Table of Contents
This paper explores the steps of adolescences, puberty, gender identity, and gender roles. Information from philosopher Jean Piaget who had four stages of cognitive development in adolescences. The difference of adolescence and puberty will also be explored. Erik Erikson ideas were the most influential theory of adolescent development. Erikson’s theory included the identity versus identity confusion which is the fifth developmental stage in the human life span which occurs during the adolescent years.
James Marcia analyzed Erikson’s theory of identity development and believed there are four identity statuses. This included identity diffusion, identity foreclosure, identity moratorium, and identity achievement. During this paper, the different types of sexually transmitted diseases such as Gonorrhea, HPV, HIV, etc. will be discussed. The many ways of preventing STIs such as condoms, and abstinence will also be expressed. The effect of technology on adolescences and young adults has been on the rise and will be studied closely in this research paper.
Many studies have been conducted on various facets of adolescences, focusing on the factors that closely effect children from birth to emerging adult, age 24. Philosophers Plate and Aristotle both studied the nature of youth in the fourth century. Plato said, “reasoning doesn’t belong to childhood but rather first appears in adolescence” while Aristotle argued the most important aspect of adolescence is the ability to choose for one’s self.
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Between 1890 and 1920, a small group of psychologists began to study the concept of adolescence. The storm and stress view is Hall’s concept that adolescence is a bumpy road mapped with conflict and mood swings. In the early 1900s, there were loose laws pertaining to adolescents. By 1950, that quickly changed with every state developed special laws for them. Adolescences nowadays have an increased ethnic diversity and a larger connection to technology.
Adolescence is the developmental period of transition from childhood to adulthood. Adolescences begins between age 10 to 13 years of age and ends in the late teens. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory focused on the influence of five environmental systems; microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem. Early childhood starts at the end of infancy until about age five or six, also known as the preschool years. Emerging adulthood occurs from the age of 18 to 25. Early adolescence begins from middle school to junior high school.
Gender Identity vs Gender Role
Gender identity is defined as a personal conception of oneself as male or female (or rarely, both or neither). This concept is intimately related to the concept of gender role, which is defined as the outward manifestations of personality that reflect the gender identity. Gender role is often an outward expression of gender identity, but not always the case. Gender roles in society means how we’re expected to act, speak, dress, groom, and conduct ourselves based upon our assigned sex.
There are four basic kinds of gender stereotypes; personality traits, domestic behaviors, occupations, physical appearance. Women are expected to be emotional and caring while men are expected to be aggressive and self-confident. In domestic relationships, women are expected to stay home and take care of children while cleaning and cooking. Men are to work and take care of finances. Many people think of teachers and nurses as women and doctors or engineers to be men. Women are expected to be thin and graceful while men are expected to be tall and muscular.
Extreme gender stereotypes are harmful to people because it makes people shape themselves and emotions as what society wants them to be instead of being able to express themselves and their emotions how they want to. To fight against gender stereotypes, you can be an example to others by truly being yourself and acting how you think you should and not have society wants you to act.
Puberty and Hormones
Puberty is the period during which adolescents reach sexual maturity and become capable of reproduction. Puberty has many determinants that include heredity, hormones, weight, and body fat. A hormone is a chemical substance that is secreted by one tissue and travels by the body fluids to affect anther tissue in your body.
Two types of hormones found in males and females are androgens and estrogens. Androgens are a male sex hormone such as testosterone. Estrogens are a female sex hormone that is responsible for the development and regulation of the female reproductive system. Females also have testosterone. The female organ known as ovaries produce both testosterone and estrogen. Testosterone is released in small quantities into the female’s bloodstream by the ovaries and adrenal glands. Estrogen is produced by the body’s fat tissue.
Jean Piaget’s Theory of Development
Jean Piaget was a swiss developmental psychologist who studied children in the early 20th century. Piaget’s theory focused on the characteristics of development including language, morals, memory, and reasoning. He had four stages in his theory. The first stage is sensorimotor stage which begins at birth to about 18-24 months old. This stage involves using motor activity without the use of symbols and learned from experiences or trail and error. Next, preoperational stage from age two to seven. This is beginning of the development of language, memory, and imagination. Symbolic thought is closely related to this stage. Symbolic thought is a type of thinking where a word or object is used to represent something other than itself.
