Understanding Physical Development of Adolescents From Education Point of View
Physical growth and development describe the physical as well as psychomotor changes in an individual. Physical development of children are grouped into different categories and the period of adolescence is of vital in shaping the child into a useful citizen of the society. The adolescence period of development begins with puberty. Early adolescence is a time of rapid physical and intellectual development. Middle adolescence is a more stable period of adjustment to and integration of the behavior patterns of early adolescence. Later adolescence is marked by preparations for the responsibilities, choices and opportunities of adulthood. The major changes during adolescence are : -
i) Variability in onset and rate of puberty:
Directly related physical development/change that adolescents must face is the consciousness of sexual identity. This includes the expression of sexual needs and feelings and the acceptance or rejection of sex roles. Puberty is a series of physiological changes that make the organism capable of reproduction. Nearly every organ and system of the body is affected by these changes. The pre-puberty child and post puberty adolescents chages in outward appearance because of the changes in the stature and proportion and the development of primary and secondary sex characteristics.
Although the sequence of events at puberty is generally the same for each person, the timing and that of weight gain vary widely. The average girl typically begins pubertal changes around eleven years, one and a half to two years before the average boy. In each sex, however, the normal range of getting sexual maturity is approximately six years. Like the onset, the rate of change also varies widely. Some persons take only one and a half to two years to go through the pubertal changes to reach reproductive maturity, while others may require six years to pass through the same stage.
These differences mean that some individuals may mature before others of the same age who may have just entered puberty. The children make comparison among themselves. The tendency to hold maturity in high regard can be a problem for the less matured students. On the other hand, early maturers are also to experience temporary discomfort because they stand out from the less matured majority.
ii) Reactions to Puberty:
One of the most important challenges adolescents have to face is to adapt to the changes in their bodies. Coordination and physical activity must be adjusted rapidly as weight, height and skills change. The new developments in body must be integrated into the existing self-image. New habits have to be developed. As adolescents become more like adults in appearance, they are expected to behave more like adults regardless of their emotional, intellectual or social maturity.
The purpose of puberty is to make people able to reproduce. Thus the adolescent is faced with a new potential that includes increased interest in sexual activity, erotic fantasy and experimentation. Masturbation becomes a regular activity for many adolescents and some adolescents even indulge in sexual acts. The sexual activity necessitates facing the possibility of conflict with parents, pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases etc.
iii) Early and Late Maturing:
Researchers have long been interested in the possible differences between children who enter puberty early and those who enter it late. Peskin (1967) demonstrated that early maturers have a harder time at puberty. Youth who mature earlier experience more anxiety and have more temper tantrums, more conflict with their parents, and lower self-esteem at puberty than those who mature later. But by the time early maturers are in high schools, long post puberty and having accommodated its changes they are more at ease, popular, and mature than are late maturers. The late maturers are still experiencing pubertal changes.
If early maturity is an asset for teenage boys, it is a real liability for teenage girls. They develop breasts. They have fewer changes to discuss with peers the physical and emotional changes they are undergoing.
Peskin’s data suggest that the early maturer may need more help in understanding pubertal changes, while the late maturer may need more help coping with being relatively immature and less able to compete in situations where maturity and size are important.
One clear conclusion that we may draw from research on puberty is that this period is a relatively difficult one for for most children. neither they nor their peers nor adults find puberty easy to cope with. Moth self-esteem and peer-esteem decline temporarily during puberty.
