social and
emotional health, civic engagement, and behavioral health) and are increasingly being pressured to take on others (e.g., aca-
demics and physical health). e scientific evidence now firmly supports the notion that, while development unfolds across
different domains, developmental processes are inextricably intertwined. Like it or not, youth work is an interdisciplinary
endeavor. Behavioral health affects learning; cognitive development affects behavioral health; civic engagement influences
identity development.
By describing and knitting together the processes that unfold across developmental domains and coming back to themes
such as the importance of positive relationships, the Guide reminds readers that effective practitioners—whether employed
in after-school programs, teen centers, schools, courts, camps, or hospitals—understand the basics of adolescent development
and its implications for creating supportive learning environments where teens can thrive.
2. Young people don’t grow up in programs, they grow up in communities
Gracefully avoiding a scientific debate about the role of nature vs. nurture, the Guide illustrates that development is both an
individual process and one that is significantly influenced by the formal and informal contexts in which it unfolds.
Young people move in and out of numerous settings every day—familial, institutional, informal, virtual. e range of envi-
ronments they encounter grows with the increasing autonomy of adolescence. Each of these represents an opportunity for
development, derailment, or both. Cognitive development doesn’t stop when the school bell rings, and social development
doesn’t kick in upon arrival at the teen center.
e Guide challenges us to remember that while we will not and should not always have control over adolescents, we can, in
fact, shape many of the settings where they spend time. Creating contexts that nurture growth and minimize risk requires the
kind of working knowledge of adolescent development that this guide offers.
3. We need youth-centered, not system-centered, approaches
e vast majority of policy and practice conversations about youth well-being taking place across the country focuses on
systems. How can the juvenile justice system better prevent youth crime? How can we improve the school system to increase
student engagement? Increasingly, conversations are taking place across multiple systems: How can juvenile justice and child
welfare work together better to support transitioning youth? How can schools and community-based organizations work
together to reduce the dropout rate?
While these attempts to work across systems are promising, most are still system-centered conversations. As a result, they are
organized around and constrained by expertise and assumptions about systems, as opposed to expertise and assumptions
about young people and their developmental needs. is is a youth-centered guide. Adolescence is described in its full com-
plexity, yet in accessible terms.
Over the years, the Forum for Youth Investment has moved away from leading with terms like “adolescent development” and
“youth development.” We found that decision-makers are simply more interested in outcome than process, especially when
it comes to teens and young adults. Stating that we wanted to help leaders leverage the considerable financial and human
resources spent addressing specific problems (e.g., teen pregnancies, high school dropouts, and violence), we articulated a
simple goal: to ensure that all young people are “ready by 21”—ready for college, work, and life.
If we are serious about changing the odds for young people—about ensuring that they are indeed ready for college, work, and
life—then it is our responsibility as practitioners, advocates, and policy-makers to use the information in this guide to check
our assumptions, allocate our resources, and rethink our approaches. is guide is a welcome and essential tool for every
adult who has contact with young people. It helps makes us ready to help them be ready.
i
Pittman, K., Irby, M., Tolman, J., Yohalem, N., & Ferber, T. (2003). Preventing Problems, Promoting Development, Encouraging Engagement: Competing Priorities or Inseparable Goals?
Available online at www.forumfyi.org.
ii
Forum for Youth Investment. (2005, May/June). What’s Health Got to Do With It? Forum Focus, 3(2). Washington, DC: Forum for Youth Investment, Impact Strategies, Inc. Available online at
www.forumfyi.org.
xi
foreword
xii
The Teen years explained
1
IntroductIon
IntroductIon
T
he purpose of this guide is to
serve as an essential resource
for people who work with
young people and for youth-serving
organizations.
At no other time except infancy
do human beings pack so much de-
velopment into such a short period.
During adolescence, children gain 50
percent of their adult body weight, be-
come capable of reproducing, and ex-
perience an astounding transformation
in their brains. All these changes occur
in the context of—and indeed, allow
for—rapidly expanding social spheres.
Teens start assuming adult responsibili-
Why it’s important to understand how adolescents develop
ties such as finding a job, figuring out
romantic relationships, and learning
how to be a good friend.
Understanding these changes—
developmentally, what is happening
and why—can help both adults and
teens enjoy the second decade of life.
Knowledge of adolescent develop-
ment empowers people who work with
young people to advance teens’ devel-
opment. And it allows us all to sustain
appreciation and compassion for the
joys and aggravations of adolescence:
the ebullience, the insecurities, the
risk-taking, and the stunning growth
in competence.
2
the teen years explaIned
An all-embracing perspective
We use the term “adolescent” throughout e Teen Years Explained: A
Guide to Healthy Adolescent Development to refer to all youth ages 10 to
19. It includes young people of all cultures and ethnicities, abilities and
disabilities, as well as gays, lesbians, transgender and bisexual youth.
Healthy adolescent
development
Most books on adolescence highlight
the problems teens face and how
adults can help resolve them. Missing
from the plethora of resources
focused on surviving adolescence
is a description of what happens to
the vast majority of young people:
normal, healthy development. is
guide is an attempt to fill that void.
It describes the changes that happen
during adolescence and how adults can
promote healthy development.
is guide is based on several key
ideas, all of which are supported by
research evidence: 1) adolescence is a
time of opportunity, not turmoil;
2) normal, healthy development is
uneven; 3) young people develop posi-
tive attributes through learning and
experience; and 4) the larger commu-
nity plays a fundamental and essential
role in helping young people move
successfully into adulthood.
Adolescence is a time of opportunity,
not turmoil
Research shows that adolescence
—contrary to views that predominate
in our media and culture—is actually
positive for both teens and adults.
Most adolescents succeed in school,
are attached to their families and their
communities, and emerge from their
teen years without experiencing serious
problems such as substance abuse or
involvement with violence. Although
teens experience emotions intensely—a
consequence of brain development—
for most, the teen years are not filled
with angst and confusion. Rather,
they are a time of concentrated social,
emotional, and cognitive development.
Normal, healthy development
is uneven
Adolescence includes periods of rapid
physical growth and the emergence
of secondary sexual characteristics
(e.g., breasts in girls and deeper voices
in boys). Not visible are internal
physiologic, cognitive, and emotional
changes. Changes on these multiple
fronts do not always happen in
sync. Physically and sexually, young
people, especially girls, may mature
by their mid-teens. Yet the process of
transforming the relatively inefficient
brain of the child into a leaner, more
proficient adult brain may not be
completed until age 25.
Adding even more complexity, this
out-of-sync pattern of development
may seem to be constantly changing.
In early adolescence a young person
may be behind physically and ahead
emotionally. at pattern can reverse
later on as growth spurts occur in dif-
ferent areas of development.
is unevenness of development
calls for active support by caring
adults. Although they may look like
adults—and, at times, want to be
treated as adults—teens are still in a
formative stage. is guide provides
multiple strategies for supporting
young people’s development.
Young people develop positive
attributes through learning and
experience
roughout this guide, the term
positive youth development is used.
Positive youth development is the
understanding, based on research,
that healthy development is best
promoted by creating opportunities
to develop a set of core assets, dubbed
the 5 C’s: competence, confidence,
3
IntroductIon
CARING
Perception that one has abilities and skills Provide training and practice in specific skills,
either academic or hands-on
CH
ARACTER
CONNECTION
COMPETENCE
CONFIDENCE
Internal sense of self efficacy and positive
self-worth
Provide opportunities for young people to
experience success when trying something new
How to Foster ItAsset Definition
Positive bonds with people and institutions Build relationships between youth and peers,
teachers and parents
A sense of right and wrong (morality), integrity,
and respect for standards of correct behavior
Provide opportunities to practice increasing
self-control and development of spirituality
A sense of sympathy and empathy for others Care for young people
The 5 C’s of positive youth development
connection, character and caring (see
above). Adolescents develop these
core assets when they experience
them in their own lives. A young
person learns that he or she is good at
something (competence) when given
the opportunity to try and practice
new things. Likewise, a young person
learns to be caring by being cared for,
and develops character by practicing
self-control.
e positive youth development
framework expands the traditional
focus on reducing risks. Programs in-
formed by the traditional framework—
which remains important—tend to
focus on avoiding bad things: drugs,
unprotected sex, driving while drunk,
or failing school. Although many risk-
reduction strategies have been shown
to be successful, research in the field
of positive youth development has
demonstrated that “problem-free is not
fully prepared.” Healthy adolescent
development requires creating oppor-
tunities for adolescents to experience,
learn, and practice the 5 C’s. Examples
of effective strategies to promote
healthy development are provided
throughout this guide.
Community has a role:
putting adolescence in context
Before the mid-1980s, adolescent
research focused largely on
development and behavior alone,
looking at physical growth and how
teens act. Little attention was paid to
the settings in which children live.
More recently, research has started
to examine the contexts where
adolescents develop. Context refers
to the surroundings in which a child is
growing up. e places where young
people spend time—at home, with
friends, in school, at work, in front
of television, movies, or other media,
or in the neighborhood—influence
their development.
Research is starting to show a
complex interaction between a young
person and his or her context. People’s
surroundings and experiences can
influence their emotional, cognitive,
and even physical development. At the
same time, adolescents are not simply
passive recipients of experience, all
responding to developmental “inputs”
in the same way. ey interpret and re-
spond to each new experience through
the lenses of their innate personalities
and prior experiences.
What does this mean for people
who work with young people? It is
essential to understand the strengths
and needs of adolescents when
designing programs or health-promo-
tion strategies.
It is also important to consider the
context or setting in which an adoles-
cent lives, and to address the risks and
assets of that environment.
How to use this guide
We designed this guide to be useful
to the reader who has five minutes
or five hours. Each chapter describes
a different aspect of development—
physical, cognitive, emotional and
social, identity, sexual, and spiritual.
e chapters do not need to be read in
4
the teen years explaIned
Glossary of terms
ADOLESCENCE Usually defined as the second decade of
life, adolescence is the period of transition from child-
hood to adulthood. Researchers now note that bodily
and brain changes associated with adolescence may
begin as early as age 8 and extend until age 24.
HEALTH RISK BEHAVIORS ese are behaviors that
make one more likely to experience a negative health
result. For example, unprotected sexual intercourse is a
health risk behavior that makes one more susceptible to
sexually transmitted infections and unplanned preg-
nancy. Health risk behaviors are commonly referred to
as risky health behaviors.
POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT Positive youth
development is a framework for developing strategies
and programs to promote healthy development. It
emphasizes fostering positive developmental outcomes
by providing young people the experiences and oppor-
tunities to develop core developmental assets. e list
of core developmental assets typically includes what are
known as the 5 C’s: competence, connection, character,
confidence, and caring.
PROTECTIVE FACTORS ese are characteristics or
behaviors that increase the likelihood of experiencing a
positive result (e.g., the presence of a caring adult is a
protective factor for school success). Protective factors
directly promote healthy development and also reduce
the negative impact of risk factors. Protective factors
exist wherever one finds young people—in school, at
home, and in the community—and include things such
as a long-term relationship with a caring adult, oppor-
tunities to build skills and become good at something,
and belonging to a group of friends who value academic
achievement. Protective factors can also be internal to a
person, such as having a sunny temperament.
PUBERTY e World Health Organization defines
puberty as “the period in life when a child experiences
physical, hormonal, sexual, and social changes and
becomes capable of reproduction.” It is associated with
rapid growth and the appearance of secondary sexual
characteristics. Puberty typically starts for girls between
ages 8 and 13, and for boys between ages 9 and 14, and
may continue until age 19 or older.
RISK FAC
TORS ese are characteristics or behaviors
that increase the likelihood of experiencing a negative
result. For example, smoking is a risk factor for develop-
ing heart disease, and harsh parenting a risk factor for
depression. Like protective factors, risk factors can be
innate (e.g., having a genetic vulnerability to a disease),
environmental (e.g., being exposed to lead or living in
a dangerous neighborhood), or learned behaviors (e.g.,
not wearing seatbelts).
e Teen Years Explained: A Guide to Healthy Adolescent Development uses a few key terms through-
out the chapters. Below are the definitions.
sequence, as adolescent development
does not happen in sequence.
The last chapter puts the various
dimensions of development together
in a single package and returns to the
theme of development happening at
different rates.
Within each chapter are tips for
how to promote healthy adolescent
development. ese, too, can be read
by themselves. Finally, throughout the
guide we have two- and three-page de-
scriptions of issues that young people
and people who work with young
people have told us are of concern to
them. ese include, among others,
obesity and nutrition, stress, bullying,
and the effects of drugs and alcohol on
the teen brain.
5
IntroductIon
6
the teen YearS explaIned
7
chapter 1 phYSIcal development
phYSIcal development
“I have a good
body image. If
you don’t have a
good body image,
then you will
push and push
yourself until you
think you are
perfect.”
Girl, 12
Puberty—timing differs from teen to teen
P
hysical changes are perhaps
the most noticeable signs that
a child is becoming an adoles-
cent. e physical transformations of
puberty affect every aspect of the lives
of teens. Changing bodies may lead to
changes in circles of peers, adults’ view
of teens, and teens’ view of themselves.
Great variability can be found in
the time of onset of puberty, defined
broadly as the biological and physical
changes that occur during adolescence
and result in the capacity to reproduce.
For girls, puberty can start as early
as eight years old. Girls experience a
rapid growth spurt, typically starting
around age 10. is growth spurt lasts
for a few years, and then girls continue
to grow more slowly until they are 17
or 18. During puberty, breast buds
develop, pubic hair appears, height
increases, menstruation begins, and
hips widen.
Boys usually begin their growth
spurt one to two years after most girls.
ey continue to develop for three to
four years after the girls, which means
boys may not finish growing physically
until they are 21. For boys, pubic hair
appears, the penis gets longer, height
increases, the voice deepens, and
muscle mass develops.
Puberty is triggered by the actions
of hormones on various parts of the
CHAPTER 1
8
the teen YearS explaIned
BraIn BOX
body. New hormones might be at work
for several months before development
becomes outwardly evident. For ado-
lescent boys, in fact, the visible changes
come late in the development process.
From the teen’s perspective,
puberty puts a bright spotlight on
body image. Body image is the picture
of personal physical appearance that
people hold in their minds. It is the
concept of one’s own changing body—
how it feels, how it moves through
space, how it looks in the mirror, and
how one thinks it looks to others.
Body image can be shaped by emo-
tions, perceptions, physical sensations,
experience, and moods. It can also be
powerfully influenced by cultural mes-
sages and societal standards.
Why do I look so different from
my friends?
Some teenagers start maturing early,
while others are late bloomers. As a
result, young people may look out-of-
sync developmentally with their peers.
Adolescents may experience a lot of
uncertainty when they do not look
similar to other young people their age.
For example, one girl may be six
months younger than her BFF (Best
Friend Forever), yet start menstruating
and wearing a bra first. Some boys may
look in the mirror and moan that they
are freaks because their nose and ears
have suddenly grown too big for their
faces. And they may be right, at least
about the change in proportion, since
facial features develop at different rates,
as do hands and feet.
e timing of physical and
cognitive changes varies throughout
adolescence. Even if a teenager is
adult-sized, he or she may not be fully
developed emotionally or cognitively.
Conversely, a young person may not
look full-grown, but could possess
more advanced reasoning and abstract
thinking skills than his or her more
physically developed peers.
Challenges to early and late
development
Early development for girls and late
development for boys present the
greatest challenges to healthy body
image. For girls, puberty brings on
characteristics often seen as less than
ideal—roundness and an increase in
body fat around the hips and thighs.
Conversely, the masculine ideal is often
measured by increased size and broad-
ness, which makes delayed develop-
ment tough for boys.
Although girls may begin ex-
periencing physical changes earlier
than boys, they may not be developed
enough cognitively or skilled enough
socially to handle the way they are
treated now that they have a rapidly
maturing body. Signs of puberty in fe-
males—specifically, breast development
Recent studies using MRI analysis
indicate that a wave of overproduc-
tion of gray matter—the thinking part
of the brain—occurs just prior to
puberty. This thickening of gray matter
peaks at around age 11 in girls and
12 in boys, after which the gray matter
actually thins somewhat. Previously
it was thought that the brain’s wiring
underwent just one bout of “pruning”
that was finished by the age of 3, but
researchers now have discovered that
structural changes occur in adoles-
cence and that teens’ gray matter
waxes and wanes in different functional
brain areas at different times in devel-
opment. Brain development continues
up to age 25.
SOURCE: Giedd, JN, Blumenthal, J, Jeffries,
NO, Castellanos, FX, Liu H; Zijdenbos, A, et al.
(1999). Brain development during childhood and
adolescence: a longitudinal MRI study. Nature
Neuroscience, 2(10), 861-3.
Helping teens during puberty
the physical changes happening in
their bodies.
When teens talk about their feelings,
listen. Do not jump in too quickly
with advice or, worse, tell them their
feelings are irrational or unfounded.
E
ncourage early-developers to stay
away from older peer groups and help
connect them to peers their own age.
U
nderstand that although a teen may
appear physically mature, he or she is
not an adult and cannot be expected
to think or act as an adult.
Familiarize teens with the facts about
biology and reproduction. Experts
recommend discussing puberty with
children starting at age 8 or 9—or
even as early as 5 or 6, depending on
the curiosity and the maturity level
of the child—so they are prepared for
changes when they occur.
T
ake comments about appearance seri-
ously and spend time actively listening
to such concerns.
G
et teens to talk about their feelings,
fears, and what stresses them out about
9
chapter 1 phYSIcal development
and menstruation—are associated with
the end of childhood and a change in
social status. Girls with fuller breasts
and body shapes may be particularly
vulnerable to unwanted attention from
boys and older males. ey may feel
pressure to develop sexual identities
and pursue sexual relationships, even
though they do not feel prepared.
Helping an early-developing girl
navigate these stresses often depends
on the unique aspects of her culture or
surroundings. Cultural differences may
also exist with respect to ideals of body
type, shape, and size.
Girls who are obese or overweight
are much more likely to develop early
and experience early menstruation,
defined as beginning before age 11.
is is especially true if they have been
overweight throughout childhood. e
combination of extra pounds, early
development, and early menstruation
can be distressing, since these girls have
to deal with both a mature body and
entrenched stigmas about excess weight
encountered at home, at school, in the
media, and out in the community.
In boys, puberty can bring on
traits the culture perceives as admi-
rable—height, broadness, strength,
speed, muscularity. Early development
in boys has some social benefits, since
added height and muscular appearance
may result in increased popularity
and confidence.
However, stress and anxiety from
physical changes during puberty also
are typical for early-developing boys.
ey may be pushed to have sex before
they are not ready, or receive unwanted
sexual advances they cannot handle
emotionally. Teens often have a strong
need to feel accepted, so they may
Appearance of breast buds
(between 8 and 12 years of age),
followed by breast development
(13-18)
Development of pubic hair
(11-14)
Growth spurt begins (average
age, 10), which adds inches to
height and hip circumference
Menses begins (average age,
12, normal age range between
9 and 16)
Enlargement of ovaries, uterus,
labia, and clitoris; thickening of
the endo-metrium and vaginal
mucosa
Appearance of underarm hair
(13-16)
Dental changes, which include
jaw growth and development of
molars
Development of body odor
and acne
Testicular enlargement, beginning
as early as 9-½ years of age
Appearance of pubic hair (10-15)
Onset of spermarche, or sperm
found in the ejaculate
Lengthening of genitals (11-14)
Rapid enlargement of the larynx,
pharynx, and lungs, which can
lead to alterations in vocal quality
(i.e., voice cracking)
Changes in physical growth
(average age, 14), first seen in the
hands and feet, followed by the
arms and legs, and then the trunk
and chest
Weight gain and increases in lean
body mass and muscle mass
(11-16)
Doubling of heart size and vital
lung capacity, increase in blood
pressure and blood volume
Growth of facial and body hair,
which may not be completed
until the mid-20s
Dental changes, which include
jaw growth and development of
molars
Development of body odor
and acne
normal
Physical GrOwth
Girls Boys
“I like that I am
healthy, but
I dislike that
I am short.”
Boy, 18
10
the teen YearS explaIned
be ill-prepared to defend themselves
against unwelcome sexual attention.
Early-developing adolescents
are also more vulnerable to making
risky decisions because their physical
and brain changes are happening on
widely divergent tracks. eir physical
development may garner invitations
and opportunities with older teens and
young adults (parties, drinking, etc.)
just as changes in the brain trigger the
desire for thrill-seeking and risk-tak-
ing. However, their brains are not fully
developed, so the urge to experiment is
not balanced by the capacity to make
sound judgments.
Pubertal development at later ages
is completely normal, but boys and
girls with delayed physical maturity
may see themselves—or friends and
family may see them—as still stuck in
childhood.
Later developers, especially boys,
can be excluded from sports. ey
might be bullied and picked on, which
puts them at risk for low self-esteem
and depression.
When puberty is not
on track
While there is no set schedule for
physical changes, on average girls
Potential unhealthy responses to physical changes
It is normal for young people to feel self-conscious and fret about
their appearance. Once in a while, more serious difficulties arise
as teens deal with physical changes. These include:
Fear, confusion, or withdrawal, especially during early adolescence,
ages 10-14
O
bsessive concern about appearance
Excessive dieting or exercise
Early-maturing teens being exposed to social situations they may not
be ready to handle (e.g., being invited to parties with older teens)
Experiencing depression and eating disorders
Being bullied, teased, or excluded
begin puberty with the development of
breast buds around the age of 10, with
growth spurts and menstruation usu-
ally following two years later. For boys,
testicular enlargement, growth spurts,
and other signs of puberty normally
start at 12 or 13—although some
pubertal changes can begin at the age
of 9. e rate of maturity may be rapid
for some adolescents, while others may
take four or five years to complete their
development. When a child begins to
develop much earlier than usual, it is
called precocious puberty. Precocious
puberty in boys is defined as testicular
or penile enlargement, and genital or
body and facial hair growth occurring
before the age of 9. In girls, it is breast
development, onset of menstruation,
and pubic or underarm hair growth at
the age of 7 or 8.
It is generally thought that im-
proved nutrition has resulted in the
earlier start of puberty throughout
the 20th century, although genetic,
metabolic, and environmental factors
also contribute.
Physical growth much later than
average—for example, in girls who
have not developed breast buds by age
13 and in boys whose testicles have
not enlarged by age 13-½—is termed
delayed puberty. e causes of delayed
puberty may be growth patterns within
the family, medical conditions, eating
disorders, problems with the pituitary
or thyroid glands, or chromosome
irregularities. Girls who are extremely
“The best thing
about my looks is
my eyes and lips.
T
he things I like
the least are my
butt, hips,
and thighs.”
Girl, 15
11
chapter 1 phYSIcal development
Eating disorders
Boys, as well as girls, can develop eating disorders, which are ac-
companied by severely distorted views of their bodies.
ANOREXIA NERVOSA Extreme weight loss and a fear of weight gain. Warn-
ing signs include dramatic weight loss, preoccupation with weight, food,
calories, fat grams or dieting, excessive or obsessive exercise, and frequent
comments about feeling overweight despite extreme weight loss.
BULIMIA NERVOSA Bulimics eat large amounts of food and then vomit or
take excessive amounts of laxatives to lose weight. Warning signs include evi-
dence of binge-eating or vomiting (purging), excessive or obsessive exercise,
and ritual behavior that accompanies binging and purging sessions.
BODY DYSMORPHIC DISORDER An intense preoccupation with a perceived
defect in one’s appearance.
MUSCLE DYSMORPHIA Sometimes known as “reverse anorexia,” muscle
dysmorphia is a preoccupation with the idea that one’s body is not sufficient-
ly lean and muscular. Warning signs include working out and weight-lifting
to the point where school, social life, and family life are pushed aside. Boys
are most susceptible to muscle dysmorphia, and often in adolescents it leads
to such dangerous behavior as steroid use.
active in sports may experience delayed
puberty because their level of exercise
keeps them quite lean, and girls need a
certain amount of fat in order to start
their periods.
