The Relative Contributions of Biological and Social Factors to the Psychological Changes - Essay Example

The Relative Contributions of Biological and Social Factors To the Psychological Changes That Occur During Adolescence Adolescence refers to the developmental change from childhood to adulthood (Petersen, Sarigiani and Kennedy 1997, p.41). This stage is arguably the most luxurious stage in a person’s life and is experienced from puberty until individual attains full adult status. Some theorists have argued that the existence of adolescence period is to delay a teenager from going into the workforce due to lack of enough jobs (Dubas, Graber and Petersen 1991, p.444). Views also vary significantly on the adolescent time line particularly when it ends. However, it is widely viewed that adolescent begins at puberty and ends at the age of 18 to 21 years (Dubas, Graber and Petersen 1991, p.444). However, some researchers claim that there exist young adulthood stage, which occurs when adolescent period extend beyond the normal adolescent period. In this regard, it is argued that those who experience young adulthood stage are individuals who take too long to mature and as such exhibits the behaviors and characteristics of an adolescent. Normally, adolescence stage is characterized by certain biological changes in an individual’s life. The biological changes vary between girls and boys. In the case of boys, it is noted that, as the individual matures, he begins to develop deep voice, pubic hair, enlargement of penis and broadening of shoulders (Mendle, Turkheimer and Emery 2007, p.151). At the same time, the boys begin producing sperms capable of impregnating a mature girl. Girls, on the other hand, also experience a number of biological changes among them being enlargement of breasts, growth of pubic hair, broadening of hips and ova production among others. All these changes are normal for both girls and boys even though findings show that these changes sometimes appear scary thereby having huge impacts on an individual’s psychological changes. (Mendle, Turkheimer and Emery 2007, p.151). This is because the changes experienced by girls and boys have direct social effects on individuals, which result in psychological changes. This paper will examine the relative contribution of biological and social factors to the psychological changes that occur during adolescence. As a developmental stage, puberty is synonymous for its biological, social, and psychological transformation. In this regard, as physical appearance matures, it is expected that people must navigate changing norms and expectations. Mendle, Turkheimer, and Emery (2007, p.151) argue that such experiences usually triggers a confrontation, which is sometimes accompanied by reorganization of self-identity and perception. In this regard, it is reported that the aberrance in maturational timing tends to enhance the risk for behavioral and emotional problems during adolescence, as well as early adulthood. For instance, a study conducted by Fechner (2003, p.18) found out that girls who matures earlier than their peers of the same age group tend to find pubertal developments very challenging thereby exposing them to detrimental sequelae. This is the reason why G. Stanley Hall (1844-1924) the first psychologist to study adolescence once described adolescence as a period of storm and stress (Angold et al. 1999, p.1044). This is because it affects an individual psychologically especially when changes develops either early or later than usual. Several studies have shown that early maturation triggers a flurry of social changes for which many adolescents may not be developmentally ready. This is because early maturation appears to skip some developmental stages living an adolescent wondering why the changes is happening only to him or her and not to others of his or her peer group (Angold et al. 1999, p.1046). Several psychological theories have shown that social contexts are key determinants of vulnerability versus resilience for early developers. In this regard, it has been noted among girls that, many girls are sensitive to societal responses to their physical and biological developments social circumstances vary in their treatment of and reaction to early maturation (Angold et al. 1999, p.1046). As a result, many girls perceive early maturity as a problem in their biological make up which appears to affect them psychologically. The same has been demonstrated among young adults, who feel that their delay at adolescence means that they are not the same as the rest of their pears. Such perceptions tend to haunt adolescents in their entire lives, despite the fact they can do nothing to change the situation according to psychologists. Depression is one risk factors associated with adolescence. However, research indicates that girls are more likely to experience depression than boys are during adolescence. In this regard, findings have shown that pubertal transition among girls is very traumatic and exposes girls to increased risk for manic disorder effect. Some studies have linked the depressive effects to hormones associated with puberty according to Petersen, Sarigiani, and Kennedy (1997, p.41). However, the depressive effects are reverberated mainly by pubertal timing and not pubertal status. In this regard, research has found that girls who experience early pubertal maturation tend to manifest manic disorders than the girls that experience maturity at later stages of their lives. The manic disorders are mainly brought about by the frustrations that the early maturation is associated with. This includes that fact that it makes a girl look peculiar among other peers of the same age, which in most cases result in social isolation. Graber et al. (1997, p.16) notes that such adolescents are more likely to attempt suicide because of the negative psychological impacts of the biological changes that take place during adolescence. The widely fronted explanation effect of the pubertal timing on manic symptoms shows a psychological correlation triggered by the physiological changes linked with puberty. In this regard, adolescents who exhibits obvious symptoms of maturity earlier than the rest of their peers may find it difficult associating with same sex-peers who have not developed at the biological and physical characteristics at the same pace according to Petersen, Sarigiani, and Kennedy (1997, p.41). Petersen, Sarigiani, and Kennedy (1997, p.41) also noted that because menarche is a more sudden developmental transition of adolescent than other pubertal developments, experiencing menarche earlier than other pears additionally increases the sense of emotional isolation. In this regard, it is noted that, since such individual’s exhibits peculiar physical appearance than others of the same age group, older people may develop