Sexual Maturation, Physical changes in females

 Sexual Maturation

Researchers have found that male pubertal characteristics develop in this order:

increase in penis and testicle size, minor voice 

change, first ejaculation (masturbation or a wet dream), appearance of pubic hair, onset of maximum body growth, growth of hair in armpits, more detectable voice changes, and growth of facial hair. 

Three noticeable areas of sexual maturation in boys are penis elongation, testes development, and growth of facial hair.

Physical changes in females?

First, the breasts enlarge and then pubic hair appears (armpits).

Height ↑, and hips become wider than her shoulders. 

First menstruation (menarche) occurs; it is considered normal if it occurs between the ages of 9 and 15. Initially, menstrual cycles may be highly irregular. 

For the first several years, might not ovulate during every menstrual cycle. 

Some girls do not become fertile until two years after their periods begin. 

Pubertal females do not experience voice changes comparable to those in pubertal males. By the end of puberty, the female’s breasts have become more fully rounded.

Body Image

Psychological aspect of physical change in puberty:

Preoccupation with body image and develop images of what their bodies are like is strong throughout adolescence, but it is especially acute during early adolescence, a time when adolescents are more dissatisfied with their bodies.

Girls are less happy with their bodies and have more negative body images than boys.

Girls fat increases (-'ve) &  Boys muscle mass increases (+'ve).

 Early and Late Maturation

Did you enter puberty early, late, or on time?

Adolescents often perceive themselves differently and their maturational timing is linked to their socioemotional development and whether they develop problems.

In the Berkeley Longitudinal Study, early-maturing boys perceived themselves more positively and had more successful peer relations than did late maturing boys. Girls were similar but not as strong as for boys. 

Late-maturing boys were in their thirties had developed a more positive identity than the early maturing boys had. 

They had more time to explore life’s options, or perhaps the early-maturing boys continued to focus on their physical status instead of paying attention to career development and achievement.

Early-maturing girls are more likely to smoke, drink, be depressed, have an eating disorder, struggle for earlier independence from their parents, and have older friends; 

and their bodies are likely to elicit responses from males that lead to earlier dating and earlier sexual experiences.

And early-maturing girls are less likely to graduate from high school and tend to cohabit and marry earlier.

Apparently as a result of their social and cognitive immaturity, combined with early physical development, early-maturing girls are easily lured into problem behaviors.