Weight and height measurements
may also indicate that an adolescent’s
development is off-track. Excess weight
is associated with earlier onset of
menstruation in girls. Teenagers who
are short for their age are usually physi-
cally normal, but short stature can also
be caused by bone defects, systemic
illness, and hormone deficiency. Simi-
larly, extreme tallness can be normal,
but it can also be associated with a
syndrome or hormonal deficiency.
Medical tests can evaluate whether or
not these conditions exist, and a doc-
tor can advise treatment options.
Physical changes & healthy
body image
e way adolescents feel about their
bodies can affect the way they feel
about themselves as a whole.
Although most body image
research has focused on white youth,
research does indicate that African-
American adolescents, particularly
girls, tend to have healthier body
images than their white counter-
parts. Asian Americans may have
healthier body images than their
white, African-American, and His-
panic peers.
Concerns about the body can
erode the quality of life for young
people, keeping them from healthy
relationships, taking up an inordinate
amount of time they could be us-
ing to cultivate other aspects of their
personalities, and leading them to
overspending on goods and services
to improve their bodies.
12
the teen YearS explaIned
How steroids affect healthy bodies and minds
Anabolic steroids and legal and illicit supplements
(recombinant human growth hormone, injections of
insulin to increase muscle mass, thyroxine, clenbuterol,
cocaine) are used by athletes to boost strength and
sports performance. Steroids are easily found on the
Internet or in the locker room at some private gyms.
Dietary supplements with similar chemical properties
can be bought at health food stores. Young people who
want steroids can find them.
Recent studies show that 3 percent to 9 percent of
teenagers illegally use steroids, with the highest rates of
use reported in the middle-school years.
Anabolic steroids are a group of laboratory-made drugs
designed to mimic the effects of the male hormone tes-
tosterone. ese drugs cause muscle and bone growth,
as well as the development of male sexual character-
istics. For girls, steroids can cause the development
of male-pattern baldness, infertility, facial hair, and
irreversible hoarseness of the voice.
Anabolic steroids can also increase estrogen produc-
tion as the body tries to compensate for the high levels
of male-dominant hormones. In boys, the increase in
estrogen can cause hot flashes, testicular shrinkage,
weight gain, bloating, and the growth of fatty breast
tissue.
If teenagers abuse steroids before the normal puberty
growth spurt is complete, they may never reach their
full adult height. Humans are programmed to stop
developing after puberty, and steroid use can boost
hormone levels to the point where the body is tricked
into thinking growth is done.
Some of the short-term side effects of anabolic steroids
for both boys and girls include acne, hostility, anxiety,
and aggression. e psychological effects of steroid
use can be severe, and include paranoia, delusions or
hallucinations, depression, and suicidal thoughts. Ste-
roid use also can lead to heart disease, and liver
and prostate cancer.
Signs of steroid use include quick weight and muscle
gains, combativeness and rage (known as “’roid rage”),
jaundice, purple or red spots on the body, swelling of
feet and lower legs, trembling, persistent unpleasant
breath odor, severe acne and oily skin.
13
chapter 1 phYSIcal development
Dealing with powerful media images of youth
Explain that media images do not reflect the average person—there is wide
diversity in physical appearance and rate of development.
Point out how body sizes, shapes, and faces are altered in magazines and
photographs using software programs like Photoshop. Waists and thighs are
whittled, cheekbones sharpened and lips plumped for women. Muscles are
pumped up and defined, and complexions smoothed for men.
Encourage critical thinking about the media and the nature of our con-
sumer culture. Now is the perfect time to help teens develop their critical
thinking skills—help them question what is “normal.”
Turn to resources that reflect realistic, diverse appearances of actual people.
Encourage activities that focus on attributes other than physical appear-
ance, such as academics, sports, music, the arts, writing, or crafts.
Reinforce these messages regularly.
To cultivate a healthy body image,
adolescents can tap into their develop-
ing critical thinking skills. A healthy
dose of skepticism can help them sift
through the bombardment of messages
related to body image, appearance,
attractiveness, and eating that they
encounter in the media, at home, and
from their friends.
13 is not a magic number
ere is no single age at which teens
enter puberty. irteen is not the
miraculous age when a child suddenly
transforms into a young adult. Puberty
can begin as early as age 8 or as late as
15. Regardless of when a child enters
puberty, the changes he or she under-
goes affect his or her social interactions
and psychological outlook.
Adults should be aware of these
changes and of the way cultural dif-
ferences play into such issues as sexual
maturity, body image, and pressures
to behave like a fully grown man
or woman.
Adults can provide accurate in-
formation regarding physical develop-
ment, healthy eating, and the effects
of media, society, culture, peers, and
family on body image. Beginning at a
young age, adolescents need to under-
stand that bodies come in all shapes
and sizes and that these disparities are
nothing out of the ordinary.
“I look at photos in
magazines and on
TV
and no way do
I measure up.”
Girl, 14
14
the teen YearS explaIned
15-19
10-14
phYSIcalageS emotIonal
Body fat increases (girls)
Breasts begin to enlarge (girls)
Menstrual periods begin (girls)
Hips widen (girls)
Testicles and penis grow larger (boys)
Voice deepens (boys)
Breasts can get tender (girls and boys)
Height and weight increases (girls and boys)
Skin and hair become oilier, pimples may ap-
pear (girls and boys)
Appetite may increase (girls and boys)
Body hair grows (girls and boys)
Hormonal levels change (girls and boys)
Brain develops (girls and boys)
Girls usually reach full physical development
Boys reach close to full physical development
Voice continues to lower (boys)
Facial hair appears (boys)
Weight and height gain continue (boys)
Eating habits can become sporadic—skipping
meals, late-night eating (girls and boys)
Independent functioning increases
Firmer and more cohesive sense of
personal identity develops
Examination of inner experiences
becomes more important and may
include writing a blog or diary
Ability for delayed gratification and
compromise increases
Ability to think ideas through
increases
Engagement with parents declines
Peer relationships remain important
Emotional steadiness increases
Social networks expand and new
friendships are formed
Concern for others increases
Sense of identity develops
May feel awkward or strange about
themselves and their bodies
Focus on self increases
Ability to use speech to express feelings
improves
Close friendships gain importance
Realization grows that parents are not
perfect, have faults
Overt affection toward parents declines
Occassional rudeness with parents
occurs
Complaints that parents interfere with
independence increase
Friends and peers influence clothing
styles and interests
Childish behavior may return, particu-
larly at times of stress
Key Features In adolesCent GroWth and develoPment
15
chapter 1 phYSIcal development
CHART SOURCES: Adapted from www.aacap.
org/publications/factsfam/develop.htm. American
Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry,
Normal Adolescent Development, handout,
2/2005; http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/
ency/article/02003.htm.
cognItIve Sexual moral/valueS
Interests tend to focus on the
present, thoughts of the future
are limited
Intellectual interests expand
and gain in importance
Ability to do work (physical,
mental, emotional) expands
Capacity for abstract thinking
increases
Risk-taking behaviors may
emerge (experimenting with
tobacco, alcohol, physical risks)
Girls develop ahead of boys
Shyness, blushing, and modesty increases
Showing off may increase
Interest in privacy increases
Interest in sex increases
Exploration of issues and questions about
sexuality and sexual orientation begins
Concerns about physical and sexual attrac-
tiveness to others may develop
Worries about being “normal” become
common
Short-term romantic relationships may occur
Testing of rules and limits increases
More consistent evidence of con-
science becomes apparent
Capacity for abstract thought
develops
Ideals develop, including selection
of role models
Questioning of moral rights and
privileges increases
Interest in moral reasoning in-
creases
Interest in social, cultural, and
family traditions expands
Emphasis on personal dignity and
self-esteem increases
Capacity increases for useful
insight
Feelings of love and passion intensify
More serious relationships develop
Sharing of tenderness and fears with romantic
partner increases
Sense of sexual identity becomes more solid
Capacity for affection and sensual love increases
Interests focus on near-future and
future
More importance is placed on
goals, ambitions, role in life
Capacity for setting goals and fol-
lowing through increases
Work habits become more defined
Planning capability expands
Ability for foresight grows
Risk-taking behaviors may emerge
(experimenting with tobacco,
drugs, alcohol, reckless driving)
KEY FEATURES IN ADOLESCENT GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
16
the teen YearS explaIned
I
n e Teen Years Explained: A Guide to Healthy Adolescent Development, you will
find many references to the rich cognitive changes and development that occur
throughout the teen years. is page will help explain the different parts of the
brain and how they function.
e human brain is an extremely complex organ composed of interdependent
parts, each with its own specific functions and properties. e brain has three
fundamental segments: the forebrain, the midbrain, and the hindbrain.
parietal
occipital
frontal
temporal
The Forebrain
e forebrain is the most advanced
and the largest section of the brain,
located in its uppermost part. e
forebrain is involved in all brain func-
tions except for the autonomic activi-
ties of the brain stem. It is the part of
the brain responsible for emotions,
memory, and “higher-order” activities
such as thinking and reasoning. e
forebrain is made up of the cerebrum
and the limbic system.
e cerebrum, or cerebral cortex,
is divided into two hemispheres (left
and right). Each hemisphere consists of
four sections, called lobes:
reasoning, planning, voluntary move-
ment, and some aspects of speech.
e prefrontal cortex is the part of the
frontal lobe right behind the forehead.
It is associated with complex cognitive
skills such as being able to differentiate
among conflicting thoughts, deter-
mine good and bad, identify future
consequences of current activities, and
suppress impulses. As the adolescent
brain develops, the prefrontal cortex
becomes increasingly connected with
the seat of emotions, the limbic sys-
tem, allowing reason and emotion to
be better coordinated. e prefrontal
cortex has also been linked to
personality.
e limbic system, the set of brain
structures that form the inside border
of the cerebrum, accounts for about
one-fifth of the brain’s volume. e
limbic system serves three functions:
First, in cooperation with the brain
stem, it regulates temperature, blood
pressure, heart rate, and blood sugar.
Second, two parts of the limbic system,
the hippocampus and the amygdala,
are essential to forming memories.
ird, the limbic system is the center
of human emotions. e amygdala is
thought to link emotions with sensory
inputs from the environment. Nerve
impulses to the amygdala trigger the
emotions of rage, fear, aggression,
reward, and sexual attraction. ese
emotions trigger the action of the
hypothalamus, which regulates blood
pressure and body temperature.
The Midbrain
e midbrain is the topmost section
of the brain stem and the smallest re-
BRAINPAGE
Occipital Lobe—Located at the
back of the head just above the cer-
ebellum, the occipital lobe processes
sensory information from the eyes.
Temporal Lobe—Located at the
sides of the head above the ears, the
temporal lobes perform several func-
tions, including speech, perception and
some types of memory.
Parietal Lobe—Located at the top
of the head, the parietal lobe receives
data from the skin, including heat,
cold, pressure, pain, and how the body
is positioned in space.
Frontal Lobe—Located under the
forehead, the frontal lobe controls
The Brain
gion of the brain. It is associated with
some, but not all, reflex actions, as well
as with eye movements and hearing.
midbrain
cerebellum
brain stem
e midbrain also contains several
structures necessary for voluntary
movement.
The Hindbrain
e hindbrain is the part located at
the upper section of the spinal cord.
e hindbrain includes the brain stem
and the cerebellum. e brain stem,
sometimes called the “reptilian brain,”
is the most basic area of the brain and
controls breathing, heartbeat, and
digestion. Next to the brain stem is
the cerebellum, which is responsible
for many learned physical skills, such
as posture, balance, and coordination.
Actions such as throwing a baseball
or using a keyboard take thought
and effort at first, but become more
natural with practice because the
memory of how to do them is stored
in the cerebellum.
The Forebrain
The Midbrain
The Hindbrain
17
CHAPTER 1 PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
M
any young people today are
living large. Obesity rates
have doubled since 1980
among children and have tripled for
adolescents. In the past 20 years, the
proportion of adolescents aged 12
to 19 who are obese increased from
5 percent to 18 percent. Obesity is
defined as a body mass index (BMI)
that is equal to or greater than the
95th percentile for age and gender on
growth charts developed by the Cen-
ters for Disease Control and Preven-
tion (CDC).
A predisposition to obesity can be
inherited. However, genetic factors do
not explain the dramatic increase in
obesity over the last 30 years. Human
beings, like animals, are hardwired
to eat not simply to sustain life, but
to eat high-calorie foods in anticipa-
tion of an unpredictable food supply.
Our surroundings make it possible to
eat fatty foods on a regular basis, but
difficult to burn off all those calories
through activity. High-fat food is
cheap and tasty, and teens’ primary
activities—school and media consump-
tion—are sedentary.
us, obesity is a social problem
rather than a personal flaw or a failure
of willpower. Teens, especially, are
impacted by their surroundings, and
several studies at the University of
Illinois-Chicago and the University
of Michigan confirm that our mod-
ern environment is designed to make
adolescents fat.
ere are some environmental fac-
tors that contribute to teen obesity.
Schools sell more high-fat, high-
calorie foods and sugary drinks than
nutritious, lower-calorie choices.
Low-income communities offer lim-
ited access to healthy food. In some
neighborhoods, convenience stores
are the only places to buy food.
Adolescents live sedentary lives.
Teens spend the school day mostly
sitting, and then go on to spend an
average of three more hours parked
in front of a TV or computer screen.
School physical education programs
have been slashed. In 1991, 42 per-
cent of high school students partici-
pated in daily phys. ed. classes. By
2007, that number was 25 percent
or lower.
Airwaves are saturated with food-
product ads. Teenagers see, on
average, 17 ads a day for candy and
snack foods, or more than 6,000 ads
a year.
Big portions provide far more
calories than young people can
burn up. Fast-food burgers can top
Weight matters
The
Perils
of
Pounds
Obesity is a societal problem
Obesity: Nutrition and Exercise
Being overweight or obese is
more than a matter of appear-
ance. Excess pounds contribute
significantly to health problems
and can lead to Type 2 (adult-on-
set) diabetes, high blood pres-
sure, stroke, heart conditions,
cancer, gallstones and gall bladder
disease, bone and joint prob-
lems, sleep apnea, and breathing
difficulties. An adolescent who
is obese (with a body mass index
above the 95th percentile) has a
60 percent chance of developing
one of these conditions.
In addition, studies have found
that overweight youth are at
greater risk for emotional distress
than their non-overweight peers.
Overweight teenagers have fewer
friends, are more likely to be
socially isolated, and suffer higher
rates of depression than young
people of normal weight. Being
overweight also affects self-es-
teem. According to one study,
obese girls aged 13 to 14 are four
times more likely to suffer from
low self-esteem than non-obese
girls. Low self-esteem in adoles-
cents is associated with higher
rates of loneliness, sadness, and
nervousness.
18
the teen years explained
become the norm; and some popular
restaurant chains offer entrees that
weigh in at 1,600 calories. e aver-
age adolescent needs only 2,300 to
2,500 calories a day.
Because the causes of excess
weight are so complex, dietary changes
are just one aspect of treating obesity.
Adolescent weight problems can be re-
lated to poor eating habits, overeating
or binging, physical inactivity, family
history of obesity, stressful life events
or changes (divorce, moves, deaths,
and abuse), problems with family and
friends, low self-esteem, depression,
and other mental health conditions.
Teens are consuming
more calories, but getting
less nourishment
Adequate nutrition during adolescence
is particularly important because of
the rapid growth teenagers experience:
they gain 50 percent of their adult
weight and 50 percent of their bone
mass during this decade of life.
Dietary choices and habits
established during adolescence greatly
influence future health. Yet many stud-
ies report that teens consume few fruits
and vegetables and are not receiving
the calcium, iron, vitamins, or miner-
als necessary for healthy development.
Low-income youth are more suscep-
tible to nutritional deficiencies, and
since their diets tend to be made up of
high-calorie and high-fat foods, they
are also at greater risk for overweight
or obesity.
Teasing about weight
is toxic
Weight is one of the last sanctioned
targets of prejudice left in society.
Being overweight or obese subjects
a teen to teasing and stigmatization
by peers and adults. It can happen
at home, at school, on the street—
anywhere, even on TV. Ads and
programming usually portray the
overweight as the target of jokes,
perpetual losers, and not as smart or
successful as their thinner counterparts.
Teasing by family members,
including parents, is surprisingly com-
mon, perhaps because family members
mistakenly believe they are being
helpful when they draw attention to
someone’s size or harass them about
what they are eating. When they label
their overweight adolescents with such
epithets as “greedy,” “lazy,” or “little
piggies,” parents and siblings become
an integral part of the problem.
A 2003 study of nearly 5,000
teenagers in the Minneapolis area
found that 29 percent of girls and 16
percent of boys were teased by family
members and one-third of the girls and
19
chapter 1 physical development
one-fourth of the boys had been teased
by their peers about their weight.
Weight-based taunting is not
harmless. Adolescents in the study saw
the teasing as having a greater negative
impact on their self-image than did
their actual body size.
Teasing should be taken seriously
and never tolerated at home, in school,
or in the community. Policies have
helped to establish norms making eth-
nic slurs unacceptable. Perhaps similar
policies can be formed to send a clear
message that bullying people about
body shape is not sanctioned in the
schools or the community.
What can be done?
Young people can conquer weight
problems and get adequate nutrition
with a combination of a healthful diet,
regular physical activity, counseling,
and support from adults and peers.
For severely obese teens, medication
or bariatric surgery is sometimes
prescribed to supplement weight
management efforts.
While proper diet and exercise
improve physical health, parents and
caregivers can also enhance mental
health by emphasizing the overweight
teen’s strengths and positive quali-
ties. After all, the measure of a young
person’s worth is far more than the
numbers on the scale.
Some heavier adolescents will
lose excess weight through positive
lifestyle changes and through the
normal growth spurts of puberty that
make their bodies taller and leaner.
In other cases, obesity becomes a life-
long struggle.
Eating healthy foods in right-sized
portions and exercising are lifelong
habits, not temporary fixes. During
growth spurts, adolescents do need a
lot of calories, and the classic portrait
of a teenager as a bottomless pit—
someone who can consume volumes of
food and burn it all off—seems to hold
true. ese increased calories should
come from healthy foods because teens
need more nutrition as well as more
calories. Learning to pay attention
to cues of fullness from the body, as
opposed to eating mindlessly, will
help teens avoid a habit of overeating
in later years when their metabolism
inevitably slows down.
Adults can help control what
happens in the home, schools, and
neighborhood when it comes to eating
and exercise. One of the best ways
adults can influence young people is by
changing their own eating and exercise
habits. Adults can help young people
establish healthy habits by
N
ot skipping breakfast.
Eating fruits, vegetables, lean pro-
tein, and whole grains.
Cooking dinner at home using fresh,
whole foods.
Not buying or drinking beverages
with added sugars.
Building exercise and physical
activity into one’s own daily routines
and encouraging one’s children to
join them.
Not inappropriately encouraging
youth to lose weight.
Weight gain accompanies puberty:
teens grow in height, boys develop
muscle mass; girls develop breasts and
hips; and both boys and girls can put
on body fat before a growth spurt.
Adults should understand normal
physical development (see the Physical
Development chapter) to avoid putting
undue pressure on an adolescent to be
a certain size or weight.
ways you can make a
difference
REALIZE that “kid-friendly” meals
such as chicken nuggets, fries, and
pizza with meat toppings are not
the healthiest choices.
ADVOCATE for recreation and
com-munity centers and safe parks
and trails so that youths can read-
ily participate in physical activities
and sports programs.
DISCOURAGE late-night eating or
the habit of consuming most of
the day’s calories in the evening.
RALLY for the building of super-
markets and for greater access to
fresh foods in urban neighborhoods.
PUSH for direct access from bus
and subway routes to farmers’
markets.
SUPPORT schoolwide efforts to
promote physical activity and to
limit offerings of junk foods and
sugary beverages in the cafeteria
and vending machines.
JOIN forces with adolescents on
an advocacy project insisting that
food companies live up to their
promises to stop marketing un-
healthy foods to youth.
ACKNOWLEDGE disparate views
of the body and food based on
gender, such as approval of larger
size among boys.
EXAMINE whether entrenched be-
liefs within your family, e.g., that
it is important to finish everything
on your plate, might be contribut-
ing to overeating.
“I think there’s a
lot of pressure
out there to look
perfect, but
what’s perfect?”
Girl, 16
20
the teen years explained
21
chapter 2 cognitive development
cognitive development
“I see and think
differently now
that I am a
teenager. I know
that there are
negative and
positive outcomes
to everything that
you do.”
Girl, 14
The ever-expanding teenage brain
N
ewly developed thinking skills
are one of the most thrilling
aspects of adolescence. As
their ability to think in abstract terms
grows, young people love to debate,
challenge established ideas or values,
and question authority. ey begin
to question notions of absolute truth
and to acquire the capability to present
logical arguments.
is higher level of brainpower
helps adolescents to consider the
future, judge options, solve problems,
and set goals. Part of gaining new
thinking skills includes making mis-
takes and learning from them. Adults
can play an important role in guiding
cognitive development by helping
young people master the skills of criti-
cal thinking and decision making.
The three main components of
adolescent cognitive skills
In adolescence, cognitive develop-
ment occurs in three main areas. First,
young people strengthen their ad-
vanced reasoning skills, which includes
thinking about multiple options and
possibilities, pondering things hypo-
thetically (the age-old “what if…?”
questions), and following a logical
thought process.
Second, teenagers start to develop
abstract thinking skills, meaning they
CHAPTER 2
22
the teen YearS explained
think about things that cannot be seen,
heard, or touched. Abstract thought
allows one to think about faith, love,
trust, beliefs and spirituality, as well as
higher mathematics.
ird, they enlarge their capac-
ity to think about thinking, a process
known as “meta-cognition.” Meta-
cognition allows young people to con-
sider how they feel and what they are
thinking, and also involves being able
to think about how one is perceived
by others. Meta-cognition can also
be used to develop strategies such as
mnemonic devices, which are useful in
memorization and learning.
Recent neurological findings
map changes in the teenage
brain
e brains of babies and toddlers pro-
duce billions of brain cells (neurons)
and connections between brain cells
(synapses). en, starting around age
3, the synapses are “pruned.” Research-
ers have discovered a second period of
overproduction of synapses that starts
just before puberty (age 11 in girls, 12
in boys), also followed by pruning.
e pruning of synapses ap-
pears to be an essential part of brain
maturation. Taking away the weaker
synapses allows the remaining ones
to become stronger and more stable,
much like the pruning of a tree allows
the remaining branches to thrive. Be-
tween ages 13 and 18, adolescents lose
approximately 1 percent of their gray
matter every year.
e spurt of synapse formation
and pruning during adolescence occurs
in several parts of the brain, including
the prefrontal cortex. e prefrontal
cortex is responsible for advanced
reasoning, including the ability to
plan, understand cause and effect,
think through scenarios, and manage
impulses. ere may be an impor-
tant link between brain development
and an adolescent’s ability to stop to
consider consequences, develop logical
plans, or filter thoughts before blurting
them out.
e brain changes continue up
to at least age 21, and some scientists
believe maturation is not complete
until 25. Brain development seems to
vary so much between individuals that
it is impractical to pinpoint a specific
age at which young people reach full
maturity in thinking and reasoning.
roughout adolescence, the capacity
for advanced reasoning, abstract think-
ing, and meta-cognition expands
and improves.
Do brain changes spur
risk-taking?
For decades, the story line for adoles-
cents—written both by developmental
psychologists and by parents—was that
adolescents underestimate risk.
The teen years are a time of intense
brain changes. Interestingly, two of
the primary brain functions develop at
different rates. Recent brain research
indicates that the part of the brain that
perceives rewards from risk, the limbic
system, kicks into high gear in early
adolescence. The part of the brain
that controls impulses and engages
in longer-term perspective, the frontal
lobes, matures later. This may explain
why teens in mid-adolescence take
more risks than older teens. As the
frontal lobes become more developed,
two things happen. First, self-control
develops as teens are better able to
assess cause and effect. Second, more
areas of the brain become involved
in processing emotions, and teens
become better at accurately interpreting
others’ emotions.