negative perception against such individuals, who may then be compelled to confront the environmental challenges even before they become cognitively and emotionally prepared to face such challenges. Ge et al. (2003, p.54) argues that this is likely to instill fear and confusion in such adolescents leading to manic disorders. Research also indicates that early puberty is linked to some more generalized internalizing signs. In this regard, a study has found out that early matures exhibits a high likelihood of experiencing psychosomatic symptoms such as abdominal pain, headache, sleeplessness, breathlessness, high blood pressure and stomach upsets than other peers during early adolescent (Petersen, Sarigiani and Kennedy 1997, p.43) Several researchers have found out a close link between early menarche and anxious symptoms. For instance, research has shown that high level of anxiety among girls who display advanced signs of physical developments. At the same time, findings have shown that anxiety is common among young adults experiencing early pubertal maturation as noted by Graber et al. (2004, p.32). It is also reported that anxious feelings may also be because of the upsetting social interactions. At the same time, the psychosomatic signs might be considered as an over attentive bodily response triggered by physical changes that accompany puberty. Menstruation is one of the biological changes among girls in adolescence stage. It is also arguably the most worrying experience among girls who in most cases get frustrated by the experience (Kaltiala-Heino, Kosunen and Rimpela 2003, p.531). It is also noted that menstruation among girls is hugely associated to eating disorder among adolescent girls. In this regard, findings have shown that menstruation among adolescent girls tends to trigger weight gain. As a result, most girls at puberty tend to mistake the development they are going through to being fat making them restrict their eating habits. In this regard, findings show that about 19% of adolescent girls engage in some form of restricted eating behavior and to the extreme display vague body perception. This kind of psychological change has not, however, been demonstrated among boys at pubic stage. Nonetheless, Petersen, Sarigiani, and Kennedy (1997, p.47) argues that early maturation may reverberate the normative concerns with body weight and shape triggered by menarche. In this regard, a study has found out that girls have a high likelihood of reporting body dissatisfaction and low self-esteem during adolescent and display disordered eating habit (Angold et al. 1999, p.1047). At the same time, the study also found out that unsatisfactory body image tend to persist among early maturers even way after other peers have attained full maturity. A research conducted by Mendle, Turkheimer and Emery (2007, p.153) have demonstrated that the biological changes on adolescents impacts hugely on their academic achievements. This is attributed to the psychological changes that occure in an adolescent, which again reflects on their academic achievements. This has particularly been demonstrated among adolescents who undergo early maturity than their peers. In this regard, Angold et al. (1999, p.1046) noted that girls who show advance physical and biological developments tend to exhibit poor academic achievements compared to other peers who matures at later stages. The low academic achievement among such adolescents has been attributed to the relationship between early maturation and behavioral problems. For instance, findings have shown that adolescents who experience early maturity are likely to experience many problems at school, truancy and absents. In this regard, such adolescents have been found to demonstrate little interest in academic subjects. For instance, adolescents who experience menstruation for the first time is likely to find it hard associated with his peers in school, which makes them, consider absenting themselves from school for fear that what they are going through could be noticed by fellow students. In fact, they appear restless all the time making it hard for them to associate freely with their peers. The physical developments also affect boys psychologically (Kaltiala-Heino, Kosunen, and Rimpela, M 2003, p.532). For instance, many boys at their adolescent stage find it difficult associating with their peers especially when their physician developments appear to advance faster than their peers do. In this regard, such boys tend to hide or isolate themselves from the rest in a bit to hide their biological developments. Psychologists have also found that such boys also tend to suffer from manic disorders, sleeplessness, and anxiety among others. Biological and social changes experienced during adolescence also trigger certain antisocial behaviors among adolescents according to Angold et al. (1999, p.1048). In this regard, Mendle, Turkheimer, and Emery (2007, p.154) notes that early pubertal development tends to initiate drinking and smoking behaviours among adolescents. This sometimes results in addiction that extends to the entire life of the person. In contrast, a study has shown that late maturation envisage abstinence from substance abuse beyond puberty. Despite the fact that substance use is linked to adolescents, findings have shown that early maturity affects an individual psychologically thereby increasing their consumption of alcohol and cigarettes among other substances. In this regard, such adolescents are more likely to smoke marijuana and other illegal drugs than their other peers who have not fully developed (Kaltiala-Heino, Kosunen, and Rimpela, M 2003, p.532). This is so because the peculiar developmental changes taking place in the body increases anxiety, which makes an individual experience depressive disorders resulting in substance abuse. Conclusion Adolescence is one certainly one of the most luxurious stage in life. Nevertheless, the biological changes that take place during this stage in life sometimes appear scary to teenagers since adolescents are not in a position to understand some of the physical and biological changes taking place on their body. The developments are particularly scary when they are experienced either too early compared to the peers of the same age group. Such social and biological developments indeed impact on the psychological changes that adolescent experience. This is because they make adolescents experience negative psychological effects such as manic disorders, social isolation from the rest of the peer group and suicide tendencies to the extreme. In addition, it became apparent that the biological and social developments taking place during adolescents sometime force some boys and girls to engage in drug abuse and other anti social behaviours. 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