ADOLESCENCE

adolescence

Developmental transition between childhood and adulthood entailing major physical, cognitive, and psychosocial changes.

puberty

Process by which a person attains sexual maturity and the ability to reproduce.

Adrenarche

the adrenal glands secrete increasing levels of androgens

Gonadarche

marked by the maturing of the sex organs.

Spermarche

Boy’s first ejaculation

Menarche

Girl’s first menstruation.

Primary sex characteristics

Organs directly related to reproduction, which enlarge and mature during adolescence

Secondary sex characteristics

Physiological signs of sexual maturation that do not involve the sex organs.

Formal operations

Piaget’s final stage of cognitive development, characterized by the ability to think abstractly

Hypothetico-deductive reasoning

ability to develop, consider, and test hypotheses.

Imaginary audience

adolescents often assume everyone else is thinking about the same thing they are thinking about.

Personal fable

belief by adolescents that they are special, their experience is unique, and they are not subject to the rules that govern the rest of the world

naive idealism

manifested when adolescents use formal operational thinking to mentally construct an ideal world and then compare the real world to it.

Body image

Descriptive and evaluative beliefs about one’s appearance

Anorexia nervosa

Eating disorder characterized by self-starvation

Bulimia Nervosa

Eating disorder in which a person regularly eats huge quantities of food and the purges the body by laxatives, induced vomiting, fasting, or excessive exercise.

Binge eating disorder

Eating disorder in which a person loses control over eating and binges huge quantities of food.

Substance abuse

harmful use of a substance.

Substance dependence

Addiction (physical, or psychological) to a harmful substance.

Binge drinking

Consuming 5 or more drinks (for men) or 4 or more drinks (for women) on one occasion.

Level I: Preconventional morality

They obey rules to avoid punishment or reap rewards, or they act out of self-interest

Stage 1: Punishment/obedience orientation

Children obey rules to avoid punishment.

Stage 2: Instrumental purpose and exchange

Children conform to rules out of self-interest and consideration for what others can do for them.

Level II: Conventional morality

concerned about being “good,” pleasing others, and maintaining the social order

Stage 3: Good Boy/Girl Orientation

Children want to please and help others, can judge the intentions of others, and develop their own ideas of what a good person is

Stage 4: Law and order orientation

People are concerned with doing their duty, showing respect for higher authority, and maintaining the social order

Level III: Postconventional morality

People recognize conflicts between moral standards and make their own judgments on the basis of principles of right, fairness, and justice.

Stage 5: Social Contract

People think in rational terms, valuing the will of the majority and the welfare of society; “greatest good for the greatest number”.

Stage 6: Universal and Ethical Principles

People do what they as individuals think is right, regardless of legal restrictions or the opinions of others.

Moral realism

rules as unchanged and imposed by authorities

Moral relativism

rules are created by people and can be negotiated

Fidelity

sustained loyalty, faith, or a sense of belonging to a loved one, friends, or companions

Crisis

a period of conscious decision making

Commitment

involves a personal investment in an occupation or ideology

Identity achievement

characterized by commitment to choices made following a crisis, a period spent in exploring alternatives.

Foreclosure

a person who has not spent time considering alternatives is committed to other people’s plans for his or her life.

Moratorium

a person is currently considering alternatives (in crisis) and seems headed for commitment

Identity Diffusion

characterized by absence of commitment and lack of serious consideration of alternatives

Cisgender

a person whose gender identity corresponds to their sex assigned at birth.

Transgender

is a term that refers to individuals whose biological sex at birth and gender identity are not the same

Genderqueer

to refer to a wide range of variable identities that may be neither fully male nor fully female

Heterosexual

attracted to persons of the other sex.

Homosexual

attracted to persons of the same sex.

Bisexual

attracted persons of both sexes.

Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)

Infections and diseases spread by sexual contact.

Adolescent rebellion

Pattern of emotional turmoil, characteristic of a minority of adolescents, that may involve conflict with family, alienation from adult society, reckless behavior, and rejection of adult values.

Prudential issues

behavior related to health and safety (such as smoking, drinking, and drug use)

moral issues

lying issues

Conventional issues

(such as bad manners or swearing)

Peer conformity

the pressure to act or think like one’s peers, typically peaks around ages 13–14, especially in appearance, behavior, and speech.