SOURCE: Steinberg, L. (2008) A social neuroscience
perspective on adolescent risk-taking. Developmental
Review, 28:78-106.
Brain BOX
23
chapter 2 cognitive development
Teens, it was thought, feel invin-
cible: “It will never happen to me.”
e “it” might be the possibility of
becoming pregnant (“I can’t possibly
get pregnant”), or of contracting a
sexually transmitted disease after hav-
ing unprotected intercourse (“He/she
couldn’t possibly have a disease”), or
any of the numerous adverse effects of
unsafe behavior. is perceived sense
of invulnerability was considered to be
a stage of cognitive development that
adolescents had to pass through on the
way to adulthood.
We now have considerable scien-
tific evidence that adolescents do feel
vulnerable to contracting a sexually
transmitted disease or getting sick
“Now that I am
older, I can make
choices for myself
and think before
I act.”
Girl, 12
Teens enjoy exercising their budding ability for lively debate.
For them, conflicts may just be a way of expressing themselves.
Adults, on the other hand, tend to take arguments personally and
may view them as intense and disruptive or as a direct threat to
their authority.
Understanding teens’ new thinking skills
Be patient when teens “test drive”
their newly acquired reasoning
skills, and encourage healthy,
respectful debate by setting “rules
of engagement.”
Disrespect should never be toler-
ated by either an adolescent or
an adult.
Never correct or put down ado-
lescents’ logic; simply listen to
and acknowledge what they say.
A good strategy is to ask how they
arrived at the thoughts or conclu-
sions they are expressing.
Don’t take it to heart when teens
criticize adult opinions and
behaviors. ey may challenge
you, but they still need you.
Unless a teen has a history of
problem behavior, do not worry
if he or she demonstrates
melodramatic tendencies.
Remember that not every dis-
agreement is a conflict.
24
the teen YearS explained
Cognition ignition
from drinking too much. In fact, sev-
eral studies have found that adolescents
perceive more risk in certain areas
than adults do, such as the chance of
getting into an accident if they drive
with a drunk driver. Teenagers also are
not as optimistic as their parents are
about avoiding injuries and illness.
However, they are less likely than
adults to believe poor health will result
from experimenting with sex, drinking,
drugs, or smoking.
For many adolescents, being aware
of the risks involved in a given action
fails to stop them from participat-
ing. Research is starting to discover
that adolescents judge the benefits of
partaking in risky behaviors differently
than adults do, and this difference in
judgment may have a biological basis
in the brain. Functional magnetic reso-
nance imaging studies have shown that
while winning at gambling, the “re-
ward” center lights up more in teens’
brains than in adults’ brains, meaning
that teens experience greater emotional
satisfaction when risk-taking produces
a desired outcome.
Teens also may discern social
benefits from smoking, drinking, or
sexual activity. In schools and com-
munities where the popular students
are more likely to smoke, drink, and
be sexually experienced, trying out
these risky behaviors could be viewed
by young people as a rational strategy
for gaining approval from their friends
and fellow students. Most teens who
experiment with alcohol and cigarettes
do not develop addictions, but some
Freshly acquired reasoning and logic skills are like a new gadget
adolescents are just itching to try out. Here are some ways you can
help young people make effective use of their developing capacities:
“As an adolescent, I think more for myself
now. I am also more aware of the feelings
of people around me and more aware of
my own feelings.”
Girl, 15
do, especially if they start experimenta-
tion at an early age.
e upside of perceiving rewards
for taking risks is that teens are willing
to assume new challenges necessary
for adulthood, such as starting a job,
leaving home, and forming diverse
relationships. In fact, adolescence is
the perfect time to strike out in differ-
ent directions. Only in early childhood
are people as receptive to new informa-
tion as they are in adolescence.
Given the developmental directive
to experiment, it is not surprising that
scare tactics, school-based abstinence
curricula, and “Just say no” cam-
Ask open-ended questions that invite thought and debate. is will help
adolescents consider their range of options and the natural consequences of
each choice.
Example of an open-ended question that invites discussion:
“How do you think it will benefit you and/or harm you to quit your after-school
job to join the basketball team?”
(invites thought and debate)
Example of a close-ended question that ellicits a yes or no response:
“Will you regret quitting your after-school job to join the basketball team?”
Never subject an adolescent to public criticism or mockery of their
thoughts or ideas.
Encourage a deeper understanding of issues and topics an adolescent
brings up by pointing them to accurate, factual information.
Make sure teens grasp the role of emotions in the decision-making
process—feelings like anger, fear, sadness, or elation can cloud judgment.
Decisions, especially important ones, should be made while calm and
revisited after “sleeping on it.”
Realize teens bring a variety of strengths—logic, common sense, creative
approaches—to the decision-making process.
25
chapter 2 cognitive development
paigns have proven to be ineffective
with young people. More successful
strategies engage youth in using their
emerging critical-thinking skills. For
example, taking young people through
the risks of a certain action or activity
and having them assess the situation’s
consequences at every juncture allows
them to develop future-thinking
techniques and makes them feel more
in control. is tactic challenges their
intellect, while simply forbidding them
Adolescents need opportunities
to practice and discuss realistic
decision-making. Here are
some ways adults can facilitate
the process:
Get youth actively practicing deci-
sion-making through role-playing
and group problem-solving exercises.
Take a look at how you make deci-
sions and then lead by example.
Demonstrate to teens how to choose
between competing pressures and
demands.
Many adolescents live in the now.
Show them the benefits of future
thinking by anticipating difficult
situations and planning in advance
how to handle them.
Encourage adolescents to spend time
with friends who share their values.
Decision-making
strategies
Adults often support each other by sharing stories about their own experi-
ence in a similar situation. is strategy works less well with teens, who may
respond to adults’ attempts to help this way with exclamations of “You don’t
understand!” or “My life is ruined!”
Try not to take it personally when young people discount your experiences.
Just listen to their concerns and empathize. Seek to understand their feel-
ings first before offering up anecdotes about what you were like as a teen,
and when you do, speak about your vulnerabilities and the mistakes that you
made at that age. Don’t let it all hang out, though. Experts advise that adults
talk about their past experiences cautiously and conservatively.
Sharing your experiences
to do something only challenges their
sense of autonomy.
Cognitive mindsets
is section details some of the cogni-
tive mindsets—ways of thinking and
believing—experienced by adolescents
as a result of brain development.
I don’t think that’s fair
Advances in reasoning skills lead
teens to become interested in fairness
or justice. ey are quick to point
out inconsistencies between adults’
words and their actions. However, the
developing adolescent brain makes it
difficult for them to see shades of gray
or nuances in arguments and opinions.
ey tend to view things in extremes
of black and white, allowing little
room for error. eir reasoning skills
can be honed by encouraging teens to
talk about their views, whether it is
their political or spiritual beliefs, or
26
the teen YearS explained
their responses to something they saw
on the Internet or in a magazine.
Researcher Laurence Steinberg,
PhD, has suggested that adults and
adolescents have different views of con-
flict. It is the parents who get stressed
out by dust-ups over daily mundane
issues. A possible reason for this is that
adults see the decisions in question
as stemming from moral distinctions
of right and wrong, traditions, social
customs, and core beliefs, whereas
teens tend to view decisions simply as
matters of personal choice.
Take a clean bedroom. Adults
view the issue from a moral stand-
point (cleanliness is next to godliness;
cleaning your room is the right thing
to do). An adolescent is more commit-
ted to the issue of fairness—my room
is my domain; it is not fair for parents
to dictate whether my room is neat
or messy, and what does it matter in
the grand scheme of things? Adoles-
cents are less interested in the moral
standpoint, so the conflict may not be
as meaningful for them. erefore, the
parent may walk away upset—and
stay upset—more often than the
young person.
“I am capable of making my own decisions
and I challenge myself a lot more since I
am not a child anymore.”
Boy, 15
27
chapter 2 cognitive development
I am taking up the cause
On the one hand, teens are concerned
with their appearance and their every
move. One consistent experience of
adolescence is the constant feeling of
being “on stage”and that everyone and
everything is centered on their appear-
ance and actions. is preoccupation
stems from the fact that brain changes
actually spur adolescents to spend an
inordinate amount of time thinking
about and looking at themselves.
is does not mean young people
are inherently selfish. On the contrary,
cognitive development also prompts
them to become outward-directed and
interested in something larger than
themselves. Embrace this paradox and
accept it.
e newfound ability to consider
abstract concepts may make teens want
to become involved in things that have
deeper meaning. ey want to tackle
the big issues and are often drawn into
causes. is not only widens a young
person’s perspective but also is greatly
empowering. After reading about cru-
elty to animals, an adolescent may
become vegetarian and active in animal
rights campaigns. Support their inter-
ests and help them find ways large and
small they can contribute to the causes
in which they believe. is is an excel-
lent way for adolescents to move from
self-consciousness to a greater con-
sciousness of the world.
“Being a teenager
means thinking
about going to
college, acting
more mature,
and being more
interested in girls.”
Boy, 15
28
THE TEEN YEARS EXPLAINED
B
rain development even affects
the way teens sleep. Adoles-
cents’ normal sleep patterns
are different from those of children
and adults. Teens are often drowsy
upon waking, tired during the day, and
wakeful at night.
Until the age of 10, most chil-
dren awaken refreshed and energetic.
In adolescence, the brain’s biologi-
cal clock, or circadian rhythm, shifts
forward. Melatonin secretions, which
trigger sleepiness, start later at night
and turn off later in the morning. is
natural shift peps up adolescents at the
traditional weekday bedtime of 9 or 10
p.m. and can explain why it is so hard
to rouse them at sunrise. In contrast,
circadian rhythms in middle-aged
people tend to swing backward, and
many parents struggle to stay awake
when their adolescent children are at
their most alert.
Teenagers actually need as much
sleep or more than they got as chil-
dren—nine to 10 hours are optimum.
Most adolescents are chronically
sleep-deprived, averaging a scant six to
seven hours a night. Part of the blame
can be placed on early starting times
for school, which, coupled with many
teens’ 11 p.m. and midnight bedtimes,
result in a considerable sleep deficit.
Too little sleep can result in un-
controlled napping (either in class or,
more dangerously, behind the wheel),
irritability, inability to do tasks that are
not exciting or of a competitive nature,
and dependence on caffeine drinks to
stay alert.
Sleep debt also has a powerful
effect on a teen’s ability to learn and re-
tain new material, especially in abstract
subject areas such as physics, philoso-
phy, math, and calculus.
Battling biology can be daunt-
ing, but adults can help teenagers get
enough sleep by keeping TVs and elec-
tronic gadgets out of their bedrooms,
switching to caffeine-free drinks in
the evening, and getting them to wind
down activity by a reasonable hour.
Catch-up sleep on weekends is
a second-best option because it can
confuse the brain as to when night-
time occurs and is not as restorative
as regular slumber.
Teen brains need more Zzzzzzzs
Sleep and Cognitive Development
29
CHAPTER 2 COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
Effects of Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs
on the Developing Adolescent Brain
R
isk-taking may be based in bi-
ology, but that does not diminish
the possible unhealthy conse-
quences of alcohol and other drugs and
tobacco on the developing teen brain.
Recent brain research with mag-
netic resonance imaging suggests that
alcohol impacts adolescents differently
than it does adults. Young people are
more vulnerable to the negative effects
of alcohol on the hippocampus—the
part of the brain that regulates work-
ing memory and learning. Conse-
quently, heavy use of alcohol and
other drugs during the teen years
can result in lower scores on tests of
memory and attention in one’s early
to mid-20s.
People who begin drinking before
age 15 are four times more likely to
become alcohol-dependent than those
who wait until they are 21. Teens also
tend to be less sensitive than adults to
alcohol’s sedative qualities. Sedation
in response to alcohol is one of the
ways the body protects itself, since it
is impossible to keep drinking once
asleep or passed out. Teenagers are
able to stay awake longer with higher
blood alcohol levels than older drinkers
can. is biological difference allows
teens to drink more, thereby exposing
themselves to greater cognitive impair-
ment and perhaps brain damage from
alcohol poisoning.
ere are also striking differences
in the way nicotine affects adolescent
and adult smokers. Nicotine results in
cell damage and loss throughout the
brain at any age, but in teenagers the
damage is worse in the hippocampus,
the mind’s memory bank. Compared
to adults, teen smokers experience
more episodes of depression and
cardiac irregularities, and are more apt
to become quickly and persistently
nicotine-dependent.
Drugs such as cocaine and am-
phetamines target dopamine receptor
neurons in the brain, and damage to
these neurons may affect adolescent
brain development for life in the areas
of impulse control and ability to expe-
rience reward.
Other effects of substance abuse in
adolescents include delays in develop-
ing executive functions (judgment,
planning and completing tasks, meet-
ing goals) and overblown and imma-
ture emotional responses to situations.
30
the teen years explained
31
chapter 3 emotional & social development
emotional & social
development
“Adults influence
me more than my
friends because
they have more
wisdom and
experience in
the world.”
Girl, 16
A quest for emotional and social competence
A
lthough the stereotype of ado-
lescence emphasizes emotional
outbursts and mood swings,
in truth, the teen years are a quest for
emotional and social competence.
Emotional competence is the
ability to perceive, assess, and manage
one’s own emotions. Social compe-
tence is the capacity to be sensitive and
effective in relating to other people.
Cognitive development in the adoles-
cent brain gives teens increasing capac-
ity to manage their emotions and relate
well to others.
Unlike the physical changes of
puberty, emotional and social develop-
ment is not an inevitable biological
process during adolescence. Society
expects that young people will learn to
prevent their emotions from interfer-
ing with performance and relate well to
other people, but this does not occur
from brain development alone—it
must be cultivated.
Four areas of emotional and
social development
Emotional and social development
work in concert: through relating to
others, you gain insights into your-
self. e skills necessary for managing
emotions and successful relationships
have been called “emotional intel-
ligence” and include self-awareness,
CHAPTER 3
32
the teen Years explained
social awareness, self-management, and
the ability to get along with others and
make friends.
Self-awareness: What do
I feel?
Self-awareness centers on young people
learning to recognize and name their
emotions. Feelings cannot be labeled
accurately unless conscious attention is
paid to them, and that involves going
deeper than saying one feels “good,”
“bad,” or the all-purpose “OK.”
Going deeper means an adolescent
might discover he or she feels “anxious”
about an upcoming test, or “sad” when
rejected by a potential love interest.
Identifying the source of a feeling can
lead to figuring out constructive ways
to resolve a problem.
Without this awareness, undefined
feelings can become uncomfortable
enough that adolescents may grow
withdrawn or depressed or pursue such
numbing behaviors as drinking alco-
hol, using drugs, or overeating.
Social awareness: What do
other people feel?
While it is vital that youth recognize
their own emotions, they must also de-
velop empathy and take into account
the feelings of others. Understanding
the thoughts and feelings of others and
appreciating the value of human dif-
ferences are the cornerstones of social
awareness.
Cognitive development during
adolescence may make social aware-
ness difficult for some young people.
Adolescents actually read emotions
through a different part of the brain
than do adults. Dr. Deborah Yurge-
lun-Todd, director of Neuropsychol-
ogy and Cognitive Neuroimaging at
McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mas-
sachusetts, took magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI) scans of the brains
of both teenagers and adults as they
were shown images of faces that clearly
expressed fear. All the adults correctly
identified fear. About half of the teens
got it wrong, mistaking the expression
as that of shock, sadness, or confusion.
Yurgelun-Todd discovered that on
the MRI scans of the adults, both the
limbic area of the brain (the part of the
brain linked to emotions) and the pre-
frontal cortex (connected to judgment
and reasoning) were lit up. When teens
saw the same images, the limbic area
was bright, but there was almost no
activity in the prefrontal cortex. Until
the prefrontal cortex fully develops in
Increases in estrogen and testosterone
at puberty literally change the brain
structure so that it processes social situ-
ations differently. Pubertal hormones
prompt a proliferation of receptors for
oxytocin, a hormone that functions as a
neurotransmitter, in the limbic area of
the brain, where emotional processing
occurs. The effect of increased oxytocin
is to increase feelings of self-conscious-
ness, to the point where an adolescent
may truly feel that his or her behavior is
the focus of everyone else’s attention.
These feelings of having the world as
an audience peak around age 15 and
then decline.
SOURCE: Steinberg, L. (2008) A social neuroscience
perspective on adolescent risk-taking. Developmental
Review, 28, 78–106.
Brain BOX
33
chapter 3 emotional & social development
early adulthood, teens may misinter-
pret body language and facial expres-
sions. Adults can help by telling teens
how they are feeling. For example, a
parent can say, “I’m not mad at you,
just tired and crabby.”
Self-management: How can
I control my emotions?
Self-management is monitoring and
regulating one’s emotions and estab-
lishing and working toward positive
goals. Adolescents can experience in-
tense emotions with puberty. Research-
ers have found that the increase of
testosterone in both boys and girls at
puberty literally swells the amygdala,
an area of the brain associated with
social acceptance, responses to reward,
and emotions, especially fear.
Nonetheless, adolescents can and
do learn to manage their emotions.
Self-management in a young person
involves using developing reasoning
and abstract thinking skills to step
back, examine emotions, and consider
how those emotions bear on longer-
term goals. By actively managing emo-
tions rather than reacting to a flood
of feelings, young people can learn to
avoid the pitfalls and problems that
strong emotions often evoke. Recog-
nizing that they have the power to
choose how to react in a situation can
greatly improve the way adolescents
experience that situation.
Peer relationships: How can
I make and keep friends?
Social and emotional development
depends on establishing and main-
taining healthy, rewarding relation-
ships based on cooperation, effective
communication, and the ability to
resolve conflict and resist inappropri-
ate peer pressure.
ese social skills are fostered by
involvement in a peer group, and teens
generally prefer to spend increasing
amounts of time with fellow adoles-
cents and less time with family. Peers
provide a new opportunity for young
people to form necessary social skills
and an identity outside the family.
“My mom is my biggest influence
because she always knows the answers
to my questions and would never tell
me anything that would hurt me in
the long run.”
Boy, 15
e influence of peers is normal
and expected. Peers have significant
sway on day-to-day values, attitudes,
and behaviors in relation to school, as
well as tastes in clothing and music.
Peers also play a central role in the
development of sexual identities and
the formation of intimate friendships
and romantic relationships.
Friends need not be a threat to
parents’ ultimate authority. Parents re-
main central throughout adolescence.
Young people depend on their families
and adult caregivers for affection, iden-
tification, values, and decision-making
skills. Teens report, and research con-
firms, that parents have more influence
than peers on whether or not adoles-
cents smoke, use alcohol and other
drugs, or initiate sexual intercourse.
Teens also frequently seek out
adult role models and advisors such
Possible causes of heightened emotions in adolescents
Hormones, which set off physical changes at puberty, also affect moods
and general emotional responses in teens.
Concerns about physical changes—height, weight, facial hair, developing
breasts in girls—are a source of sensitivity and heightened emotions.
Irregular meal patterns, skipping breakfast, and fasting to lose weight can
affect mood.
Inadequate sleep can lead to moodiness, gloominess, irritability, and a
tendency to overreact.
Experiencing the normal ups and downs of social relationships, especially
romantic relationships, can make a teen feel anything from elation to
abject despair.
34
the teen Years explained
as teachers, relatives, club leaders, or
neighbors. Studies show that connec-
tions to teachers, for example, can be
just as protective as connections to par-
ents in delaying the initiation of sexual
activity and use of drugs, alcohol,
and tobacco.
Some teenagers, of course, trade
the influence of parents and other
adults for the influence of their peers,
Popularity plusses and minuses
Most parents wish their teenagers to be popular. Certainly, most teens want
to be popular, too. However, a recent study in the journal Child Development
suggests that being on the A-list is not always what it’s cracked up to be.
e advantages of popularity are that popular adolescents possess a broader ar-
ray of social skills than their less well-liked peers, better self-concepts, a greater
ability to form meaningful relationships with both friends and parents, and
greater ability to resolve conflicts within these relationships.
But there is a downside. Popular teens are at higher risk for exposure to—and
participation in—whatever risky behaviors are condoned by their peers. Popu-
larity can be associated with higher levels of alcohol and substance abuse and
minor deviant behavior, such as vandalism and shoplifting.
Popular kids tend to get along better with their friends and family members
and seem to have more emotional maturity than others. is maturity can be
compromised by their need for group approval, as popular teens may be even
more willing than other teens to adopt behaviors they think will earn them
greater acceptance. Sometimes the behaviors are “pro-social”—as when a group
pressures popular members to be less aggressive and hostile. Sometimes, when
risky behaviors are valued by popular kids, the behaviors are more deviant.
SOURCE: Allen, J.P., Porter, M.R., & McFarland, F,C. (2005). The two faces of adolescents’ success with peers:
adolescent popularity, social adaptation, and deviant behavior. Child Development. 76(3), 747–760.
but this usually happens when family
closeness and parental monitoring are
missing. Youth need to learn inde-
pendent-thinking, decision-making,
and problem-solving skills from their
parents or guardians and other caring
adults, so they can apply these skills
within their peer network.
e nature of social relation-
ships changes as adolescents get older.
Younger teens typically have at least
one primary group of friends, and the
members are usually similar in many
respects, including gender. During the
early teen years, both boys and girls are
concerned with conforming and being
accepted by their peer group.
Emerging brain science indicates
that during early adolescence social
acceptance by peers may be processed
by the brain similarly to other pleasur-
able rewards, such as receiving money
or eating ice cream. is makes social
acceptance highly desirable and helps
explain why adolescents change their
behavior to match their peers’. Teens
often adopt the styles, values, and
interests of the group to maintain an
identity that distinguishes their group
from other students.
Peer groups in middle adolescence
(14-16 years) tend to contain both
boys and girls, and group members are
more tolerant of differences in appear-
ance, beliefs, and feelings. By late ado-
lescence (17-19 years), young people
have diversified their peer network
beyond a single clique or crowd and
develop intimate relationships within
these peer groups, such as one-on-one
friendships and romances.
Dating is a way to develop social
skills, learn about other people, and ex-
plore romantic and sexual feelings. e
hormonal changes that accompany pu-
“A good parent
listens to you and
does not look
down on you.”
Girl, 14
35
chapter 3 emotional & social development
“My friends have
inspired me to
help anyone that
I see in need.”
Girl, 12
berty move adolescents toward dating
relationships. Mainstream culture plays
a role as well. Media and popular cul-
ture are awash in images and messages
that promote adolescent sexuality and
romance. Dating can lead to sexual
activity, but also to opportunities for
expanded emotional growth. Dating
and friendships open up an adolescent
to experiencing extremes of happi-
ness, excitement, disappointment, and
despair. Recent research has shown that
both boys and girls value intimacy in
romantic relationships, dispelling the
prevailing stereotype that boys prefer
casual sexual relationships.
Emotional and social
development in context
Adolescents face an astonishing array
of options in modern society—every-
thing from choosing multiple sources
of entertainment to deciding among
alternative educational or vocational
pathways. Teenagers are confronted
with more decisions, and more compli-
cated decisions, than their parents and
grandparents faced, often in complex
environments that trigger conflicting
feelings and desires.
Responsible decision-making
involves generating, implementing,
and evaluating ethical choices in a
given situation. e choices ideally will
benefit both the decision-maker and
the well-being of others.
e still-developing frontal
lobes in the brain render adolescents
vulnerable to making poor deci-
sions; they can have trouble forming
judgments when things are cloudy or
uncertain. e Cognitive Development
chapter gives strategies for helping
young people with their decision-
making skills.
adults. Risky behavior increased for
both boys and girls.
