Psychosexual development of adolescents

For most people, sexual development occurs in adolescence. This period of rapid growth and development is called puberty and puberty. This is the period during which a biological organism reaches sexual maturity, and the person passes a rapid psychological and social development.

Start of development: early or late?

  Puberty usually begins at the age of eight - twelve years in girls and ten to fourteen years of age in boys. Sometimes puberty is delayed. In this case, we called late puberty or delayed.

Late puberty signs of puberty occur after sixteen years in girls and 18 in boys. When combined with a late-maturing hereditary diseases Hereditary diseases - a sentence or a warning?   there may be multiple internal organ disorders and mental development. The diagnosis of early or late puberty can set a pediatrician or an endocrinologist. The doctor carefully examined the child, the parents will ask about the conditions of his education and development, conduct a comprehensive examination to rule out serious causes of the disease.

To determine the function of sexual organs, need to do a blood test from a vein, and to determine the level of hormones - urinalysis. Often after puberty is a symptom of diseases such as Klinefelter's syndrome (a genetic disease characterized by the presence of additional X-chromosome in men), Turner's syndrome (a genetic disease in girls, wherein one of the two X-chromosomes partially or totally absent) and and other diseases (e.g., diseases of the thyroid or pituitary diabetes Diabetes , Kidney disease).

In most cases, it requires medical treatment hormonal preparations. In some forms of hereditary diseases cure is not possible, a correction is possible only state teenager.

Signs of puberty in girls:

• growth of hair in the armpits and pubic hair;
• enlargement and breast growth;
• rapid growth;
• first menstruation (menarche);
• an increase in subcutaneous fat in the pelvis, chest and upper body.
• Signs of puberty in boys:
• Hair Growth Hair: structure, characteristics of growth and development   on the face, chest, armpits and pubic hair;
• breaking and deepening of voice;
• pollutions (involuntary ejaculation is not associated with intercourse or masturbation, usually occurs during sleep);
• rapid growth;
• gynecomastia (breast enlargement with hypertrophy of glands and fatty tissue, which often occurs during puberty, which spontaneously disappeared within two years);
• the increase and growth of the penis and testes;
• increased muscle mass.

In addition to the achievement of biological maturity, puberty also includes psychological (emotional), and social development. The teenager begins to assert its independence and realize their own personality. In adolescence, a person first realistic about your strengths and weaknesses, has set itself long-term goals and make decisions about their future. Before this age, many children are not able to talk realistically about their future (for example, they dream of becoming a professional athlete, a movie star or a girl Justin Bieber). In addition, they are beginning to realize and assert their sexuality.

Search for yourself

In early adolescence, boys and girls are often dissatisfied with their appearance, they have low self-esteem and a lot of complexes. At this age, they may experience due to their development and take an interest in the opposite sex. Many teenagers build strong friendships with the opposite sex. Friendship with the same sex in this period is particularly important for both girls and boys.

At fifteen or sixteen years old teens get used to the changed your body and manage to love him, and get used to their sexual needs. Many teenagers begin to tie a relationship with the opposite sex at the age of 14 - 16 years, but these relationships are short-lived.

Social relations develop in late adolescence (after seventeen years). In this age of romantic relationships are more severe and are often accompanied by sex. For this stage of psychosexual development is also characterized by experimentation with sexual orientation, which is not always evidence of homosexuality, and the frequent change of sexual partners (both sexes).

Parents should stress the importance of safe sex before young people start an active sex life. Open communication about sex - an important part of a healthy psychosexual development.