Piaget’s third stage is concrete operational which extends from age seven to eleven years old. This is a more logical and methodical manipulation of symbols. The child begins to start working ideas out in their head. The last stage in Piaget’s theory is formal operational. This stage starts from adolescence, age eleven, to adulthood. This is the use of symbols to relate to abstract concepts. As older kids and adults develop, they begin to think about multiple variables and come up with their own hypotheses based on previous knowledge.
Erick Erikson’s fifth stage of psychosocial development is identity versus role confusion. This stage occurs from 12 to 18 years of age. In this stage, adolescences search for a sense of self and personal identity through exploration of personal values, beliefs, and goals. The child has to learn the roles they will occupy as an adult. Failure to establish a sense of identity in society can lead to role confusion. Role confusion is when an individual is not sure about themselves or their place in society.
James Marcia studied Erikson’s theory and found that it involves four identity statuses; identity diffusion, identity foreclosure, identity moratorium, identity achievement. Identity diffusion is when they have not yet experienced an identity crisis or made any commitments. Identity foreclosure is when they have made a commitment but have not experienced an identity crisis. Identity moratorium is the state of adolescents who are in the midst of an identity crisis but who have not made a clear commitment to an identity. Identity achievement is when an adolescence had undergone an identity crisis and made a commitment.
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Sexually transmitted infections also known as STIs are infections that are passed from one person to another during vaginal, anal, or oral sex. There are three STIs caused by viruses, these include immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), genital herpes, and genital warts. There are three STIs caused by bacteria, these include gonorrhea, syphilis, and chlamydia.
AIDS has caused the most deaths than any other STI. AIDs is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which destroys the immune system. Genital herpes is sexually transmitted infection caused by a large strain of viruses. Some viruses that are closely related to herpes but are nonsexually transmitted diseases are cold sores, chicken pox, and mononucleosis. Genital warts are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is difficult to test for and may not always produce symptoms but is still very contagious. Genital warts usually appear as small, hard, painless bumps on the penis, in the vaginal area, or around the anus.
Gonorrhea is commonly called the “drip” or the “clap.” Gonorrhea can infect the lining of the mouth, throat, vagina, cervix, urethra, and anal tract. Syphilis needs a warm, moist environment to survive such as the penile-vaginal, oral-genital, or anal contact. Chlamydia is one of the most common STIs. This STI is highly infectious. Women run a 70 percent risk of contracting it in a single sexual encounter with an infected partner. Men has a 25 to 50 percent risk.
Contraception & Abstinence
Condoms can provide some protection against STIs. Condoms are not a guarantee of 100 percent protection against STIs. The best method to prevent STIs is abstinence. Abstinence is when a person doesn’t have sex. This is also a good way to prevent pregnancy. Other methods of preventing pregnancy are birth control pills, implant, IUD, shot, vaginal ring, patch, diaphragm, sponge, cervical cap, or spermicide. The best birth control with the highest effectiveness, at 99 percent, is the implant or IUD.
Effect of Technology on Children
Does technology effect children in a positive or negative way? How can technology benefit children in today’s society? Everyone speaks of the negative outcomes of technology at the tips of everyone fingertips. Digital technology has become an increasingly popular influence with everyone worldwide. Internet, mobile phones, and gaming among youth age 12 to 17 years old has increase drastically.
Modern technologies allow youth to find information about health information in general and sexual health. The burden of STDs among people aged 15 to 24 years old accounts for nearly half of all STDs reported in the US. The United States pregnancy rate among youth aged 12 to 19 years is one of the highest in developed world. Internet can be used to promote sexual health towards teens and young adults.
Teenagers use technology for many reasons. They may use it to connect with friends, play online games, learn more about a topic they are interested in, or to help with school work. The easy access of information to inform and education themselves is a large benefit to technology. They can use technology to form their identities through self-expressions.
There are also some potential risks with technology. Cyberbullying is when people use technology to embarrass, harass, or bully someone. Trolling is another risk. Trolling is when people deliberately try to start arguments or upset people on the internet. Isolation from public interactions can be a down fall in today’s society. Many teens have anxiety when it comes to talking to people in person and tend to be more outspoken when it comes to hiding behind a screen. Young adults can use the internet to have inappropriate relationships with strangers or adults pretending to be a teenager.
More recent statistics on teenage internet use indicate that 15 to 17-year-old spend an average of 18 hours per week online, just over two hours per day. The golden rule to a healthy amount of time spent on the internet for teenagers used to be two hours per day but with schools using technology every day it has been revised. It is important to set limits on recreational screen times and to monitor what your children are doing on their devices.