In a follow-up study, Laurence
Steinberg, PhD, of Temple University
used functional MRI to map brain
activity during the video driving game.
e brain scans showed that teen
brains respond differently when peers
are present compared to when they are
not present. When teens played the
driving game alone, brain regions
linked to cognitive control and reason-
ing were activated. When peers were
present, additional brain circuitry that
processes rewards was also activated,
The building blocks of empathy
Decisions about risk-taking often
are made in group situations—set-
tings that activate intense feelings
and trigger impulses. In a recent
experimental study, teenagers, col-
lege students, and adults were asked
to play a video driving game. When
participants were alone, levels of risky
driving were the same for the teens,
college students, and adults. However,
when they played the game in front of
friends, risky driving doubled among
the adolescents and increased by 50
percent among the college students,
but remained unchanged among the
Empathy is the ability to identify with another person’s concerns and feelings.
Empathy is the foundation of tolerance, compassion, and the ability to dif-
ferentiate right from wrong. Empathy motivates teens and adults alike to care
for those who are hurt or troubled.
Ways you can help build empathy in an adolescent:
D
emonstrate tolerance and generosity in your thoughts, words, and actions.
Actively participate in religious or social organizations that ask you to focus
on issues larger than yourself.
Fine-tune your own empathetic behaviors and act on your concerns to
comfort others, so that teenagers can copy your actions.
Build a young person’s emotional vocabulary by using such “feelings” state-
ments as “Your friend seems really (anxious, mad, discouraged).” You can
also point out nonverbal feeling cues to a teenager.
Teach empathy and awareness of others, such as helping youth understand
on an emotional level the negative consequences of prejudice.
Talk with a young person about how his or her own suffering can lead to
compassion for other teens who experience suffering.
36
the teen Years explained
suggesting that, for teens, potentially
rewarding—and potentially risky—
behaviors become even more gratify-
ing in the presence of peers. By late
adolescence and early adulthood, the
cognitive control network matures,
so that even among friends in a high-
pressure situation, the urge to take
risks diminishes.
Because heightened vulnerability
to peer influence and risk-taking ap-
pears to be a natural and normal part
of neurobiological development, telling
adolescents not to give in to peer influ-
ence may not be effective, especially
during early adolescence. Instead,
teens may be best protected from
harm through limiting exposure to
risky situations. Harm-reducing tactics
include raising the price of cigarettes,
rigorously policing the sale of alcohol
to minors, placing restrictions on
“A good friend is
100% real with
you all the time.”
Boy, 16
teen driving, and making reproduc-
tive health services more accessible
to adolescents.
37
chapter 3 emotional & social development
WaYs to help teens make healthY social connections
Discuss the meaning of true friendship
People have plenty of acquaintances, but true friends can be rare gifts. Talk
with young people about what distinguishes true friends from situational
friends. True friends like you for yourself. ey try to help and encourage
you, and they stand by you when the other kids make fun of you or give
you a hard time. A true friend does not judge you by the clothes you wear
or how much expensive stuff you have, pressure you to go along with the
crowd, make you do dangerous or illegal things, or leave you high and dry
when things get rough.
Help teens get involved in
things they care about
Young people can make friends at
school, but they can also form rela-
tionships through mutual interests.
Find out what adolescents are
interested in—computers, music,
dance, poetry slams, sports, science
fiction/fantasy—and help start a
club, or get teens involved in exist-
ing organizations.
Promote service to others
Getting youth involved with a service project in your community is a
way to strengthen friendships, both with people their own age and across
the generations, and to make social connections through the pursuit of
common goals. Community service also promotes the values of caring and
kindness, and it helps adolescents develop a sense of empathy. Let teens
decide what kind of service project they would like to do.
Talk about boundaries
Being a friend does not mean
being a doormat or being
joined at the hip 24/7. Friend-
ships need boundaries, just as
other relationships do. Stress the
importance of boundaries, es-
tablishing limits, and respecting
privacy and “alone time,” which
make friendships healthier and
stronger in the long run.
Teach about the relationship
between honesty and tact
Friends don’t tear each other
down—even in the name of hon-
esty. You can help sharpen a young
person’s decision-making skills by
talking about ways of handling
certain situations without being
hurtful. Possible scenarios include
what to say when someone asks,
“Do you like my new haircut?” or
what to say when a friend or relative
mentions, “I’ve never seen you wear
the sweater I gave you.”
Find role models for friendship
Examples of good friendships abound
in movies, books, and songs, and also
in your community. Friendship could
be the theme of a book club or a movie
series in a youth program. Expose
adolescents to real-life role models and
then discuss what good friendships have
in common. What attributes or values
do these people share?
38
THE TEEN YEARS EXPLAINED
Y
ou may have caught yourself
thinking, “Teen stress? Wait
until they’re older—then they’ll
know stress.”
Yet teen stress is an important
health issue. e early teen years are
marked by rapid changes—physi-
cal, cognitive, and emotional. Young
people also face changing relationships
with peers, new demands at school,
family tensions, and safety issues in
their communities. e ways in which
teens cope with these stressors can
have significant short- and long-term
consequences on their physical and
emotional health. Difficulties in han-
dling stress can lead to mental health
problems, such as depression and
anxiety disorders.
What is stress? It is the body’s
reaction to a challenge, which could
be anything from outright physical
danger to asking someone for a date or
trying out for a sports team. Good and
bad things create stress. Getting into
a fight with a friend is stressful, but so
is a passionate kiss and contemplating
what might follow.
e human body responds to
stressors by activating the nervous sys-
tem and specific hormones. e hypo-
thalamus signals the adrenal glands to
produce more of the hormones adrena-
line and cortisol and release them into
the bloodstream. e hormones speed
releases stored glucose to increase the
body’s energy. is physical response
to stress kicks in much more quickly in
teens than in adults because the part of
the brain that can calmly assess danger
and call off the stress response, the pre-
frontal cortex, is not fully developed in
adolescence.
e stress response prepares a per-
son to react quickly and perform well
under pressure. It can help teens be on
their toes and ready to rise to
a challenge.
e stress response can cause
problems, however, when it overreacts
or goes on for too long. Long-term
stressful situations, like coping with
a parent’s divorce or being bullied at
school, can produce a lasting, low-level
stress that can wear out the body’s
reserves, weaken the immune system,
and make an adolescent feel depleted
or beleaguered.
e things that cause adolescents
stress are often different from what
stresses adults. Adolescents will have
different experiences from one another,
as well. A good example of this can be
seen by observing teens at a dance.
Some are hunched in the corner,
eyes downcast and hugging the wall.
ey can’t wait for the night to be over.
Others are out there dancing their feet
off, talking and laughing and hoping
the music never stops. In between, you
Teen Stress
Teens feel the pressure
School pressure and career decisions
After-school or summer jobs
Dating and friendships
Pressure to wear certain types of
clothing, jewelry, or hairstyles
P
ressure to experiment with drugs,
alcohol, or sex
P
ressure to be a particular size or
body shape. With girls, the focus
is often weight. With boys, it is
usually a certain muscular or
athletic physique.
Dealing with the physical and
cognitive changes of puberty
Family and peer conflicts
Being bullied or exposed to
violence or sexual harassment
Crammed schedules, juggling
school, sports, after-school
activities, social life,
and family obligations
things that can
caus e y o u th
s t r e s s
up heart rate, breathing rate, blood
pressure, and metabolism. Blood
vessels open wider to let more blood
flow to large muscle groups, pupils
dilate to improve vision, and the liver
“I think stress is a problem for teenagers like
me…because when you get a certain age, you start
worrying about certain things, like, when your puberty
comes, your body starts to develop more, and then
you get to worry about school, your families, and what
most people think about you.”
Girl, 14
39
chapter 3 emotional and social development
may find a few kids pretending to be
bored, hanging out with their friends,
and maybe venturing onto the floor
for a dance or two. So, is the dance
uniformly stressful?
Several strategies can help teens
with their stress. It is best, whenever
possible, to help teens address stressful
situations immediately. Listen to them,
be open, and realize that you can be
supportive even if you cannot relate to
what they are feeling. Tune in to your
own levels of stress, since your over-
whelmed feelings can be contagious.
For chronic stress, parents or caring
adults can help teens understand the
cause of the stress and then identify
and practice positive ways to manage
the situation.
signs an adolescent is
overloaded
stress managementskills
for young people—& adults
Increased complaints of headache, stomachache, muscle pain, tiredness
Shutting down and withdrawing from people and activities
Increased anger or irritability; i.e., lashing out at people and situations
Crying more often and appearing teary-eyed
Feelings of hopelessness
Chronic anxiety and nervousness
Changes in sleeping and eating habits, i.e., insomnia or being “too
busy” to eat
Difficulty concentrating
Talk about problems with others
Take deep breaths, accompanied by thinking or saying aloud, “I can
handle this”
Perform progressive muscle relaxation, which involves repeatedly
tensing and relaxing large muscles of the body
Set small goals and break tasks into smaller, manageable chunks
Exercise and eat regular meals
Get proper sleep
Break the habit of relying on caffeine or energy drinks to get through
the day
Focus on what you can control (your reactions, your actions) and let
go of what you cannot (other people’s opinions and expectations)
Visualize and practice feared situations
Work through worst-case scenarios until they seem amusing or absurd
Lower unrealistic expectations
Schedule breaks and enjoyable activities
Accept yourself as you are; identify your unique strengths and build
on them
Give up on the idea of perfection, both in yourself and in others
SOURCE: Dyl, J. Helping teens cope with stress. Lifespan. Retrieved from www.lifespan.org/services/
childhealth/parenting/teen-stress.htm
40
THE TEEN YEARS EXPLAINED
M
ost adults can remember
being teased or bullied when
they were younger. It may be
regarded as a regular—albeit nasty—
part of growing up, but research has
shown that bullying has far-reaching
negative effects on adolescents. is
all-too-common experience can lead
to serious problems for young people
at a critical time in their development,
including poor mental health and
dropping out of school.
Estimates from a 2002 CDC
survey reveal that approximately 30
percent of teens in the United States,
or over 5.7 million teens, have been
involved in bullying as a victim,
spectator, or perpetrator. In a 2001
national survey of students in grades
six to 10, 13 percent reported bullying
others, 11 percent reported being the
target of school bullies, and another
6 percent said they bullied others and
were bullied themselves. Teen bullying
appears to be much more common
among younger teens than older teens.
As teens grow older, they are less likely
to bully others and to be the targets of
bullies.
Bullying involves a person or
a group repeatedly trying to harm
someone they see as weaker or more
vulnerable. Appearance and social
status are the main reasons for bully-
ing, but young people can be singled
out because of their sexual orientation,
their race or religion, or because they
may be shy and introverted.
Bullying can involve direct at-
tacks—hitting, threatening or in-
timidating, maliciously teasing and
taunting, name-calling, making sexual
remarks, sexual assault, and stealing
or damaging belongings. Bullying can
also involve the subtler, indirect at-
tacks of rumor-mongering or encour-
aging others to snub someone. New
technology, such as text messaging,
instant messaging, social networking
websites, and the easy filming and
online posting of videos, has intro-
duced a new form of intimidation—
cyberbullying—which is widespread
on the Internet.
Debunking the myth of
the bully
e typical portrait of a young bully is
someone who is insecure and seething
with self-loathing. e latest research
indicates the opposite is often true,
that teen bullies—both boys and
girls—tend to be confident, with high
self-esteem and elevated social status
among their peers.
Despite bullies’ social status, their
classmates would rather not spend a
lot of time with them. Nonetheless,
bullies’ stature means that other teens
tolerate bullying behavior. is can
Bullying
Damaged or missing clothing
and belongings
Unexplained cuts, bruises, or
torn clothes
Lack of friends
Frequent claims of having lost
pocket money, possessions,
packed lunches, or snacks
Fear of school or of leaving
the house
Avoidance of places, friends,
family members, or activities
teens once enjoyed
Unusual routes to and from
school or the bus stop
Poor appetite, headaches,
stomachaches
Mood swings
Trouble sleeping
Lack of interest in schoolwork
Talk about suicide
Uncharacteristic aggression
toward younger siblings or
family members
SOURCE: The Youth Connection, January/February
2005, Institute for Youth Development, www.
youthdevelopment.org
wa r n i n g
signs
Teen bullying: A part of growing up?
41
CHAPTER 3 EMOTIONAL/SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Bullying should not be shrugged off as a normal rite of passage in adolescence.
It is abusive behavior that is likely to create emotional and social problems during the
teen years and later in life for both the victim and the aggressor. Here is how adults
can help:
SPEAK UP after a teen tells you about being bullied at school or elsewhere. Take his or her concerns seriously. Go to
the school and talk to the teachers, coaches, and principal. Speak to the parents or adults in charge if a teen is being
harassed by a peer or social clique.
OBSERVE your own behavior. Adolescents look to adults for cues as to how to act, so practice being caring and
empathetic, and controlling your aggressions. Avoid engaging in physical violence, harsh criticism, vendettas, and
vicious emotional outbursts.
ADVOCATE for policies and programs concerning bullying in the schools and the community. Anti-bullying policies
have been adopted by state boards of education in North Carolina, Oregon, California, New York, Florida, and
Louisiana.
One successful program used throughout the country has been developed by Dan Olweus, a Norwegian psychologist
and bullying expert. e program focuses on creating a “caring community” as opposed to eliminating bad behavior.
For more information on the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, go to http://www.clemson.edu/olweus/.
pose challenges for those addressing
bullying problems.
Bullies also tend to be physically
aggressive, impulsive, and quick to
anger, which fits in with the profile
of a classic intimidator. Most often,
adolescent bullies are mirroring be-
havior they have seen in their home or
observed in adults.
School bullying
School bullying occurs more frequently
among boys than among girls. Teen-
age boys are more likely both to bully
others and to be the targets of bullies.
While both boys and girls say oth-
ers bully them by making fun of the
way they look or talk, boys are more
likely to report being hit, shoved, or
punched. Girls are more often the tar-
gets of rumors and sexual comments,
but fighting does occur.
While teenage boys target both
boys and girls, teenage girls most often
bully other girls, using sly and more
indirect forms of aggression than boys,
such as spreading gossip or urging oth-
ers to reject or exclude another girl.
taking the
bark out of bullies
Harassment hurts
Bullying can make teens feel stressed,
anxious, and afraid. Adolescent victims
of bullying may not be able to concen-
trate in school, a problem that can lead
to avoiding classes, sports, and social
situations. If the bullying continues
for long periods of time, feelings of
self-worth suffer. Bullied teens can
become isolated and withdrawn. In
rare cases, adolescents may take drastic
measures, such as carrying weapons
for protection.
One of the most common psy-
chiatric disorders found in adolescents
who are bullied is depression, an illness
which, if left untreated, can interfere
with their ability to function. Accord-
ing to a 2007 study linking bullying
and suicidal behavior, adolescents who
were frequently bullied in school were
five times as likely to have serious sui-
cidal thoughts and four times as likely
to attempt suicide as students who had
not been victims.
Even after the bullying has
stopped, its effects can linger. Re-
searchers have found that years later,
adults who were bullied as teens have
higher levels of depression and poorer
self-esteem than other adults.
Bullies also fare less well in adult-
hood. Being a teen bully can be a
warning sign of future troubles. Teens,
particularly boys, who bully are more
likely to engage in other delinquent
behaviors in early adulthood, such as
vandalism, shoplifting, truancy, and
drug use. ey are four times more
likely than non-bullies to be con-
victed of crimes by age 24, with 60
percent of bullies having at least one
criminal conviction.
42
THE TEEN YEARS EXPLAINED
Text messaging, social networking sites, blogs, email, instant messaging—all these
are ways teens stay connected to each other and express who they are to the world.
However, this new technology can
make young people vulnerable to
the age-old problem of bullying.
Unmonitored social networking sites
and chat rooms can be a forum for
messages that are sexually provoca-
tive, demeaning, violence-based,
or racist.
Cyberbullies send harassing or
obscene messages, post private infor-
mation on a public site, intention-
ally exclude someone from a chat
room, or pretend to be someone
else to try to embarrass a person (for
example, by pretending to be a boy
or girl who is romantically interested
in the person).
Cyberbullying can spiral into a
“flame war”—an escalation of online
attacks sent back and forth, either
privately through text and instant
messaging or on a public site. On
public sites flaming is meant to
humiliate the person attacked and
drive him or her away from the web
site or forum.
Often, the information used for cy-
berbullying at first appears innocent
or inconsequential. A teen could
post or text what he or she thinks is
run-of-the-mill news about a friend,
teacher, or family member, but oth-
ers could use it for harassment or
bullying purposes.
Although there is still very little
research on cyberbullying, it appears
SOURCES: Gengler, C. (2009). Teens and the internet. Teen Talk: A Survival Guide for Parents of Teenagers. Regents of the University of Minnesota. Available at http://www.
extension.umn.edu/distribution/familydevelopment/00145.pdf.
Gengler, C. (2009). Teens and social networking websites. Teen Talk: A Survival Guide for Parents of Teenagers. Available at http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/
familydevelopment/00144.pdf.
cyber
bullies
to occur at about the same rate as
traditional bullying. A 2007 study of
middle schools in the Southeast found
can be spread quickly. It also can be
anonymous. In the same 2007 study
of middle school students, almost
half of the victims of cyberbullying
did not know who had bullied them.
Cyberbullying is much more com-
mon than online sexual solicitation,
another serious concern. Most online
sex crimes involve adult men solicit-
ing teens between the ages of 12 and
17 into meeting them to have sex.
e common media portrayal of teen
victims as naïve is largely false. e
vast majority of teens who are victims
of online sexual predators know they
are communicating with adults,
communicate online about sex, and
expect to have a romantic or sexual
experience if and when they meet.
About three-quarters of teens who
meet the offender meet them more
than once. To help teens avoid be-
coming victims of online sex crimes,
it is important to have accurate and
candid discussions about how it is
wrong for adults to take advantage of
normal sexual feelings among teens.
Teens are more vulnerable to sexual
solicitations online if they send (not
just post) private information to
someone unknown, visit chat rooms,
access pornography, or make sexual
remarks online themselves.
ere is no evidence that use of social
networking sites such as Facebook
or MySpace increases a teen’s risk of
aggressive sexual solicitation.
that boys and girls are equally likely to
engage in cyberbullying, but girls are
more likely to be victims. Twenty-five
percent of girls and 17 percent of boys
reported having been victims of cyber-
bullying in the past couple of months.
Over one-third of victims of electron-
ic bullying in this study also reported
bullying behaviors. Instant messag-
ing is the most common method for
cyberbullying.
Cyberbullying differs from traditional
bullying in that it can be harder to
escape. It can occur at any time of the
day or night, and it can be much more
public, since rude and obscene messages
43
CHAPTER 3 EMOTIONAL/SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Stress to teens what is not safe to put on the web or
give out to people they don’t know: their full name,
address, cell phone number, specific places they
hang out, financial information, ethnic background,
school, or anything else that would help someone
locate them. Although it is important to protect
young people’s privacy, it may be necessary to review
a teen’s social networking site to make sure they do
not reveal too much personal information.
Emphasize that in cyberspace, there’s no such thing
as an “erase” button—messages, photos, rants, and
musings can and do hang around forever. Informa-
tion that may seem harmless now to a teen can be
used against them at any time—maybe in the future
when applying to college or looking for a job. Pho-
tos posted on the sites should not reveal too much
personal information about teens.
Shut down a personal website or blog when the
adolescent is subjected to bullying or flaming. If
necessary, it is possible get a new email address and
instant-messaging (IM) identity.
Make clear to young people what kinds of mes-
sages are harmful and inappropriate. Enforce clearly
spelled-out consequences if young people engage in
those behaviors.
Encourage teens not to respond to cyberbullying.
e decision whether to erase messages is difficult.
It is not good for teens to revisit them, but they
may need to be saved as evidence if the bullying
becomes persistent.
Keep computers out of teens’ bedrooms so that
computer activity can be monitored better.
SOURCES: Kowalski, R.M. & Limber, S.P. (2007). Electronic bullying among middle school students. Journal of Adolescent Health, 41, S22–S30.
Wolak, J., Finkelhor, D., Mitchell, K.J., & Ybarra, M.L. (2008). Online “predators” and their victims: myths, realities, and implications for prevention and treatment.
American Psychologist, 63(2): 111–128.
w a y s a d u l t s c a n
p r o t e c t t e e n s
from cyberbullies and predators
44
the teen years explained
45
chapter 4 forming an identity
forming an identity
“Part of your
identity is
knowing who you
are, what you
want, and when
to do the right
thing.” Girl, 15
Building a sense of self
A
dolescence is the first time in
life when a person intensely
contemplates the question,
“Who am I?” e answer to that ques-
tion—which will continue to evolve
over a person’s lifetime—forms the
basis of personal identity, or one’s sense
of self. Changes in the adolescent brain
give teenagers the tools to start build-
ing a personal identity.
Identity is one’s sense of self. Two
key aspects of identity are self-concept
and self-esteem.
Self-concept—or what a person
believes about him or herself—is deter-
mined by a person’s perceptions about
his or her talents, qualities, goals, and
life experiences. Self-concept can also
include religious or political beliefs.
For example, a teen’s self-concept may
be based on her belief that she is smart,
artistic, politically conservative, and
interested in becoming a doctor. A
teen’s self-concept is also likely to be
influenced by identification with an
ethnic group and the experiences he or
she has as a result of that connection.
Self-esteem, on the other hand,
refers to how people feel about their
self-concept—that is, do they have
high regard for who they are? Self-
esteem is affected by approval from
parents and other adults, the level of
support received from friends and
CHAPTER 4
46
the teen years explained
family, and personal success. Ups and
downs in self-esteem are normal during
adolescence, particularly in the early
teenage years (around middle school).
Self-esteem becomes more stable as
teens grow older.
During the second decade of life
young people are figuring out their
self-concept and self-esteem, in part,
through five developmental tasks:
• becoming independent
• achieving mastery or a sense
of competence
• establishing social status
• experiencing intimacy
• determining sexual identity
By trying on different ways of
being, adolescents see what fits in
each of these areas. ey experiment
with what it feels like to hold different
ideas, dress different ways, hang out
with different kinds of friends, and try
new things.
Adolescents will approach this
exploration in their own way, and at
their own pace. is is a healthy aspect
of growing up and should be no cause
for alarm.
Because their frontal lobes, which
control reasoning, planning, emo-
tions, and problem-solving, are not
fully developed, experimentation is
not always balanced by the capacity to
make sound judgments or to see into
the not-so-distant future. Consequent-
ly, adolescents may take part in risky
and daring behaviors while trying on
new identities and ways of thinking.
Cognitive changes in the brain often
promote the adrenaline rush of thrill-
seeking and testing of boundaries.
Becoming independent: I can
do things on my own and think
for myself!
From birth, children start develop-
ing autonomy, or the ability to think
and act independently. During the
teen years, achieving autonomy means
becoming a self-governing person.
As they develop autonomy, or in-
dependence, adolescents exercise their
increasing ability to make and follow
through on their own decisions and to
formulate their own principles of right
and wrong. Healthy identity is derived
in part from young people’s learning to
trust their capacity to make appropri-
ate choices for themselves.
ere are two kinds of auton-
omy—physical and psychological.
Physical autonomy is the capacity to
do things on one’s own, beyond the
family. As teens gain physical au-
tonomy, they take more responsibility
for themselves. Tasks like making sure
they have everything ready for school
the next day are done independently
from parents.
Psychological autonomy is the
capacity to independently exercise
judgment and to work out one’s own
principles of right and wrong. As teens
gain psychological autonomy they
begin to assert their own opinions and
point out when the adults in their lives
make mistakes.
Developing autonomy often
means trying out different ways of be-
having, thinking, and believing. While
it may not be easy for adults to deal
with the “Who am I this time?” aspects
of adolescence, achieving autonomy
is necessary if a teen is to become
self-sufficient in later years. As teens
develop autonomy, they have more
Recent studies have indicated that as
adolescents’ abstract reasoning skills
increase, so do their levels of social
anxiety. Abstract reasoning means
being able to see yourself from the
perspective of an observer, and also to
think about other people’s thoughts and
feelings. The emergence of abstract
reasoning may make adolescents more
vulnerable to social anxiety because
they simultaneously become more self-
aware and worry more about what other
people are thinking about them.
