Chapter Introduction
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CHAPTER OUTLINE
Setting the Context: Culture, History, and Puberty
Individual Differences in Puberty Timetables
An Insider’s View of Puberty
INTERVENTIONS: Minimizing Puberty Distress
The Differing Body Concerns of Girls and Boys
INTERVENTIONS: Improving Teenagers’ Body Image
Who Is Having Intercourse?
Who Are Teens Having Intercourse With?
HOT IN DEVELOPMENTAL SCIENCE: Is There Still a Sexual Double Standard?
Wrapping Up Sexuality: Contemporary Trends
INTERVENTIONS: Toward Teenager-Friendly Sex Education
Samantha and her twin brother, Sam, were so much alike—in their physical features, their personalities, their academic talents. Except for the sex difference, they seemed like identical twins. Then, when Samantha was 10, she started to tower over Sam and the rest of the fifth-grade class.
Yes, there were downsides to being first to develop—needing to hide behind a locker when you dressed for gym; not having anyone to talk to when you got your period at age 10; being teased by the other kids about your big, strange body. But, oh, what fun! From being a neglected, pudgy elementary school child, by sixth grade, Samantha leaped into the ranks of most popular. At age 12, Samantha was smoking and drinking. By 14, she regularly defied her helpless parents and often left the house at 2 a.m.
Samantha’s parents were frantic, but their daughter couldn’t care less. Everything else was irrelevant compared to exploring being an adult. It took a life-changing tenth-grade trip to Costa Rica with Sara, and a pregnancy scare, to get Samantha on track. Samantha had abandoned Sara, her best friend from first grade on, for her new “mature” friends. But when the girls got close again that memorable summer, Sara’s calming influence woke Samantha up. Samantha credits comments like, “Why are you putting yourself in danger by having unprotected sex?” with saving her life. Plus, her lifelong competition with her brother didn’t hurt. Although Sam was also an early developer, when he shot up to 6 feet in the spring of seventh grade, he was great at sports and also a social star.
Now that Samantha is 30, married, and expecting her first child, it’s interesting for the three of them to get together and talk (for the first time) about the teenage years. Sam remembers the thrill of getting so much stronger and his first incredible feelings of being in love. Samantha recalls being excited about her changing body, but she also remembers obsessively worrying about being too fat. Then, there is Sara, who says middle school was no problem because she didn’t menstruate until age 14. Everyone goes through puberty, but why does everyone react in different ways?
Why did Samantha have trouble as an early-maturing girl, while Sam and Sara sailed through these landmark years? This chapter focuses on that question and others as I explore puberty, the name for the internal and external changes related to physically becoming adult. I’ll begin by exploring this landmark life transition—examining what sets off puberty, tracking the unfolding changes, focusing on how teens react to their bodies. Next, I’ll discuss body image issues and, finally, explore sexuality during this watershed time of life. As you read this chapter, think back to when you were 10 or 12 or 14. How did you feel about your body during puberty? When did you begin dating and fantasizing about having sex?