SOURCE: Rosso, IM, Young, A.D., Femia, L.A., &
Yurgelun-Todd, D.A. (2004). Cognitive and emotional
components of frontal lobe functioning in adulthood
and adolescence. Annals of the New York Academy
of Sciences, 1021, 355-362.
How self-esteem impacts teens
While fostering high self-esteem is certainly important in a child’s healthy
development, feeling good about oneself does not necessarily protect
against risky behavior, as was once thought. For example, high self-esteem
does not prevent adolescent childbearing, gang involvement, or violence.
Brain BOX
47
chapter 4 forming an identity
“Independence
to me means
that you are free
to do what you
want, but you
also know the
boundaries and
how far you
can go.”
Girl, 15
skills. Safe boundaries include clearly
set and enforced expectations for re-
sponsible behavior. Expectations tend
to be successfully enforced when they
are explicit, practical, age-appropriate,
and agreed upon by both the adults
and adolescents involved. Both sides
should be flexible, and adults especially
may want to stress what to do in a
given situation, rather than focus-
ing on what not to do or employing
scare tactics.
Setting limits does not mean tell-
ing an adolescent how to think or feel.
Telling an adolescent—or a person of
any age, for that matter—how that
person should feel about something,
or shaming a person by saying their
thinking on a subject is wrong or
“bad,” prevents his or her healthy
development. Adolescents who report
that their parents do not grant them
the autonomy to think their own
thoughts and to feel their own emo-
tions are more likely to be depressed
and to act out by getting drunk, skip-
ping school, or fighting.
Achieving a sense of mastery:
Am I competent? What do
I enjoy doing, and what am
I good at?
It is essential to realize teens are
trying to gain a sense of compe-
tence, which centers on being good
at something or achieving goals.
Competence is the capacity to master
something that others value. Adoles-
cents strive to prove they are com-
petent in school, sports, and work
settings, as well as in the social realm,
with relationships with peers and fam-
ily members.
A wide-ranging body of research
indicates that adolescents who score
high on measures of perceived com-
petence are less susceptible to negative
feelings and depression. Adolescents
who have a sense of competence
generally cope better when they are
under stress.
Adolescents need to assess what
their competency and personal goals
are—what they currently do well, and
How to support healthy identity formation
Accept the adolescent for who she or he is.
Respect the differences between the two of you.
Negotiate with teenagers, especially when establishing limits, and explain
your reasoning.
Practice consistency in enforcing rules.
Encourage a young person’s self-expression.
Take the teen’s point of view into account when reasoning with him or her.
SOURCE: Steinberg, L. and Levine, A. (1997). You and your adolescent, New York: Harper Perennial,
(pp. 191–193).
contact with the outside world and,
at the same time, may require more
privacy and time alone.
It is important to remember that
young people are taking steps toward
independence, but they are not skilled
at autonomy. e parts of the brain
which control reasoning, planning,
and problem-solving are not fully
developed in adolescents. us
teens are unable to accurately assess
risk in a situation. ey both need
and want limit-setting to function
and grow.
To be of the most benefit to ado-
lescents, an adult needs to be a consis-
tent figure who provides and maintains
safe boundaries in which the young
person can practice their independence
48
the teen years explained
Peer pressure and gangs
Young people are involved in gangs in many different ways. Some teenagers
may be hangers-on and not immersed in gang goings-on, while others may
have friends in the gang and occasionally get involved. e next levels are
regulars who hang out with members most of the time and hard-core mem-
bers with an all-encompassing involvement in gang activities and recruiting
new people.
Gangs differ from groups and cliques in that they can provide a feeling of
identity and belonging far beyond just fitting in. Gangs offer a sense of family,
respect, and personal security. is familial bond is often stronger than those
between teenagers and their natural families since gang members are willing
to die and kill for each other and to protect their turf. e utter loyalty to one
another is often an airtight bond hard to break and even harder to resist for
adolescents who lack this support and constancy in their home lives.
Teenagers join gangs because they want the feelings of safety, companionship,
economic opportunity, and excitement. ere is often intense pressure to
join a gang, and often that pressure can come from older brothers and sisters.
However, the feeling of safety in a gang is frequently an illusion, and any
economic opportunity is very short-term. e risky or illegal behavior exploits
teenagers and will not allow them long-term success or happiness.
Being in a gang is associated with delinquency and disconnection from school
and family, as well as an increased risk of death, injury, drug and alcohol
abuse, sexually transmitted infections, and teenage parenthood.
A major concern with respect to the influence of peer pressure
is gang involvement.
do well, and in which areas they are
willing to strive for success. ose with
teenage children or who work with
adolescents can encourage them to test
their interests. Parents can help them
to find at least one skill that they are
good at and can master, or encourage
involvement in multiple groups or ac-
tivities within school, religious settings,
and the community.
Adolescents may frequently
change their minds about what they
want to do, which can be frustrating,
but adults can still react positively by
suggesting they stick with something
long enough to establish some skills
before moving on to the next pursuit
or activity.
is is a time when adults can
move beyond the standard role of
authority figures. Instead of solving
adolescents’ problems or telling them
what to do, adults can guide teens
through the often emotional decision-
“What I like most
about my best
friend is that she is
comfortable in her
own skin.”
Girl, 12
making process of figuring out where
and when to shine.
Establishing status: Where do
I fit in?
One of the many fascinating contradic-
tions in adolescence is that teens desire
independence, and at the same time
have a deep need to fit in and belong.
On one hand, young people may cry,
“Leave me alone,” but on the other
hand they gravitate toward particular
groups with which they feel an affin-
ity—the geeks, the jocks, the brains,
the hip-hoppers, the Goths, or the
A-list. is seemingly contradictory
behavior is a predictable part of the
identity-formation process.
e impulse to join a group is
thought to stem in part from changes
in the teen brain. Social acceptance
by peers triggers stronger positive
emotions (a bigger “reward response”)
during the teen years than it does in
49
chapter 4 forming an identity
adulthood. Being part of a group of-
fers teens opportunities to learn and
practice the new roles they will take on
as adult members of society.
In addition, most teens find it
supportive to be part of a group going
through the same transitions. Teens
often feel unsure about what grown-up
life will be like and wonder whether
they will succeed or fail when it is
their time to contribute. is am-
biguity is easier to bear when shared
with young people going through the
same experiences.
e motivation for belonging
influences how readily adolescents will
give in to peer pressure and how much
influence the group will have in their
lives. In general, the more important it
is to a teen to belong, the more suscep-
tible he or she is to peer influence.
Interestingly, we now know that
popular teens may be more suscep-
tible to peer influence than previously
thought because they work very hard
to maintain their position at the top
of the social pyramid. Part of this hard
work may involve engaging in behav-
iors they think are expected of them,
including smoking, drinking, or sexual
activity.
A sense of self also is connected to
identification with a particular group,
like female, black, Jewish, Hispanic,
gay or lesbian, etc. A few studies have
found that a solid sense of belonging
to one’s ethnic group and its tradi-
tions—referred to as ethnic identity—
is associated with many benefits, such
as high self-esteem and high academic
performance. Studies also find that
a positive racial identity protects
Peer group plusses
Peer groups help adolescents:
Learn how to interact with others
VaLue trust, loyalty, and self-
disclosure
Shape their identity, interests,
abilities, and personalites
eStabLiSh autonomy without the
control of adults and parents
Gain emotional support
ObSerVe how others cope with
similar problems and judge the
effectiveness of these approaches
buiLd friendships
SOURCE: Atwater, L.E. (1988). The relative importance
of situational and individual variables in predicting
leader behavior: The surprising impact of subordinate
trust. Group & Organization Studies 13, 290–310.
50
the teen years explained
African-American teenagers against the
psychological or emotional harm of
racial discrimination.
For racial and ethnic minority
adolescents, positive experiences with
their culture have to compete with
negative media messages and experi-
ences of discrimination. Even small
talk can undermine positive ethnic
and racial identity. For example, when
asked where they are from, the answer
“Maryland” or “California” is accepted
from white and African-American
teens. But Latino, Asian-American,
and even Native-American teens may
be asked a follow-up question—“No,
where are you really from?”—causing
them to feel like outsiders.
Parents and caring adults of the
same racial or ethnic group can help
promote positive racial and ethnic
identity. Messages that emphasize
ethnic pride, history, and traditions
help promote positive identity. So, too,
does exposing adolescents to books,
music, movies, and stories related to
their race, cultural heritage, and expe-
rience. Adoptive parents of children
of another race or ethnicity may need
to get outside support in helping their
children develop a positive racial or
ethnic identity.
Discussing discrimination openly
with minority adolescents may be the
best method for dealing with prejudice.
When parents and caring adults speak
forthrightly about discrimination, young
people use more effective ways to cope
with incidents of racial or ethnic bias,
such as seeking outside support and
direct problem-solving. Minority ado-
lescents are more likely to use ineffec-
tive strategies—for example, engaging
in verbal exchanges with the perpetra-
tor—when parents do not talk openly
with them about discrimination.
Parents report struggling to find
a balance in preparing their children
for discrimination: they want their
children to learn how to protect them-
Dealing with teen peer pressure
Stand up and be heard
If adolescents are treated as responsible by the important adults in their
lives, they will more often than not behave responsibly with their peers.
Listen to their ideas, allow them to make decisions, and develop a
healthy appreciation for their perspective.
peer preSSure iS LifeLOnG
Teenagers are not the only ones influenced by peer pressure; we all face
it in the workplace, with our friends and family, and even in our com-
munities. Use your experiences to help teens see that making decisions
usually means juggling competing pressures and demands.
the pOwer Of pLanninG ahead
Adolescents often decide what to do in the heat of the moment because
their future-thinking skills are not yet fully developed. Discuss possible
situations and risky scenarios in advance and encourage teenagers to
consider strategies for dealing with them.
SOURCE: Steinberg, L. and Levine, A. (1997). You and your adolescent, New York: Harper Perennial, pp. 191–193.
Show teens what
makes a good friend
Good friends:
Listen to each other
Do not put each other down
Do not intentionally hurt each
other’s feelings
Can disagree without damaging
each other
Are dependable and trustworthy
Express mutual respect
Give each other room to change
and grow
51
chapter 4 forming an identity
SEXUAL ORIENTATION A person’s emotional and sexual
attraction to other people based on the gender of the
other person. A person may identify their sexual orienta-
tion as heterosexual, lesbian, gay, bisexual, or queer.
GENDER IDENTITY A person’s internal, deeply felt sense
of being male, female, other, or in between. Everyone
has a gender identity.
GENDER EXPRESSION OR GENDER PRESENTATION
An individual’s characteristics and behaviors that are
perceived as masculine or feminine, such as appear-
ance, dress, mannerisms, speech patterns, and social
interactions.
HETEROSEXUAL OR STRAIGHT A person whose sexual
and emotional feelings are mostly for people of the op-
posite sex.
HOMOSEXUAL OR GAY A person whose sexual and emo-
tional feelings are mostly for people of the same sex.
LESBIAN A homosexual woman.
BISEXUAL A person whose sexual and emotional feel-
ings are for males and females.
TRANSGENDER An umbrella term used to describe
people whose gender identity, characteristics, or expres-
sion does not conform to the identity, characteris-
tics, or expression traditionally associated with their
biological sex.
LGBTQ An umbrella term that stands for “lesbian, gay,
bisexual, transgender, and questioning.” e category
“questioning” is included to incorporate those who
are not yet certain of their sexual orientation and/or
gender identity.
QUEER Historically, a negative term used against people
perceived to be LGBTQ, but more recently reclaimed
by some people as a positive term describing all those
who do not conform to traditional norms of gender
and sexuality.
GENDER NON-CONFORMING A term used to describe a
person who is or is perceived to have gender character-
istics or behaviors that do not conform to traditional or
societal expectations. Gender non-conforming people
may or may not identify as LGBTQ.
Glossary of sexual identity terms
SOURCE: California Safe Schools Coalition. Glossary of terms. Retrieved from http://
www.casafeschools.org/resourceguide/glossary.html.
“I think trust plays
a big part in
friendship. If you
can’t trust your
friends, how do
you know that they
aren’t telling your
secrets behind
your back?”
Girl, 12
52
the teen years explained
selves, without developing a general
mistrust of people of other races. Im-
migrant parents who did not experi-
ence the United States as adolescents
can find it particularly thorny to help
their children deal with discrimination.
Examining intimacy:
Am I lovable and loving?
Like anyone else, adolescents
need to know they are loved by parents
and other adults. ey also need to
be reassured that they are capable of
giving and receiving affection in inti-
mate friendships.
Many people, including teens,
equate intimacy with sex. Intimacy and
sex are not the same. Intimacy refers
to close relationships in which people
are open, honest, caring, and trusting.
Intimacy usually is learned first with
parents and within same-sex friend-
ships, and that knowledge is later ap-
plied to romantic relationships. Young
people who were raised in families
where closeness is absent or where in-
terpersonal relationships are distorted
may have considerable difficulty learn-
ing and becoming comfortable with
self-disclosure and self-expression, two
building blocks of intimacy.
Friendships are the primary
settings in which youth practice the
intimacy skills involved in initiating,
maintaining, and ending relation-
ships. Within friendships, adolescents
learn what it means to be trustworthy,
honest, caring, and thoughtful with
same-age peers, as well as how to avoid
the ways of behaving that cause their
friends to feel excluded or embarrassed.
As teens “try on” new identities, friends
provide valuable feedback.
During adolescence, parents
often feel a loss of intimacy with their
children. roughout the teen years,
intimacy with friends and romantic
partners increases and eventually
exceeds intimacy with parents. Adult
caregivers should not interpret this
natural transition to mean they are no
longer central in their teenagers’ lives.
On the contrary, emotional support
and guidance from adults remains
crucial throughout adolescence.
Examining sexual identity:
Who am I sexually?
e teen years mark the first time
young people experience sexual feelings
and are cognitively mature enough
to think about their sexuality. Conse-
quently, adolescence is prime time for
developing a sexual identity, the forma-
tion of which actually begins earlier
in childhood.
All humans are sexual beings
and develop a sexual identity. Sexual
identity is one’s identification with a
gender and with a sexual orientation.
Gender identity (masculine/feminine)
may differ from a person’s biological
sex (male/female). Sexual orientation
(heterosexual/bisexual/lesbian/gay)
is based on an awareness of being
attracted to the same or opposite sex.
Sexual identity is not simply which of
these categories a young person might
find to be the best fit, but also how he
or she identifies as a member of a social
group. ere is considerable diversity
in combinations of gender identity and
sexual orientation among humans.
As with all other areas of develop-
ment, the process of forming a sexual
identity can be uneven, out of sync,
and therefore possibly confusing. How
teens are educated about and exposed
to sexuality influences how they feel
about their sexual identity.
Adults can help by providing
honest and accurate answers to young
people about sex and sexual identity.
53
chapter 4 forming an identity
Adults must also take care not to
label emerging sexual thoughts and
behaviors as “perverted” or immoral.
Adolescents may consider a wide range
of sexual orientations or behaviors
before establishing the sexual identity
that will define them, and which they
are comfortable expressing.
Experimentation and role-playing
are common ways that adolescents
will assume different sexual identities
to see which fits. Romantic friend-
ships, dating, and experimentation
(including same-sex experimentation)
are some ways adolescents determine
their sexual identities and learn to
express and receive sexual advances
in ways that are in keeping with their
values. Mid-to-late adolescence is a
time when teens begin to become at
ease with their changing bodies and
sexual feelings.
The many facets of identity
formation
During adolescence, young people
grapple with how others see them and
how they fit into the world. Identity
formation is an iterative process, mean-
ing that adolescents repeatedly try
out different answers to the question,
“Who am I?” At some points in the
process they are firm in their resolve,
and at other points they feel uncertain.
In forming an identity, adoles-
cents may question their passions,
values, and spiritual beliefs and also
examine their relationships with family
members, friends, romantic interests,
and adults. ey may think about
their intrinsic gifts and talents and
form a personal definition of success
in school, at work, and in society at
large. In addition to figuring out their
place in the world, young people look
inward at this time and often develop
self-definitions based on body type,
personality, gender, and culture.
Adolescent identity formation dif-
fers across contexts, because teenagers
often see themselves one way when
they are with parents and teachers and
another way when they are with their
peers. ey can also see themselves
and act differently within various peer
groups. No matter what the context,
adults can ease the process of self-defi-
nition by providing a safe and secure
base from which young people can
explore their identity.
54
THE TEEN YEARS EXPLAINED
E
motions can bring discomfort
for everyone, but this is especial-
ly true for adolescents, who are
still learning to identify and manage
their emotional responses. Emotional
extremes are common during the teen
years and may be reflected in mood
swings, emotional outbursts, sadness,
or behaviors intended to distract from
uncomfortable feelings (such as sleep-
ing or listening to loud music).
Teens, like all people, have some
periods that are more challenging than
others. For some, though, feelings of
anxiety, sadness, anger, or stress may
linger and become severe enough to in-
terfere with their ability to function. It
is estimated that at some point before
age 20, one in 10 young people experi-
ences a serious emotional disturbance
that disrupts their ability to function at
home, in school, or in the community.
e good news is that most emotional
disturbances are treatable.
Signs of emotional disturbance
What is considered normal and
healthy behavior depends to some
degree on culture. Serious disorders in
one culture may not appear in another
culture. e same is true across gen-
erations. One contemporary example
is intentional self-injury (known as
“cutting”), which is incomprehensible
to many adults who are familiar with
Emotional disturbance follows
no single pattern. Some adolescents
suffer a single, prolonged episode in
their teen years and enjoy good mental
health in adulthood. Others experience
emotional disturbances episodically,
with bouts of suffering recurring in
their later teen years and adulthood.
Only a small percentage of adoles-
other types of emotional disturbances,
such as depression or substance abuse.
A signpost of trouble to watch
for is whether a teen’s capacity to
function in school, at home, and in re-
lationships is being negatively affected
by emotions or behaviors. Family and
friends are usually the first people
to notice.
Mental Health
The process of managing emotions
Frequent sadness, tearfulness, crying
Decreased interest in activities or
inability to enjoy formerly favorite
activities
Hopelessness
Persistent boredom, low energy
Social isolation, poor
communication
Extreme sensitivity to rejection or
failure
Increased irritability, anger, or
hostility
Difficulty with relationships
Frequent complaints of physical
illness such as headaches or
stomachaches
Frequent absences from school or
poor performance in school
Poor concentration
Feeling overwhelmed easily or often
A major change in eating and/or
sleeping patterns
Talk of or efforts to run away
from home
oughts or expressions of suicide
or self-destructive behavior
signs of
depression
SOURCE: American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. (2008). The depressed child. Facts
for Families. Retrieved from www.aacap.org/cs/root/facts_for_families/the_depressed_child.
55
CHAPTER 4 FORMING AN IDENTITY
cents who experience an episode of
emotional disturbance will go on to
have a lifelong disorder that seriously
impairs their functioning as an adult.
e most common mental health
disorders in adolescence are depression,
characterized by prolonged periods of
feeling hopeless and sad; anxiety disor-
ders, which include extreme feelings of
anxiety and fear; and alcohol and other
drug abuse, including use of prescrip-
tion drugs like Vicodin or Ritalin for
non-medical reasons.
e underlying causes of emotion-
al disturbances are varied and cannot
always be identified. Many factors go
into the mix, including genetic pre-
disposition, environmental conditions
such as exposure to lead or living in a
chaotic household, and trauma such as
abuse or witnessing a homicide.
Prolonged stress makes teens more
vulnerable to emotional disturbances.
A normal coping reaction to a difficult
experience can impair someone’s well-
being if it goes on for too long. For ex-
ample, if a teen is teased at school, it
is normal—even if not desirable—for
him or her to feel humiliated and anx-
ious and to avoid the pain by skipping
school, playing video games, or even
experimenting with substances. ese
coping strategies can become harmful
if chronic symptoms of anxiety or de-
pression develop, or if behaviors such
as overeating, self-injury (“cutting”),
alcohol or other drug use—originally
started to distract from uncomfort-
able emotions—become compulsive
or habitual.
Getting help
Most mental health disorders are treat-
able. Treatment often includes—and
often works best—when multiple
approaches are used. ese can include
cognitive-behavioral therapy, family
therapy, medication, and supportive
education for parents and other caring
adults in how to provide stability
and hope as the family navigates
its way through the episode of emo-
tional disturbance.
Parents of teens with Atten-
tion Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
(ADHD), however, have often expe-
rienced years of the frustration and
If a young person says he or she wants to kill him or her-
self, always take the statement seriously and immediately
get help. If you think someone is suicidal, do not leave
that person alone.
e suicide rate increases during the teen years and peaks
in early adulthood (ages 20-24). ere is a second peak in
the suicide rate after age 65, and old age is when people
are at highest risk. It is nearly impossible to predict who
might attempt suicide, but some risk factors have been
identified. ese include depression or other mental
disorders, a family history of suicide, family violence, and
exposure to suicidal behavior of others, including media
personalities. Opportunity also plays a role. Having a
firearm in the home increases the risk.
e American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychia-
try recommends asking a young person whether she is
depressed or thinking about suicide. ey advise, “Rather
than putting thoughts in the child’s head, such a question
will provide assurance that somebody cares and will give
the young person the chance to talk about problems.”
suicide
SOURCES: American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. (2008). Teen suicide. Facts for Families. Retrieved June 4, 2009, from www.aacap.org/cs/root/facts_for_families/
teen_suicide.
National Institute of Mental Health. (2009). Suicide in the U.S.: Statistics and prevention. Retrieved June 4, 2009, from www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/suicide-in-the-us-
statistics-and-prevention/index.shtml.
56
THE TEEN YEARS EXPLAINED
exasperation that comes from trying to
establish limits and discipline for chil-
dren who seem consistently unable or
unwilling to listen. Because all adoles-
cents naturally strive toward assuming
more responsibility and independence,
the frustration of parenting a teen with
ADHD may well intensify during this
period of development.
A cycle of negative interaction,
stress, and failure can also occur in the
classroom between teachers and teens
with ADHD. Teenagers who are dis-
ruptive, fidgety and impulsive can be
singled out by the teacher, and labeled
as disciplinary problems. Academic
settings with multiple periods, large
classes, teachers who have differing
styles, and complex schedules present
additional problems for the teenager
with ADHD.
Professional help, especially help
that is affordable, can be hard to find,
as there is a shortage of trained mental
health providers with expertise in
adolescence. e sidebar in this section
provides some resources where caring
adults and teens can look for help.
e power of prevention
It is important to get involved early
to teach positive coping skills and
address environmental situations that
may trigger emotional disturbances.
e supports that bolster good mental
health are the very same ones that pro-
mote healthy development in general.
Especially valuable are opportunities
for young people to practice identify-
ing and naming emotions, to figure
out coping skills that help them dis-
sipate the energy of negative emotions,
and to have the repeated, encouraging
experience of being heard, understood,
respected, and accepted.
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: Facts for Families
Extensive series of briefs on a wide variety of behaviors and issues affecting families. http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/
facts_for_families/facts_for_families
The Center for Mental Health in Schools: School Mental Health Project
Clearinghouse for resources on mental health in schools, including systemic, programmatic, and psychosocial/mental
health concerns. http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/
Surgeon General’s Report on Mental Health
Includes a chapter on children and mental health. http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/home.html
Technical Assistance Partnership for Child and Family Mental Health: Youth Involvement in Systems of Care. A Guide to
Empowerment
Blueprints for local systems of care that are seeking to increase youth involvement. http://www.tapartnership.org/
docs/Youth_Involvement.pdf
SOURCE: Whitlock, J., and Schantz, K. (2009). Mental illness and mental health in adolescence. Research Facts and Findings. ACT for Youth Center of Excellence. Retrieved
June 3, 2009 from http://www.actforyouth.net/documents/MentalHealth_Dec08.pdf
resources
57
CHAPTER 4 FORMING AN IDENTITY
58
THE TEEN YEARS EXPLAINED
59
CHAPTER 5 SEXUALITY
“If someone wants
to accept the
consequences
of sex, then it is
their choice.”
Girl, 15
Understanding sexual development
D
eveloping sexually is an expect-
ed and natural part of growing
into adulthood. Most people
have considered or experienced some
form of sexual activity by the time they
get out of their teens.
Research on adolescent sexuality
concentrates on two areas—under-
standing healthy sexual development
and investigating the risks associated
with too-early or unsafe sexual activity.
Healthy sexual development
involves more than sexual behavior. It
is the combination of physical sexual
maturation known as puberty, age-ap-
propriate sexual behaviors, and the
formation of a positive sexual identity
and a sense of sexual well-being. Dur-
ing adolescence, teens strive to become
comfortable with their changing bodies
and to make healthy and safe decisions
about what sexual activities, if any,
they wish to engage in.
Expressions of sexual behavior
differ among youth, and whether they
engage in sexual activity depends on
personal readiness, family standards,
exposure to sexual abuse, peer pressure,
religious values, internalized moral
guidelines, and opportunity.
Motivations may include biologi-
cal and hormonal urges, curiosity, and
a desire for social acceptance. ere
is an added pressure today, especially
SEXUALITY
CHAPTER 5
60
THE TEEN YEARS EXPLAINED
with girls, to appear sexy in all contexts
throughout their lives—school, leisure
time, the workplace, with friends, in
the community, and even while partici-
pating in sports or exercise.
Decisions to engage in, or limit,
sexual activity in ways that are consis-
tent with personal principles and pro-
tective of health reflect an adolescent’s
maturity and self-acceptance.
Healthy sexuality for everyone
Research shows that providing accurate,
objective information to adolescents
supports healthy sexual development.
All young people need to learn
to be comfortable with their sexuality.
is task may be especially challenging
for teens who are gay, lesbian, bisexual,
or transgender. ese young people
often feel worlds apart from their
heterosexual peers, family, or members
of their community, and they need
support from adults more than ever.
Parents and other caregivers may have
difficulty providing straightforward
information and advice to youth
whose sexual orientations or practices
diverge from those of the majority of
the surrounding society.
Adults may find it helpful to keep
in mind that sexual and other stages
of development may be different for
sexual-minority teens.
Regardless of how young people
come to be gay, lesbian or bisexual, it is
essential that these youth be loved and
cared for during this time of exploring
their sexual identity. Perhaps because
of the stigma they face, sexual-minor-
ity youth are at higher risk than their
heterosexual peers for substance abuse,
early onset of intercourse, unintended
that come with puberty. Young people
who live with physical, mental, or
emotional disabilities will experience
sexual development and must struggle
with the same changes and choices of
puberty that impact all human beings.
is fact might be uncomfortable to
some people, who may find it easier
to view people with disabilities as
“eternal children.” In fact, youth with
disabilities may need more guidance
from adults, not less, because they may
frequently feel isolated and quite dif-
ferent from their same-age peers.
Adolescents with disabilities may
have some unique needs related to sex
education. For example, children with
developmental disabilities may learn
at a slower rate than do their non-dis-
abled peers; yet their physical matura-
tion usually occurs at the same rate. As
a result of the combination of normal
physical maturation and slowed emo-
tional and cognitive development, they
may need sexual health information
that helps build skills for appropriate
language and behavior in public.
Common folklore has often as-
sumed that the “raging hormones” of
adolescence are responsible for risky
behaviors, including unsafe sex. The
research, however, shows only small,
direct effects of pubertal hormones (an-
drogens and estrogens) on adolescent
behavior. Rather, adolescent risk-taking
appears to be due to a complex mix of
genes, hormones, brain changes, and
the environment. Hormones interact
with changes occurring in the ado-
lescent brain and in the adolescent’s
social world to affect adolescent behav-
ior. In fact, psychological and social ex-
periences have been shown to impact
brain development and hormone levels,
as well as the other way around.
SOURCE: Spear, L.P. (2008). The Psychobiology
of Adolescence. In K.K. Kline (Ed.), Authoritative
Communities: The Scientific Case for Nurturing the
Whole Child (263–279). The Search Institute Series
on Developmentally Attentive Community and Society
(Vol. 5). New York: Springer.
More media, earlier first sexual activity
In a 2004 longitudinal study funded by the National Institutes of Health,
early adolescents who had heavier sexual media diets of movies, music, televi-
sion, and magazines were twice as likely as those with lighter sexual media
diets to have initiated sexual intercourse by the time they were 16.
SOURCE: The Media as Powerful Teen Sex Educators, Jane D. Brown, University of North Carolina, March 2007
“I believe it is better
to have sex while
you are young.”
Boy, 15
pregnancy, HIV and other STIs, verbal
and physical violence, and suicide.
Parents and caregivers of adoles-
cents with disabilities, too, may not
know how to respond to their child’s
sexual maturation and the changes
Sexual development through
the teen years
e experience of adolescence is a
dynamic mixture of physical and
cognitive change coupled with social
BRAIN BOX
61
CHAPTER 5 SEXUALITY
TEENS
ASK
WHAT
MIGHT
Will having sex
make me
popular?
How
will I know
I’m in
love?
How do
I deal with
pressure
to have sex?
How do I
know I am
ready for
sex?
62
THE TEEN YEARS EXPLAINED
expectations, all of which impact
sexual development. Hormone levels
stimulate physical interest in sexual
matters, and peer relationships shift
toward more adult-style interactions.
is section outlines the stages of
sexual development.
Pre-adolescence (ages 6-10)
Sexual development begins well before
adolescence. Hormonal changes—an
elevation of androgens, estradiol,
thyrotropin, and cortisol in the adrenal
glands—start to emerge between the
ages of 6 and 8.
e visible signs of puberty begin
to show up between the ages of 9 and
12 for most children. Girls may grow
breast buds and pubic and underarm
hair as early as 8 or 9. In boys the
growth of the penis and testicles usually
begins between ages 10 and 11 but can
start to occur at the age of 9.
Before age 10, children usually are
not sexually active or preoccupied with
sexual thoughts, but they are curious
and may start to collect information
and myths about sex from friends,
schoolmates, and family members. Part
of their interaction with peers may
involve jokes and sex talk.
At this age, children become more
self-conscious about their emerging
sexual feelings and their bodies, and
they are often reluctant to undress in
front of others, even a parent of the
same gender. Boys and girls tend to
play with friends of the same gender
and may explore sexuality with them,
perhaps through touching. is does
not necessarily relate to a child’s sexual
identity and is more about inquisitive-
ness than sexual preference.
Early adolescence (ages 11-13)
e passage into adolescence typically
begins with the onset of menarche
(menstruation) in girls and semenarche
(ejaculation) in boys, both of which
occur, on average, around age 12 or 13.
For girls, menstruation starts approxi-
mately two years after breast buds—the
first visible sign of puberty—develop,
although it can happen anytime be-
tween ages 9 and 16.
Hormonal changes generated by
the adrenals and testes in boys and the
adrenals and ovaries in girls affect brain
development. e impact of hormones
on brain chemistry results in a larger
amygdala in boys (the part of the brain
governing emotions and instincts)
and a larger hippocampal area in girls
(the section of the brain dealing with
memory and spatial navigation). e
adrenals can also pump some testoster-
one into girls and estrogen into boys,
with 80 percent of boys experiencing
temporary breast development during
early adolescence.
As physical maturation continues,
early adolescents may become alter-
nately fascinated with and chagrined
by their changing bodies, and often
compare themselves to the develop-
ment they notice in their peers. Sexual
fantasy and masturbation episodes
increase between the ages of 10 and 13.
As far as social interactions go, many
tend to be nonsexual—text messaging,
phone calls, email—but by the age of
12 or 13, some young people may pair
off and begin dating and experiment-
ing with kissing, touching, and other
physical contact, such as oral sex.
e vast majority of young ado-
lescents are not prepared emotionally
or physically for oral sex and sexual
intercourse. If adolescents this young
do have sex, they are highly vulnerable
for sexual and emotional abuse, STIs,
HIV, and early pregnancy.
Sexual identity versus gender identity
A person’s SEXUAL IDENTITY is derived from emotional and sexual at-
traction to other people based on the other’s gender. People may define
their sexual identity as heterosexual, homosexual, gay, lesbian, or bisexual.
GENDER IDENTITY describes a person’s internal, deeply felt sense of being
male, female, other, or in between. Everyone has a gender identity.
Sexual identity develops across a person’s life span—different people might
realize at different points in their lives that they are heterosexual, gay,
lesbian, or bisexual. Adolescence is a period in which young people may
still be uncertain of their sexual identity. Sexual behavior is not necessar-
ily synonymous with sexual identity. Many adolescents—as well as many
adults—may identify themselves as homosexual or bisexual without hav-
ing had any sexual experience. Other people may have had sexual experi-
ences with a person of the same sex but do not consider themselves to be
gay, lesbian, or bisexual. is is particularly relevant during adolescence, a
developmental stage marked by experimentation.
63
chapter 5 sexuality
Masturbation
Masturbation is sexual self-stimula-
tion, usually achieved by touching,
stroking, or massaging the male or
female genitals until this triggers
an orgasm. Masturbation is very
ordinary—even young children
have been known to engage in this
behavior. As the bodies of children
mature, powerful sexual feelings
begin to develop, and masturba-
tion helps release sexual tension.
For adolescents, masturbation is a
common way to explore their erotic
potential, and this behavior can
continue throughout adult life.
Middle adolescence (ages 14-16)
Testosterone in boys surges between
the ages of 14 and 16, increasing
muscle mass and setting off a growth
spurt. Testosterone levels in boys are
usually eight times greater than in
girls, and this hormone is the strongest
predictor of sexual drive, frequency of
sexual thoughts, and behavior.
Middle adolescents exhibit an in-
creased interest in romantic and sexual
relationships. e sexual behavior
during this time tends to be explor-
ing, with strong erotic interest. Sexual
activity at this age varies widely and
includes the choice not to have sex.
At this age, both genders experi-
ence a high level of sexual energy,
although boys may have a stronger sex
drive due to higher testosterone levels.
Sex drive, commonly known as libido,
refers to sexual desire or an interest in
engaging in sex with a partner.
On an abstract level, adolescents
ages 14 to 16 understand the conse-
quences of unprotected sex and teen
parenthood, if properly taught, but
cognitively they may lack the skills to
integrate this knowledge into everyday
situations or consistently to act respon-
sibly in the heat of the moment.
Before the age of 17, many adoles-
cents have willingly experienced sexual
intercourse. Teens who have early
sexual intercourse report strong peer
pressure as a reason behind their deci-
sion. Some adolescents are just curious
about sex and want to experience it.
No matter what the motivation,
many teens say they regret having had
sex as early as they did, even if the
activity was consensual. Research
published in the journal Pediatrics
noted that up to one-half of the
sexually experienced teenagers in
the 2007 study said they felt “used,”
guilty, or regretful after having sex.
e findings indicated that girls were
twice as likely as boys to respond that
they “felt bad about themselves” after
having sex, and three times more likely
to say they felt “used.”
Median age at first
marriage, 2005
SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau (2006). Table:
Estimated median age at first marriage, by sex,
1890 to the present, from Current Population
Survey, March and Annual Social and Economic
Supplements, 2005 and earlier. http://www.census.
gov/population/socdemo/hh-fam/ms2.pdf
Males: 27
Females: 25
High school students who have had sexual intercourse
1991 1995 2001 2007
SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2008). Youth risk behavior surveillance--United States 2007.
Surveillance Summaries, May 9, 2008. Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report, http:apps.nccd.cdc.gov/yrbss
SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2007). Youth risk behavior surveillance—United States, 2007.
Retrieved October 1, 2009 from http://apps.nccd.gov/yrbss
% ever had sexual intercourse by grade level, 2007
Males
Females
9th grade 10th grade 11th grade 12th grade
38.1% 45.6% 57.3% 62.8%
27.4% 41.9% 53.6% 66.2%
Males
Females
57% 54% 48% 50%
51% 52% 43% 46%
64
THE TEEN YEARS EXPLAINED
Sexual fantasies
Sexual fantasies are usually associated with masturbation, but the two can
occur independently. Sexual daydreams and fantasies are common—most
people have them, not just teenagers and not just boys.
Fantasies often differ between the sexes. Sexual aggression and dominance are
recurring themes in young male fantasies and usually contain very specific
and graphic sexual behaviors but little emotional involvement. For adolescent
females, sexual fantasies often involve relating to others, and they are more
likely to involve sexual activities with which the girl is already familiar. A
teenage girl’s fantasies also are typically about someone they know—a boy-
friend, TV or music stars, friends, casual acquaintances.
e important thing to tell teenagers about sexual fantasies is that thoughts,
in and of themselves, are not sick, weird, or wrong. ey are just that:
thoughts. Making a teenager feel guilty or ashamed or suggesting that their
dreams reveal psychological problems can lead to their feeling at odds with
their sexuality. It can also make them more vulnerable to becoming obsessed
about a particular sexual fantasy.
Late adolescence (ages 17-19)
By the time an adolescent is 17, sexual
maturation is typically complete, al-
though late bloomers are not uncom-
mon. Sexual behavior during this time
may be more expressive, since cogni-
tive development in older adolescents
has progressed to the point where they
have somewhat greater impulse control
and are capable of intimate and sharing
relationships.
Intimate relationships usually
involve more than sexual interest.
“I hear my friends
talking about
their sex lives,
but I don’t really
care because I
am not having
sex, so getting
information
about sex
doesn’t matter
to me.”
Girl, 14
Romantic versus sexual
relationships
Libido is distinct from romantic inter-
est, which may or may not be sexual
in nature. Romantic interest usually
emphasizes emotions—love, intimacy,
compassion, appreciation—rather than
the pursuit of physical pleasure driven
by libido.
We may see romance as a feminine
tendency, but recent studies indicate
that teenage boys are as romantic as
girls—a finding that runs counter to
the stereotype of adolescent males as
“players.” Peggy Giordano, a sociology
professor at Bowling Green University,
conducted interviews with a random
sample of 1,316 boys and girls drawn
from the seventh, ninth, and 11th
grades and found that boys were at
least as emotionally invested in their
romantic relationships as their
partners were.
Both boys and girls in the study
agreed, however, that girls in hetero-
sexual romantic relationships hold the
power in the decision of when to have
sexual intercourse.
Emotionally, falling in love is powerful
and all-consuming, and it involves a
greater portion of the adolescent brain.
Brain scientists at University
College London scanned the brains of
young lovers while they were thinking
about their boyfriends and girlfriends
and discovered that four separate areas
of the brain became very active. is
affirms the notion that falling in love
is an all-encompassing emotion that
engages nearly every part of the mind
and body.
65
CHAPTER 5 SEXUALITY
What works at what age
EARLY TEEN YEARS (AGES 11-14)
Young teens tend to be concrete and short-term in their thinking, and often
do not consider long-term consequences when making decisions. is is a
good time to talk about delaying sexual activity but a bad time to hammer
home long-term benefits or consequences.
MIDDLE TEEN YEARS (15-17)
Risk peaks during these years, and teens of this age question limits and au-
thority. Scare tactics do not work at this age; rather, emphasize the influence
of peers. Talking about how to handle peer pressure and changing social
circles (about being associated with certain cliques or groups, and about
how hanging around with older and younger teens affects sexual behavior
and risk-taking) works best at this age.
LATE TEEN YEARS (17 AND OLDER)
Older adolescents are entering new social situations such as work and col-
lege, so talking about sexual behavior in the context of wider relationships
can be helpful. For example, one might talk about how sexual behavior
helps form a personal identity or define young people, both in how they
may see themselves and how they are viewed within an intimate relation-
ship, in their community, or in various peer groups.
Ways teens protect their
sexual health
Delaying sexual intercourse is associ-
ated with many positive outcomes:
less regret about the timing of one’s
first sexual experience, fewer sexual
partners, and a decreased likelihood
of being involved in coercive sexual
relationships.
Waiting to have sex until one is
in a respectful, loving relationship
protects a young person’s emotional
well-being, too. Today’s teenagers are
postponing their first sexual activity, as
compared to young people from prior
decades. e proportion of teenagers
who reported having sexual intercourse
rose steadily through the 1970s and
’80s, fueling a sharp rise in teen preg-
nancy. e trend reversed around 1991
as a result of AIDS, changing sexual
mores, and other factors. In 2007
nearly half (48 percent) of high school
students ages 15 to 19 reported to the
CDC they had had sexual intercourse.
is was a minor increase since 2005,
but the good news is that teens are
initiating sex at older ages today than
their counterparts in the 1990s. ey
also are reporting having fewer sexual
partners than high school students in
1991 had.
Sex with multiple partners is not
widespread among teenagers. Only 15
percent of adolescents have had sexual
intercourse with four or more people
during their lives. Teenagers with
multiple sex partners are more likely to
contract an STI, compared with teen-
agers who have only one sex partner.
Among those who are sexually
active, the majority use contraception.
e preferred method of contraception
is condoms, although condom use in
teens showed a slight drop between
2005 and 2007, from 63 percent to 61
percent who reported having used a
condom the last time they had sex.
e younger a teen is at first sex,
the less likely is the use of a condom
or another form of contraception.
Condoms protect teens from sexually
transmitted infections and pregnan-
cies when they are used correctly and
consistently. Other hormonal forms
of contraception for girls like the oral
contraceptive pills, the patch, the
66
THE TEEN YEARS EXPLAINED
injection (Depo-Provera) or the vaginal
ring provide higher levels of protection
from unintended pregnancies but no
protection from sexually transmitted
infections (an excellent chart compar-
ing contraceptive methods can be
found at www.seasonique.com). When
teens become sexually active, ideally,
the male partner would use a condom
and the female would use a hormonal
method of contraception to get double
protection. Fewer than one quarter of
teens, however, currently do this.
When unprotected sex has already
happened, emergency contracep-
tion can be used by girls to prevent
pregnancy, especially if it is obtained
within 72 hours of having sex. Known
as Plan B, this concentrated dose of
the hormone found in birth control
pills is available over the counter in
pharmacies for young women ages 17
or older. It is available for younger girls
by prescription.
Risky consequences
Early and unsafe sexual activity can
result in unintended teenage pregnan-
cy and sexually transmitted infec-
tions (STIs).
Research shows that giving birth
before age 18 limits the future for
both the girl and her baby. Girls who
become mothers early are less likely
to complete high school and more
likely to face poverty as an adult than
other teens. Teenage girls who are
pregnant often do not get sufficient
prenatal care, and are more prone to
high blood pressure and preeclampsia,
a dangerous medical condition, than
pregnant women in their 20s and
30s. Teens also are at greater risk for
postpartum depression and having
low–birth-weight babies (under five
pounds). Low–birth- weight babies
can have many medical problems,
such as breathing difficulties, as well
as developmental or growth delays.
In addition, children of teen mothers
can experience other health problems
and higher rates of abuse or neglect;
they are also likely to live in poverty
and to receive inadequate health care
Talking to teens about sex
For parents and teens both, talking about sex can be uncomfort-
able. Teens do not want to see their parents in a sexual light, and
parents often do not want to see their children that way, either.
That said, teens still report that their parents are the greatest
influences on their sexual behavior, and research backs them
up. Guidelines for successful teen-parent conversation about sex
include the following:
Engage children in open, honest discussions regarding appropriate
dating behavior, emotional and sexual intimacy, sexual identity, and
emotional commitment.
D
iscuss responsibilities regarding commitment and intimacy in roman-
tic relationships.
Discuss responsibilities regarding avoiding pregnancy, STIs, and HIV.
Teach teens not to exploit other people socially, emotionally, or sexu-
ally. This is impossible to teach if it is not also modeled. Similarly, teach
teens how to recognize abusive and exploitive relationships.
Set appropriate limits regarding dating, such as the age at which dating
will be allowed, curfews, and the age of person your child may date.
Since teens may be embarrassed to talk with their parents about sex
and relationships, try to provide access to other trusted adults (church
members, counselors, relatives, etc.)
Be open to questions and values expressed by the teen.
SOURCE: Beeler, N., Patrick, B., Pedon, S. Normal child sexual development and promoting healthy sexual
development. The Institute for Human Services for the Pennsylvania Child Welfare Training Program 203: Sexuality
of Children: Healthy Sexual Behaviors and Behaviors Which Cause Concern. Handout 3-1. Available at: http://www.
pacwcbt.pitt.edu/Curriculum/203%20Sexuality%20of%20Children%20Healthy%20Sexual%20Behaviors%20and/
Handouts/HO%203-1.pdf
“It’s all right for a person to have sex when
they are ready mentally, physically, and
emotionally. It is not all right for someone
younger than me to have sex.”
Girl, 15
67
CHAPTER 5 SEXUALITY
compared to children born to mothers
aged 18 and over.
For more than a decade, rates of
teen pregnancy and birth in the U.S.
were down from an all-time peak of
61.8 births per thousand in 1991.
is decline has leveled off, and the
teen birth rate rose slightly between
2005 and 2007. is translates to
about 20,000 more births to teenagers
in 2006 compared to the year be-
fore. Births have risen slightly among
women between the ages of 20 and 24
as well.
Sexually transmitted infections
are also a major concern. Sex without
condoms puts young people at risk for
STIs, including HIV infection. Adoles-
cent cases account for half of all STIs.
e latest Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) statistics tell us
that more than 3 million teenage girls
in America have an STI. In a national
study in 2003, teens aged 14 to 19
were tested for four infections: Human
Papillomavirus (HPV), chlamydia,
trichomoniasis, and herpes simplex
virus. While one-quarter of the girls
overall had at least one of these infec-
tions, nearly half of the African-Ameri-
can girls were infected.
e most common STI found in
teen girls ages 14 to 19 is HPV, which
can cause genital warts in women and
men and is usually not a serious condi-
tion. Some HPV viruses can lead to
cervical cancer later in life. Fortunately,
a vaccine targeting HPV recently
became available, and national health
organizations recommend the vac-
cine for 11- and 12-year-old girls, and
catch-up shots for females ages 13 to
Keeping a cool head on a hot topic
Get your zen on
When young people bring up sex, try to be calm and reasonable, no mat-
ter what the situation. Anger, surprise, and embarrassment are not proper
responses, even if your teen is trying to provoke you.
Tone is everything
Teens may have fears that their sexual thoughts and urges are unnatural
or make them freaks. Reassure teens that sexual thoughts and expressions
are normal, and it is OK to have these feelings without acting on them.
Papa, don’t preach
Phrases like “But you’re only 16!” are not helpful. Teens are looking for
someone to listen and to give accurate information about sex, not deliver
sermons or make them feel guilty or ashamed.
26. Vaccines for boys are being readied
but they are not yet recommended.
Chlamydia, another very com-
mon infection, can cause pelvic
inflammatory disease and infertility.
is infection is caused by bacte-
ria and can be easily treated if it is
detected. However, many youth with
the infection do not have any symp-
toms and are unaware that they have
it. In pregnancy, chlamydia and HIV
can infect the growing baby. If these
infections are transmitted to babies,
they can cause low birth weight, eye
“I get my information
about sex from
my friends and
magazines.”
Girl, 16
68
THE TEEN YEARS EXPLAINED
infection, pneumonia, blood infection,
brain damage, lack of coordination in
body movements, blindness, deaf-
ness, acute hepatitis, meningitis, liver
disease, cirrhosis, or stillbirth.
What adults can do
Young people care about what their
parents and other important adults in
their lives think. When teens—both
boys and girls—believe their parents
want them to delay having sex, they
are more likely to defer first inter-
course. When there is a warm relation-
ship, adolescents are even more apt
to behave the way their parents wish
them to, which often means postpon-
ing sexual activity.
Parents and caring adults can
foster closeness with their teens and
increase the odds of their avoiding
risky sexual behavior by establishing an
environment in which young people
can feel comfortable and respected
talking or asking about sexual mat-
ters. Clear rules about dating, curfews,
and whether adolescents may be alone
together in the teen’s bedroom are also
important but should be negotiated
so that they are perceived as fair by
the teen.
Parents and those who work with
adolescents need to educate themselves
about the various factors affecting
sexual development. Physical changes
make teens appear ready for sexual
activities they might not be prepared
for emotionally and cognitively. Poor
communication about sex, limited or
inaccurate information, media influ-
ences, and negative attitudes also can
impact a young person’s sexual health
and identity.
An essential way an adult can
influence sexual behavior is by being a
source of accurate information. Teens
need straight talk about how to refuse
to have sex if they do not want to
have it. ey also need to be shown
the right way to use condoms. Adult
involvement in this regard is more im-
portant than ever: 47 percent of teens
say their parents are the most impor-
tant influence in their decisions about
sex, and younger teens view parents as
even more important. If teenagers can-
not get information from their parents
or caring adults, they typically will rely
on friends and the media, especially
the Internet, to answer questions about
sexual health.
Sometimes adults wonder how
much information is too much.
Researchers have found no evidence
that either talking about contraception
or making contraception available to
teens hastens the onset of first sex.
Sex education and social
influences
According to the 2002 National Survey
of Family Growth (NSFG), only 2 per-
cent of adolescents say they are getting
essential information about contracep-
tion, sexual safety, and other matters.
Research actually suggests that young
people who are knowledgeable about
sexuality and reproductive health are
less likely to engage in early sexual
activity or unprotected sex.
Schools do not necessarily provide
complete or accurate information to
educate adolescents about sexual health
and sexuality. Abstinence-only sex
education curricula and programs have
been widespread in American schools.
A recent evaluation of several absti-
nence-only sex education curricula,
which teach young people to postpone
sexual intercourse until marriage and
include no information about contra-
ception, has shown them to be ineffec-
tive. e researchers from Mathemati-
ca, Inc. who conducted the evaluation
found that the children who took part
in sexual-abstinence education classes
engaged in sexual intercourse for the
first time at the same age as children
who did not receive these classes.
e participating students also did
not gain more awareness of the dangers
of unprotected sex than did their non-
participating counterparts.
Adults can expand on what is
taught in the classroom by welcom-
ing discussions about sexual behavior
and risks, relationships, emotions, and
sexual urges. is kind of respectful,
in-depth communication can posi-
tively affect a young person’s sexual
development.
Sexuality is a vital part of
growing up
During adolescence, teens learn how
to deal with sexual feelings, experience
sexual fantasies, and perhaps enjoy ro-
mantic relationships. ey may choose
to delay sexual activity, or not have sex
at all, which falls within the spectrum
of normal adolescent behavior.
ese choices are all part of sexu-
ality. Healthy sexual development is
not simply a matter of sex but involves
a young person’s ability to manage
intimate and reproductive behavior
responsibly and without guilt, fear,
or shame.
American teenagers grow up in a
culture in which sex informs every-
thing from the type of clothes they
wear and the music they listen to, to
the images and messages they continu-
ally absorb through the media.
Helping adolescents separate truth
from hype and recognize all aspects of
sexual development encourages them
to make informed and healthy deci-
sions about sexual matters.
69
CHAPTER 5 SEXUALITY
TEENS
10
can
ways
express
LOVE
without
SEX
Write a
poem
or a
love letter
Bake a
heart-shaped
dessert
Go through
the car wash
together
Program their
I-Pod or make a CD
with songs that are
special to both
Make a
handmade
gift
Rent a
romantic
movie
Contribute or
volunteer for
a cause he
or she
cares
about
Read to
each other
Offer
to do a
chore
Send a
loving
text message
70
the teen years explained
71
CHAPTER 6 SPIRITUALITY & RELIGION
SPIRITUALITY
& RELIGION
“The best thing
about my religion
is that everyone
in the community is
nice and accepts
your flaws.”
Girl, 12
Faith is a factor in exploring identity
D
uring adolescence, young
people begin to ponder larger
life questions, such as why
there is good and evil and what it
means to be human. e answers to
these questions lie within the realm
of spirituality.
Spirituality centers on the con-
nection to a reality greater than oneself
and can include the sacred experience
of religious awe and reverence. Spiritu-
ality involves deep feelings and beliefs,
including a person’s sense of purpose,
connection to others, and understand-
ing of the meaning of life.
Religion, on the other hand, is a
set of common beliefs and practices
shared by a group of people. It can
encompass cultural or ancestral tradi-
tions, writings, history, and mythology,
as well as personal faith and mystical
experience.
Spiritual development is shaped
both within and outside of religious
traditions, beliefs, and practices. Ado-
lescents distinguish between religion
and spirituality. In a nationally repre-
sentative survey conducted as a part
of the National Study of Youth and
Religion (NSYR) in 2002 and 2003,
55 percent of adolescents ages 13 to 17
said that the description “spiritual but
not religious” was somewhat true or
very true of them.
CHAPTER 6
72
THE TEEN YEARS EXPLAINED
BRAIN BOX
Most adolescents say they believe
in God. e NSYR found that 84
percent of adolescents ages 13 to 17
reported believing in God, and 65
percent reported praying at least once
a week.
In the same study, 85 percent of
teens reported being affiliated with a
religious denomination or tradition,
and 42 percent reported attending
religious service at least once a week.
irty-nine percent reported partici-
pating in a youth group. Just over half
(52 percent) said their religious faith
was very or extremely important in
shaping their daily life.
Developing a spiritual outlook
eology professor James W. Fowler
describes adolescence as the stage
during which young people begin to
form their own spiritual identity and
outlook. Typically, children in early
adolescence do not yet have a suffi-
ciently developed sense of reason upon
which to construct independent views
about religion and spirituality. ey are
still guided by their parents
or other adults as well as influenced
by peers.
As they grow older, teens develop
an understanding of the unknown and
unknowable. Adolescence can be a
time of intense religious and spiritual
questioning for many young people.
is might be because the develop-
ment of more complex cognitive
abilities promotes thinking on the
existential level as well as the formation
of a broader world view.
In the U.S., where personal
religious freedom is allowed, adoles-
cents might struggle with whether or
not to hold on to the religion of their
Prayer and meditation appear to stimu-
late those parts of the brain responsible
for mental focus and higher thinking
and reasoning skills. A 2003 study us-
ing positron emission tomography (PET)
and functional magnetic resonance
imaging (fMRI) found that when nuns
performed a meditative prayer for
almost an hour, during which time they
focused on a phrase from the Bible or
prayer, there was increased blood flow
to the areas of the brain that together
regulate and focus attention.
SOURCE: Newberg, A., Pourdehnad, M., Alavi,
A., and D’Aquili, E.G. (2003). Cerebral blood flow
during meditative prayer: Preliminary findings and
methodological issues. Perceptual and Motor Skills,
97, 625–630.
“I practice the same
religion I did when
I was a child,
because that’s
what I was raised
on. When I got
older, I understood
the real reasons
behind the beliefs.”
Boy, 15
YOUNGER TEENS In 2006, 42 percent of eighth graders said they attended
religious services at least once a week. As teens got older, fewer attended every
week (36 percent of 10th graders and 32 percent of 12th graders). Interest-
ingly, older adolescents as a group do not consider themselves to have become
less religious, which suggests that for older adolescents, religiosity extends well
beyond attendance at religious services.
AFRICAN-AMERICAN TEENS In 12th grade, 44 percent of African-American
students attended religious services at least once a week, compared to 31 per-
cent of white students.
WEALTHIER TEENS In 12th grade, students whose parents had graduated from
college (an indicator of higher income) were more likely to attend religious
services than students whose parents’ education ended with high school (38
percent vs. 28 percent).
SOURCE: Child Trends analysis of Monitoring the Future Survey data, 1976 to 2006. www.childtrendsdatabank.
org/pdf/32_PDF.pdf
Who attends religious services more often?
73
chapter 6 Spirituality & religion
childhood. Some adolescents may
want to explore other faiths or spiritual
disciplines in a quest to find one that is
personally meaningful to them. In the
U.S., adolescence is the most common
time for a switch in religious affiliation.
However, for many cultural
groups, religion is intricately inter-
twined with ethnic and national
identity. Adolescents in these cultures
typically do not change religions, with
no detriment to their development.
Young people can become more
religious than their parents, and
young people who hold deeper reli-
gious beliefs than their parents report
more positive family relations. e
opposite tends to be true when parents
are more religious than their adoles-
cent children.
Faith participation can shield
teens from risky behaviors
ere has been surprisingly little scien-
tific research on the impact of religion
and spirituality on young people, but
the research that does exist suggests
that faith-based organizations can pro-
vide young people with role models,
moral direction, spiritual experiences,
positive social and organizational ties,
and community and leadership skills.
Attendance at religious services
and ceremonies, public prayer, and
participation in group religious
activities, including youth groups, is
associated with less cigarette, alcohol,
and marijuana use; higher self-esteem;
and more positive family relationships.
Attending religious services may also
affect performance in school. Strong
religious communities emphasize and
reward socially acceptable behavior
and encourage young people to keep
up their studies.
Is religious participation on the decline?
Between 2002 and 2006, the percentage of adolescents who attended
religious services at least once a week declined, from 35 percent to 32
percent for 12th graders, from 42 percent to 36 percent for 10th grad-
ers, and from 47 percent to 42 percent among eighth graders. is de-
cline reverses a trend of increased religious attendance observed between
1991 and 2002.
SOURCE: Child Trends analysis of Monitoring the Future Survey data, 1976 to 2006. www.childtrendsdata-
bank.org/pdf/32_PDF.pdf
“My faith pushes
me to be the
best I can be.”
Girl, 12
74
THE TEEN YEARS EXPLAINED
Ways to promote spiritual development
SUPPORT young people’s commitment to social
justice. By reaching out to others and trying to right
wrongs, a young person can experience a deepening
of personal faith.
WORK with religious-based youth groups to provide
supervised activities geared to teens’ interests and
needs. ese could be drop-in centers, musical
programs and dances, or late-night programs.
ALLOW youth to express their religious faith and spiri-
tuality and facilitate their search for better under-
standing of the tradition in which they were raised or
of other religions or spiritual practices.
POLL the youth in your place of worship on their
issues and concerns and set up discussion groups
between teens and adults.
BUILD relationships between adults and teens through
intergenerational programs, religious services, retreats,
and social activities at your place of worship. ese
opportunities provide positive role models for
adolescents and also help dispel adults’ myths and
fears about young people.
ENCOURAGE exposure to, and creative expressions in,
art, music, literature, dance, and theater.
VISIT local art museums with youth to view religious
paintings and sculptures. Many churches and places
of worship also offer tours and talks about distinc-
tive artwork and the spiritual meanings of
architectural features.
75
chapter 6 Spirituality & religion
“I questioned my faith sometimes because
when I would go to church people would
shout and get the Holy Ghost, and I never
got it. I thought it was because I didn’t
believe enough.” Girl, 14
therapy. Some religious groups also
become involved in political advocacy
to ensure that laws and public policies
regarding sexual orientation are consis-
tent with their religious doctrine.
Religious-based intolerance can
limit the ability of sexual-minority
youth to receive the full benefit of
religious connection and can also cause
deep psychological and emotional an-
guish. Religious adults and faith-based
organizations can help by focusing on
and building a relationship with the
adolescent as a whole person.
Adolescence: A time of
questioning and belonging
Spiritual development and religion can
offer a positive environment for youth,
giving them a sense of belonging and
beneficial relationships with peers and
adults, as well as providing a sense of
meaning and purpose.
Spiritual development is shaped
both within and outside of religious
traditions, beliefs, and practices. is
development leads to searching, which
results in some young people enrich-
ing their faith and others diverging
from the religious traditions they grew
up with.
“I spent some time away from my religion
and realized it was important to me.”
Boy, 18
Being involved in a religious or
spiritual community affords a young
person access to positive adult role
models and social support systems
of fellow worshipers. Nearly half (48
percent) of adolescent respondents to
the 2002 NSYR survey believed that
their religious congregation was a very
good place to go for help with serious
problems, and 26 percent said it was a
fairly good place to go for help.
e private practice of religion—
defined as personal prayer, individual
study of religious texts, and per-
sonal importance of religion in one’s
life—does not protect against habitual
or regular involvement in risky behav-
iors to the same degree as does social
participation in a religious community.
is may be especially true for smok-
ing, which is highly addictive.
We still have much to learn about
how young people’s personal religious
commitment and the private practice
of their faith affect other aspects of
adolescents’ well-being.
Religion is not always
a sanctuary
While organized religion fosters a
sense of belonging for the majority
of young people, it can also lead to
a painful rejection of those who are
perceived not to belong, such as gay,
lesbian, and other sexual-minority
youth.
Some major religious groups
maintain that same-sex attraction is
against sacred teachings and that prac-
ticing anything other than a hetero-
sexual lifestyle is sinful or unnatural.
Some religious groups close
their doors to homosexuals or try to
persuade sexual-minority youth to
change their sexual orientation though
76
THE TEEN YEARS EXPLAINED
Children at this age have no inner struc-
tures for sorting and understanding their
experiences. eir lives are a seamless
world of fantasy, stories, experiences, and
imagery. ese images include the real
events of daily life and the imaginary life
of the child. Children’s faith is influ-
enced by the examples, stories, and ac-
tions of others, especially of adults with
authority. Fowler claims the strength of
this stage of faith lies in the birth of the
imagination and the ability to hold the
intuitive understandings and feelings in
powerful images and stories. e pitfalls
of this stage of faith lie in the potential
for the child to be overwhelmed by
images of terror and destructiveness.
e transition to the next spiritual stage
involves the child’s growing concern to
clarify what is real and what only seems
that way.
James W. Fowler, professor emeritus of
theology and human development at
Emory University, has written extensively
about spiritual development across the
lifespan. He describes the cognitive, emo-
tional, and behavioral dimensions of faith
development at different life stages.
Intuitive-protective
faith ages 3 to 7
JAMES FOWLER’S
STAGES
of
FAITH
To move to this second stage, children will necessarily have
progressed to the developmental level of concrete operational
thinking. e world has now become linear, orderly, and predict-
able; faith at this stage becomes a matter of reliance on the stories,
rules, and implicit values of the family’s faith community.
During this spiritual stage, the child begins to accept the stories
and beliefs that symbolize belonging to his or her community.
e child typically makes strong associations with “people like us”
and tends to look critically at those who are “different.” Stories
are taken as literal in their meaning.
Mythic-literal faith
elementary school age
e term “synthetic” here means that the adolescent attempts
to draw together the disparate elements of his or her life into
an integrated identity. e term “conventional” indicates that
the spiritual values and beliefs the adolescent holds are derived
from other people who play significant roles in his or her life
and, for the most part, are accepted at face value.
Young people at this stage do not have a sure enough grasp of
their own identity and faith, nor sufficiently developed judg-
ment to construct an independent perspective. Also, they are
acutely attuned to the expectations and judgments of others.
As a result, a young person at this stage may hold deep spiri-
tual convictions, yet has not examined them critically.
Synthetic-conventional faith
adolescence
1 2
3
77
CHAPTER 6 SPIRITUALITY & RELIGION
During this stage the individual emerges from the encircl-
ing influence of significant others. Young people begin to
hold themselves, and others, more accountable for their own
“authenticity, congruence, and consistency.” ey are eager to
take responsibility for their beliefs, actions, and decisions and
will no longer tolerate just following the crowd.
Young people at this stage do not sit easily with a leadership
structure that requires them to be dependent upon it. ey
want leadership that acknowledges and respects their personal
positions and allows room for them to contribute to the deci-
sion-making of the group.
e experience of reaching midlife can lead to a new stage of
faith development. is transition coincides with a realiza-
tion of the power and reality of death; feelings of growing and
looking older; one’s children’s reaching teenage or adult years;
and the awareness that there are aspects of one’s own identity
and circumstances that cannot be changed. Fowler sums up
the life experience needed to begin to transition into this stage
as “having learnt by having our noses rubbed in our finitude.”
Conjunctive faith accepts paradox and the apparent contradic-
tions of perspectives on truth as intrinsic to that truth. People
at this stage will “resist reductionist interpretations and are
generally prepared to live with ambiguity, mystery, wonder, and
apparent irrationalities.”
Only rarely do people reach this stage
of faith development. Fowler’s examples
include Mother Teresa and Mahatma Gan-
dhi, who are characterized as selfless. ey
have given up ego for the greater good of
the community.
Universalizing
midlife and beyond
SOURCE: Fowler, J. (1995) Stages of Faith: The Psychology
of Human Development. New York: Harper One, 352 pp.
Individuative-reflective faith
late adolescence and young adulthood
Conjunctive faith
adulthood and midlife
4
5
6
78
the teen years explained
79
chapter 7 profiles of development
profiles of
development
Out of sync is completely normal
A
dolescent growth and develop-
ment do not move along on a
seamless, never-wavering path.
Cognitive development can spurt
ahead of physical changes, and vice-
versa. Similarly, cognitive and physical
development may be in sync, but social
development might be delayed.
e following profiles show how
teenagers’ unique patterns of physical
growth and cognitive development can
have emotional and social significance.
You will no doubt recognize some
of these young people; you might have
fit one of these descriptions yourself
when you were an adolescent. Having
teenagers read the profiles may help them
see that their nonlinear development is
completely normal and to be expected.
ey may even gain some insights on
how to handle certain situations.
How to handle the unique
patterns of teen growth
Physical, cognitive, and social
development typically are not in sync
all the way through adolescence. Early
and late bloomers in the physical sense
are acutely aware of being out of sync
with their peers, and reassurance that
they will catch up—or that other teens
will catch up with them—can be ex-
tremely helpful. Also helpful is playing
the “mean mom” or “mean dad” role
and limiting their exposure to situa-
tions they are not ready to handle.
When delays are cognitive or
social, it is easier to blame the ado-
lescent and expect him or her to fix
it—whether that means improving in
social graces, being more organized
and on time, or being more thoughtful
about others’ feelings.
It is important for adults to follow
the same strategies they use for physi-
cal development that is out of sync:
reassure both themselves and their
teen that it is normal, and put in place
strategies to help social and cognitive
skills develop. ese strategies include
allowing an extra 15 minutes in the
morning to get organized, spend-
ing extra time practicing “what if”
scenarios, and putting in place systems
of accountability. Of course, if any
delays seem extreme, professional help
should be sought.
CHAPTER 7
80
the teen years explained
SARA AND MICHAEL illustrate some of the challenges of early bloomers. ey are physically quite mature,
to the point where people are not recognizing them for who they are—still children. Even though they have the
bodies of adults, they are nowhere near emotionally ready to be sexually active. Michael’s physical maturity has
resulted in his hanging out with an older age group, which has led to experimenting with sex, drugs, and alcohol
and other risk-taking behaviors he is not emotionally prepared to handle. Sara has responded to her early physi-
cal development by withdrawing socially. Her mother, or a caring adult, could assist Sara by not allowing her to
sara
Ever since she can remember,
people have been telling Sara she
could be a movie star. She is ex-
tremely pretty, exuding innocence
and simplicity. At the age of 11 she
began her menstrual periods, and
by her 13th birthday she had the
fully developed breasts and rounded
hips of a much older teenager. Sara
was at first delighted by all the at-
tention, since seemingly overnight
she had become the envy of many
girls her age, not to mention popu-
lar with older boys, who previously
thought of her as just a kid. She
begged her mother to let her date
high school boys, but then became
petrified and overwhelmed when
they tried to kiss her and touch her
body. If the attention from the guys
at school wasn’t confusing enough,
older men—guys practically as old
as her uncles, eeeuuuu!—are always
making remarks about her looks, as
if all of a sudden she had become
public property. She has become
so embarrassed about her body
that she has stopped hanging out
with her girlfriends, preferring to
hide out in her room. When Sara
goes out in public, she wears baggy
sweatshirts and jeans and hunches
her shoulders in an effort to hide
her shape. She never makes eye
contact—
“
What’s the point,” she
thinks, “No one looks at me above
chest-level, anyway.”
81
chapter 7 profiles of development
More than six feet tall, hand-
some, and with six-pack abs, 15-
year-old Michael looks like the next
teen idol. He excels at athletics and
everybody wants him on their team.
He is popular and well-liked, which
makes his parents happy. Playing
sports means hanging out with ju-
niors and seniors, who invite him to
parties where there is drinking and
where sometimes drugs are passed
around. Older girls—jeez, some of
them you could call women!—pay
attention to him too, and seem
much more interested in his body
than in anything he has to say. But
inside, Michael feels anything but
mature and confident. Even though
it is exciting to be included in these
parties, he doesn’t feel ready to
experiment with drugs and alcohol.
Yet, he can’t figure out how to stand
up for himself and say, “No thanks.”
Sex is the same way—Michael is
flattered being hit on by older girls,
which is every guy’s dream, right?
Yet, he also feels weirded out by the
pressure to be sexual, and worried
the girls will laugh at his reluctance.
Michael doesn’t know how to put
his feelings into words, so he usually
goes along with it but feels confused
afterward. Sometimes, Michael
wishes people could see the kid he
is inside, rather than just the man
standing before them.
date older boys, even though this might make Sara unhappy in the moment. Similarly, Michael’s parents could
take some of the pressure off their son by not allowing him to attend lots of parties with older team members and
their friends. ey can also discuss ways in which Michael can say no and gracefully sidestep uncomfortable or
dangerous situations. Sara and Michael could also benefit by being encouraged to be friends with more boys and
girls their own age, and to get involved in activities that do not put undue emphasis on physical appearance.
michael
82
the teen years explained
Physically, TOMAS AND LESLIE are late bloomers. Even though it is difficult not to be as tall and muscular as
the other boys, Tomas is clearly on track in other areas and is emotionally ready for more mature relationships. He
may be socially reticent at times, but he has the ability to be liked by his peers. Adults can support him by affirming
that his physical development is normal and that he will catch up soon enough. Also, cheering on his efforts to shine
academically will help to sustain his optimism.
tomas
Tomas was the undisputed
king of middle school—smart,
outgoing, the kind of guy both
girls and boys felt comfortable
around. Everything changed in
high school. Most of the other
guys his age seem stronger, more
muscular, and more attractive—
they are 16 going on manly. Big
and athletic, they knock him over
during football practice and run
right by him on the basketball
court as if he were invisible. He
still has some buddies from mid-
dle school, but even they cannot
help with the feelings of physical
inadequacy he experiences on
and off the field. While Tomas
continues to get good grades, he
sometimes feels reluctant to raise
his hand or participate much
in class because he doesn’t want
to draw attention to his small
stature. After practice and in class,
the other boys talk easily to the
girls, but Tomas doesn’t feel like
he has a chance. e girls seem
intimidating, too—tall and as
confident as supermodels. When
he looks in the mirror, a little boy
stares back at him.
83
chapter 7 profiles of development
At 15, Leslie is small and
wiry, with a boyish frame and a
childlike face. Looking at Leslie,
people might mistake her for a
12-year-old, but then she opens
her mouth and all bets are off.
Leslie is bright and studious,
a complex thinker who tosses
around ideas and concepts as
if they are hacky sacks. Leslie
doesn’t think about her body
size much, preferring the life of
the mind. She has expanded her
world view beyond the bathroom
mirror and is involved in a variety
of causes near and dear to her
heart, like the environment and
animal rescue. In middle school,
Leslie was intimidated by being
short and petite and hid her
light under a bushel. But in high
school her perspective shifts and
centers on learning and getting
into a good college so she can
pursue her dream of becoming
a veterinarian.
leSlie is a good example of someone who is extremely mature in the academic and emotional realms. Her
future-thinking and planning skills are perhaps better developed than many of her peers’. Cognitively, she is way
ahead, but physically Leslie is behind. Unlike Tomas, Leslie is not letting her physical stature affect her feelings of
self-esteem and has expanded her circle to reflect her burgeoning interests and goals. Parents and other adults can
keep Leslie engaged by supporting her love of learning and her work with various causes, and also by making sure
her social development moves apace so she does not become someone who is “all work and no play.”
leslie
84
the teen years explained
maria
MARIA is socially high-functioning, someone who is way ahead in social and interactive skills. She is also
endowed with a strong sense of who she is and how she can make her personal strengths work for her. However, her
glibness can mask the fact that her complex thinking skills and logic may not be developing at the same pace. Teach-
ers and other adults need to be aware of young people like Maria—those who can talk rings around most people,
but whose cognitive functions might be immature. Maria’s decision-making and planning skills can be helped along
by giving her projects with written or visual content that promote accountability.
Outgoing and verbally
expressive, 17-year-old Maria is
at home with all kinds of people.
Her social skills are unbeatable,
and she has a knack for seeming
to hang on every word someone
says. People gravitate toward Ma-
ria because of her natural warmth
and gift of gab. Her parents are
proud of her popularity and her
social ease, which they believe
will open many doors for her in
college and future life—so they
don’t push her so much to get
better grades. And, truth be told,
she can usually talk her way out
of most situations, especially with
teachers and authority figures. For
all her verbal dexterity, though,
Maria can also be scattered
organizationally and can rarely
see anything to completion. She
has problems thinking through
all the steps in making a plan and
gets distracted easily. She makes
decisions impulsively, without
thinking about their implications.
85
chapter 7 profiles of development
Tall and with a lifeguard’s
build, 16-year-old Tyler excels
at sports and in the classroom.
He likes to exercise his brain and
especially enjoys memorizing
and dealing with facts. Absolutes
make the most sense to him,
as Tyler prefers the neatness of
black-and-white thinking. What
makes Tyler a little uncomfort-
able is hypothetical situations and
“what ifs”—if you can’t see it or
prove it, in Tyler’s mind, then it
doesn’t exist. is kind of think-
ing serves him well in sports and
doing what the coach says, but
he has more trouble when asked
to anticipate what the other team
members are going to do. Some-
times, with his friends, it is the
same way—he thinks things out
to a rational conclusion but has
difficulty when things stray from
what should logically be happen-
ing. He also has trouble putting
himself in other people’s shoes
and empathizing with
their situations.
tyler
TYLER is physically and academically developed, but cognitively he has not moved beyond the level of a con-
crete thinker, which usually begins around 7 and ends at age 12. Concrete thinkers think logically and are well-or-
ganized, but cannot juggle abstract concepts or multilevel thinking. His cognitive development has slowed his social
development as well, since he does not think beyond his self-orientation (his values, passions, and needs) to take oth-
er people’s thoughts and feelings into consideration. Involvement in service learning—which often includes activities
that help teens reflect on their service—could help Tyler develop empathy. Adults can also help build Tyler’s capacity
to recognize and empathize with the perspectives of others by using such “feelings” statements as, “Your friend seems
really (worried, upset, discouraged).”
86
the teen years explained
conclusion
W
e invite people of all ages to
appreciate the marvel of what
it is to be an adolescent. At
no other time in life do human beings
develop so rapidly, in so many different
ways. e teen years are when children
grow to full adult size, become capable
of reproducing, develop thinking skills
that allow them to philosophize about
life and plan complex events, and
develop the emotional capacity to em-
pathize with and make great sacrifices
for others.
e Guide has presented several
key ideas supported by research. First
and most fundamentally, the rapid
changes of adolescence are normal.
Most adolescents and their families
successfully navigate and enjoy these
years. e swiftness of the changes,
though, can be confusing and make
both teens and adults uncertain of
what to do. Knowing what adoles-
cents typically experience emotion-
ally and physically can help resolve
worries about whether a teen is on
track and whether his or her behavior
is reasonable.
e second key idea is that regu-
lar, healthy development is uneven.
Healthy development happens
ever young people spend time—in
their homes, at school, in after-school
programs, at work, with friends, and
while spending time on the Internet or
watching TV. Development does not
stop at the doorway of the institutions
specifically designed to promote it,
namely schools and places of worship.
Parents know this well and often
worry about fighting a tide of cultural
influences over which they have
no control.
Yet, as the Guide has described,
parents and caring adults often un-
derestimate their capacity to promote
young people’s development. Because
of their developmental stage, young
people stop letting adults know that
they are important in the young
people’s worlds, or, for that matter,
that the adults even matter. But teens
consistently report, and research con-
firms, that adults remain essential as
caregivers, role models, educators, and
mentors. It is our hope that through
better understanding of adolescent
development, adults will feel con-
fident and inspired to continue their
indispensable work of fostering the
next generation.
Physical, emotional, and cognitive
development are not always in sync.
e Guide has described how it is
completely normal for one area of
development to be ahead of others.
Because development happens un-
evenly, growth in one domain can place
teens in situations they are not ready
to handle until they catch up in other
areas. Teens need reassurance that they
will, indeed, catch up to their peers—
or that their peers will catch up to them.
Teens also need support and limit-set-
ting from adults to keep them safe.
ird, young people develop posi-
tive attributes through learning and ex-
perience. Although physical and sexual
development happens automatically
given adequate nutrition, social and
cognitive development does not. ese
must be nurtured. ere is tremendous
variation across cultures regarding what
is expected socially of young people,
but all cultures need to provide the op-
portunities for young people to experi-
ence, learn, and practice competence,
connection, character, confidence,
and caring.
e final key idea in the Guide
is that development happens wher-
87
conclusion
CHAPTER 8
88
the teen years explained
89
resources & further reading
resources &
further reading
Adolescent Development
You and Your Adolescent
Laurence Steinberg, PhD, and Ann Levine
Harper Collins, 1997, 432 pp.
Your Adolescent: Emotional, Behavioral, and Cognitive Development rough the Teen Years
David B. Pruitt, MD
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Harper Collins, 1999, 376 pp.
Why Do ey Act at Way? A Survival Guide to the Adolescent Brain for You and Your Teen
David Walsh, PhD
Simon & Schuster, 2004, 276 pp.
e Female Brain
Louann Brizendine, MD
Broadway Books, 2006, 280 pp.
Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys
Dan Kindlon, PhD, and Michael ompson, PhD
Ballantine Books, 2000, 320 pp.
How to Talk So Teens Will Listen & Listen So Teens Will Talk
Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
Harper Collins, 2005, 224 pp.
Physical Development
Planned Parenthood
www.plannedparenthood.org
Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States
www.siecus.org
Washington State Department of Health Physical Growth and Development Adolescent Health Fact Sheet
http://www.doh.wa.gov/cfh/adfactsheets/whatsup_physicalgrowth.htm
University of Minnesota Extension. “Family: Understanding Youth”
http://www.extension.umn.edu/topics.html?topic=3&subtopic=140
American Psychological Association. Developing Adolescents: A Reference for Professionals (PDF format)
http://www.apa.org/pi/cyf/develop.pdf
Kidshealth.org: Parents’ Section
http://kidshealth.org/parent/
If you would like to delve deeper into the topics presented in e Teen Years Explained: A Guide to Healthy Adoles-
cence, the following publications provide additional information and resources.
90
the teen years explained
Brain Development
National Institute of Mental Health. Teenage Brain: A work in progress (Fact Sheet): A brief overview of research into
brain development during adolescence.
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/teenage-brain-a-work-in-progress-fact-sheet/index.shtml
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Facts for Families: e Teen Brain: Behavior, Problem Solving,
and Decision Making
http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/facts_for_families/the_teen_brain_behavior_problem_solving_and_decision_making
Harvard Magazine. A Work in Progress: e Teen Brain
http://harvardmagazine.com/2008/09/the-teen-brain.htmll
Body Image
Child Study Center. Teens and Body Image: What’s Typical and What’s Not
http://www.aboutourkids.org/files/articles/mar_apr_2.pdf
NYU Child Study Center. Encouraging Positive Self-Image and Healthy Self-Esteem
http://www.aboutourkids.org/articles/encouraging_positive_selfimage_healthy_selfesteem
Department of Health and Human Services. Body Image and Eating Disorders
http://www.girlshealth.gov/emotions/bodyimage/index.cfm
e Nemours Foundation. Body Image and Self Esteem
http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/body_image/body_image.html
Obesity: Nutrition and Exercise
e Nemours Foundation. When Being Overweight is a Problem
http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/dieting/obesity.html
Associated Press. Girls Who Feel Unpopular May Gain Weight
http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/EMIHC000/333/8895/651533.html
UCLA Health System. New Factor in Teen Obesity: Parents
http://www.uclahealth.org/body.cfm?id=403&action=detail&ref=1145
Centers for Disease Control. Healthy Youth: Physical Activity
http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/physicalactivity/index.htm
Centers for Disease Control. Healthy Youth: Nutrition
http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/nutrition/index.htm
Cognitive Development
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Normal Adolescent Development: Part 1
http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/facts_for_families/normal_adolescent_development_part_i
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Normal Adolescent Development: Part 2
http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/facts_for_families/normal_adolescent_development_part_ii
American Psychological Association. Developing Adolescents
http://www.apa.org/pi/cyf/develop.pdf
Drugs and Alcohol
Centers for Disease Control. Alcohol and Drug Use
http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/alcoholdrug/index.htm
e Nemours Foundation. Drugs and Alcohol
http://teenshealth.org/teen/drug_alcohol/
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Teens: Alcohol and Other Drugs
http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/facts_for_families/teens_alcohol_and_other_drugs
91
resources & further reading
Department of Health and Human Services. Drugs, Alcohol, and Smoking
http://www.4girls.gov/substance/alcohol/index.cfm
Teen Stress
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Helping Teenagers with Stress
http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/facts_for_families/helping_teenagers_with_stress
e Nemours Foundation. Stress
http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/emotions/stress.html
American Academy of Pediatrics. Children, Teens and Resiliency
http://www.aap.org/stress/stressparent.htm
Emotional and Social Development
Child Development Institute. Stages of Social and Emotional Development in Children and Teenagers
http://www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/development/erickson.shtml
Child Trends. Background for Community-Level Work on Emotional Well-being in Adolescence: Reviewing the
Literature on Contributing Factors
http://www.childtrends.org/what_works/youth_development/doc/KEmotionalES.pdf
American Psychological Association. Developing Adolescents
http://www.apa.org/pi/cyf/develop.pdf
Popularity
WebMD. e Price of Teen Popularity
http://www.webmd.com/news/20050517/price-of-teen-popularity?src=rss_foxnews
Department of Health and Human Services. Teen Popularity Tied to Alcohol, Tobacco and Illegal Drug Use
http://www.family.samhsa.gov/teach/popularity.aspx
Journal of Pediatric Psychology. Adolescent Oral Sex, Peer Popularity, and Perceptions
of Best Friends’ Sexual Behavior
http://jpepsy.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/28/4/243
Psych Central. Teens’ Perception of Popularity is Important
http://psychcentral.com/news/2008/05/19/teens-perception-of-popularity-is-important/2312.html
Society for Research in Child Development. e Dark Side of Adolescent Popularity
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-05/sfri-tds051005.php
Bullying
Education.com. Bullying at School and Online
http://www.education.com/topic/school-bullying-teasing/
Centers for Disease Control. New Technology and Youth Violence
http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/youthviolence/electronicaggression/index.html
e Nemours Foundation. Dealing with Bullying
http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/problems/bullies.html?tracking=T_RelatedArticle
Forming an Identity
Counseling and Human Development: Adolescent Identity. Peers, Parents, Culture and the Counselor
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3934/is_199904/ai_n8829700
e Nemours Foundation. Your Mind
http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/
Psych Central. Your Teen’s Search for Identity
http://psychcentral.com/lib/2007/your-teens-search-for-identity/
92
the teen years explained
Peer Pressure
e Nemours Foundation. Peer Pressure
http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/relationships/peer_pressure.html
WebMD. Raising a Peer Pressure-Proof Child
http://www.webmd.com/parenting/features/teen-peer-pressure-raising-peer-pressure-proof-child
EPNET.com. e Potential Dual Role of Popularity in Teenagers
http://healthlibrary.epnet.com/print.aspx?token=b93d114e-5009-4f6a-9917-6c594254fcc7+&chunkiid=98661
Child Development. e Link Between Popularity, Social Status, and Aggression in Children
http://www.srcd.org/journals/cdev/1-1/Cillessen.pdf
Gangs
Department of Health and Human Services. Youth Violence: A Report of the Surgeon General
http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/youthviolence/surgeongeneral/SG_Site/chapter4/sec3.asp
Institute for Intergovernmental Research. National Youth Gang Center
http://www.iir.com/nygc/
National Gang Crime Research Center.
http://www.ngcrc.com/
Centers for Disease Control. Youth Violence
http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/youthviolence/index.html
Sexuality
Centers for Disease Control. Sexual Risk Behaviors
http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/sexualbehaviors/index.htm
e National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.
http://www.teenpregnancy.org/resources/reading/males.asp
Planned Parenthood. Teen Talk: Take Care of Yourself
www.teenwire.com
e Nemours Foundation. Sexual Health
http://teenshealth.org/teen/sexual_health/
American Social Health Organization. Sex Ed 101
www.iwannaknow.org
PFLAG.com. Resources
www.pflag.org
Campaign for Our Children. Teen Guide and Parent Resource Center
www.cfoc.org
Healthy Teen Network. Research and Resources
http://www.healthyteennetwork.org/
SIECUS.org. Why It Is Important to Talk About Sexual Orientation
www.siecus.org/pubs/families/FAT_Newsletter_V3N1.pdf
Religion and Spirituality
YouthandReligion.org. National Study of Youth and Religion Releases ird Report
www.youthandreligion.org/news/docs/22-litwebupdate.pdf
National Study of Youth and Religion. Sociologists Find Stronger Relationships Between Mothers and Fathers in
Religiously Active Families
www.youthandreligion.org/news/2003-1022.html
National Study of Youth and Religion. Religion and the Life Attitudes and Self-Images of American Adolescents
www.youthandreligion.org/publications/docs/Attitudes.pdf
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103
INDEX
INDEX
A
Abstract thinking skills, 21–22, 27, 46, 72, 84–85
Academic success, 29, 73
Acceptance, 9–10, 34, 48
Adolescence
cognitive development stages, 15, 21–22
defined, 4
emotional and social development stages, 14, 31–35
healthy development during, 2–3
physical development stages, 9, 14
sexual development stages, 15, 62–64
spiritual development stages, 15, 76–77
stages of identity development, 45–46
Adult support, in
building empathy, 35
bullying issues, 41, 42–43
cognitive development, 23, 24–26
encouraging healthy relationships, 37
identity development, 47–48
mental health issues, 54–56
obesity, 19
peer pressure, 50
positive youth development, 1–4, 87
puberty, 8, 13
risk-taking behaviors, 3, 36
sexual identity development, 52–53, 60, 65–68
social awareness, 33
spiritual development, 74, 75
stressful times, 39
See also Parents
Alcohol use, 29, 33–34, 55
Amygdala, 16, 33, 62
Anabolic steroids, 12
Anorexia nervosa, 11
Arguments, 23
Athletes, 11, 12
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD),
55–56
Autonomy, 46–47
B
Birth control, 65–66
Body dysmorphic disorder, 11
Body image, 8, 11, 13
Body mass index (BMI), 17
Boundaries, 37, 47, 68
Brain development
autonomy and, 47
emotions and, 33
identity development and, 46
neurological changes in, 22
overview of, 16
peer relationships and, 34
during puberty, 8
romantic interests and, 64
sleep and, 28
social awareness and, 32
spirituality and, 72
tobacco, alcohol and drugs and, 29
See also Cognitive development
Breast development, 8–9, 62
Bulimia nervosa, 11
Bullying, 10, 18–19, 38, 40–43
C
Cerebral cortex, 16
Cerebrum, 16
Chlamydia, 67–68
Cliques, 48, 65
Cognitive development
body image and, 13
emotions and, 31
mindsets in, 25–27
profiles of development in, 80–85
risk-taking and, 22–25
sleep and, 28
social awareness and, 32
typical stages of, 15, 21–22
unique patterns of, 2, 8, 79, 87
See also Brain development
Community, 3, 75
Community service, 37
Competence, sense of, 3, 47–48
Condoms, 65–66
Confidence. See Self-esteem
Conflict, 23, 26, 33
Contraception, 65–66
Cultural influences
body image and, 8, 11
on healthy development, 87
identity formation and, 49–50
puberty and, 9
thE tEEN yEars EXplaINED
104
on sexuality, 35
See also Ethnic identities
“Cutting,” 54, 55
Cyberbullies, 42–43
D
Dating, 34–35, 62
Decision-making strategies, 25, 35
Delayed puberty, 10
Depression, 41, 54, 55
Disabled teens, 60
Divorce, 38
Drug abuse, 12, 29, 33–34, 55
E
Eating disorders, 11
Emotional competence, 31
Emotional development
brain development and, 16, 22
obesity and, 17–18
profiles of development in, 80–85
self-awareness, 32
self-control, 34
sexual development and, 62–63
through peer relationships, 33–34
typical stages of, 14, 31–35
unique patterns of, 2, 8, 87
Emotional disturbance, 54–56
Emotions, 32, 33, 54–56
Empathy, 3, 32–33, 35, 85
See also Social awareness
Environment, 3, 17, 56, 87
Estrogen, 32, 62
Ethnic identities, 49–50, 71, 73
See also Cultural influences
Exercise, 11, 19
F
Faith. See Spiritual development
“Flame war,” 42
Forebrain, 16
Friendships. See Peer relationships
Frontal lobe, 16
G
Gangs, 48
Gender, 34, 41, 42
Gender identity, 51, 52, 62
Growth spurts. See Physical development
H
Health risk behaviors. See Risk-taking
Herpes simplex virus, 67
Hindbrain, 16
Hippocampus, 16, 29, 62
Honesty, 37
Hormones
causing stress, 38
emotions and, 33
puberty and, 7–8
sexual development and, 60, 62–63
social development and, 32
steroids and, 12
Human Papillomavirus (HPV), 67
I
Identity development
cultural influences on, 49–50
sexual, 9, 51, 52–53
typical stages of, 45–46
Independence. See Autonomy
Intentional self-injury, 54
Interests, 27, 37, 48, 74
Intimacy, 35, 52, 64
L
Libido, 63, 64
Limbic system, 16, 32
Love. See Romantic interests
Low-income, 18
M
Mastery. See Competence, sense of
Masturbation, 62, 63
Maturation rates, 8, 9, 22, 62–64
See also Physical development
Media images, 13, 35, 60
Medical issues, 10–11, 17
Menstruation, 8–9, 62
Mental health, 54–56
Meta-cognition, 22
Midbrain, 16
Morality, 3, 15
Muscle dysmorphia, 11
N
Nicotine. See Tobacco use
Nutrition, 10, 17–18, 33
O
Obesity, 9, 17–19
Occipital lobe, 16
Online issues, 42–43
P
Parents, 33–34, 52, 87
See also Adult support, in
105
INDEX
Parietal lobe, 16
Peer groups, 33–34, 35, 48–50
Peer pressure, 48, 49, 50, 80–81
Peer relationships
healthy, 37, 50
intimacy and, 52
positive youth development and, 3
social and emotional development and, 33–34
See also Social development
Physical autonomy, 46–47
Physical development
body image and, 8, 11, 13
emotions and, 33
profiles of development in, 80–85
puberty and, 7–8
sexual development and, 62–63
typical stages of, 9, 14
unhealthy responses to, 10
unique patterns of, 2, 8–11, 14, 79, 87
See also Maturation rates; Puberty
Plan B, 66
Popularity, 34, 49
Positive youth development, 2–4
Precocious puberty, 10
Pre-frontal cortex, 22, 32–33, 46
Profiles of development, 80–85
Protective factors, 4, 34, 75
Psychological autonomy, 46–47
Puberty
cultural influences on, 9
defined, 4
onset of, 7–8
talking about, 8, 13
typical stages of, 13–15
See also Physical development
R
Racial discrimination, 50, 52
Reasoning skills, 21, 25–26
Religion, 71–75
Reverse anorexia, 11
Risk factors, 4
Risk-taking
bullying and, 41
cognitive development and, 22–25
early developing teens and, 10
during identity development, 46
in peer groups, 35–36
popularity and, 34
profiles of development in, 80–81
reduction of, 3, 36
religion and, 73
sexual development and, 60
sexuality and, 66–68
tobacco, alcohol and drugs, 29
Romantic interests, 64, 69
S
Self-awareness, 32
Self-concept, 45
Self-consciousness, 27, 32–33, 62
Self-control, 22, 33
Self-esteem, 3, 19, 41, 45–46
Sex education, 68
Sexual activity, 33–34, 63–64, 65
Sexual development
forming identity during, 9, 51, 52–53
healthy, 59–61, 68
typical stages of, 15, 62–64
See also Sexuality
Sexual fantasies, 62, 64
Sexual orientation, 51, 60, 75
Sexual predators, 42
Sexuality
cultural influences on, 35
preferences in, 51, 60, 75
protecting health of, 65–66
risk-taking with, 66–68
trends in, 65
See also Sexual development
Sexually transmitted infections (STI), 66, 67
Sleep, 28, 33
Smoking. See Tobacco use
Social awareness, 32–33, 46
See also Empathy
Social competence, 31
Social development
emotions and, 33
empathy, 32
peer groups, 49
profiles of development in, 80–85
religion and, 75
risk-taking and, 24
social awareness and, 32–33
through peer relationships, 33–34
typical stages of, 14, 31–35
unique patterns of, 79, 87
See also Peer relationships
Social networking sites, 42–43
Spiritual development, 15, 71–73, 75, 76–77
Spirituality, 71
Sports, 11, 12
Status, 9, 48–50
Steroids, 12
Stress, 38–39, 41, 55
Suicidal behavior, 41, 55
Synapses, 22
T
Teasing, 18–19, 55
See also Bullying
Teen parenthood, 63, 65, 66–67
Temporal lobe, 16
Testosterone, 32, 33, 62, 63
Tobacco use, 29, 33–34
Trichomoniasis, 67
105
references
THE TEEN YEARS EXPLAINED:
A GUIDE TO HEALTHY ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT
By Clea McNeely, MA, DrPH and Jayne Blanchard
The teen years are a time of opportunity, not turmoil.
The Teen Years Explained: A Guide to Healthy Adolescent Development describes
the normal physical, cognitive, emotional and social, sexual, identity formation,
and spiritual changes that happen during adolescence and how adults can promote
healthy development. Understanding these changes—developmentally, what is
happening and why—can help both adults and teens enjoy the second decade of
life. The Guide is an essential resource for all people who work with young people.
© 2009 Center for Adolescent Health at
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written
permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Printed in the United States of America. Printed and distributed by the
Center for Adolescent Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
For additional information about the Guide and to order additional copies, please contact:
Center for Adolescent Health
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
615 N. Wolfe St., E-4543
Baltimore, MD 21205
www.jhsph.edu/adolescenthealth
410-614-3953
ISBN 978-0-615-30246-1
Designed by Denise Dalton of Zota Creative Group
THE TEEN YEARS EXPLAINED: A GUIDE TO HEALTHY ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT Clea McNeely & Jayne Blanchard
THE TEEN YEARS EXPLAINED:
A GUIDE TO HEALTHY ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT
By Clea McNeely, MA, DrPH and Jayne Blanchard
The teen years are a time of opportunity, not turmoil.
The Teen Years Explained: A Guide to Healthy Adolescent Development describes
the normal physical, cognitive, emotional and social, sexual, identity formation,
and spiritual changes that happen during adolescence and how adults can promote
healthy development. Understanding these changes—developmentally, what is
happening and why—can help both adults and teens enjoy the second decade of
life. The Guide is an essential resource for all people who work with young people.
© 2009 Center for Adolescent Health at
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written
permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Printed in the United States of America. Printed and distributed by the
Center for Adolescent Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
For additional information about the Guide and to order additional copies, please contact:
Center for Adolescent Health
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
615 N. Wolfe St., E-4543
Baltimore, MD 21205
www.jhsph.edu/adolescenthealth
410-614-3953
ISBN 978-0-615-30246-1
Designed by Denise Dalton of Zota Creative Group
EXPLAINED
THE TEEN YEARS
THE TEEN YEARS EXPLAINED: A GUIDE TO HEALTHY ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT Clea McNeely & Jayne Blanchard
Clea McNeely, MA, DrPH and Jayne Blanchard
A GUIDE TO
HEALTHY
ADOLESCENT
DEVELOPMENT
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