Zit Pops and Surprise Parties!

 

Ha, adolescence! This era of "magical" transformation, from the most beautiful periods of our life to a rollercoaster of acne, unscheduled growth spurts, and a flux of hormones, also has to be the most confusing, irritating, and yet, somehow, the most comical period of our life. It's a time when our body and mind seem to conspire against us, but in hindsight, it's also a time of hilarious mishaps. Remember when you woke up and realized that now you have the magical power to stain not just your sheets and your favorite dresses but also the lives around you because your brain decided to let the amygdala, the seat of our emotions, control our lives? It's as if our brain randomly brings pain and suffering to our bodies and minds on a random Tuesday, but why?

            The most straightforward and only answer is that this is only one part of the general course of development; it is just one part of the many life-span developmental periods, from our prenatal to the late adulthood phase. It is simply inevitable. We live on a continuum throughout and need to be experienced. As a fresher to the school of emerging adulthood, I had the most joyful experience interviewing a 17-year-old who has been checking all the boxes related to 'adolescence.' From vibrancy to zit city, she has got it all right. Adolescence is a transitional phase between childhood and adulthood, marked by biological, physical, cognitive, and socioemotional changes.

The onset of puberty, a natural marker for this phase of lifespan development, is a period of physical maturation that involves hormonal and bodily changes. These changes, including growth spurts that begin around 9-10 years for girls and 11- 12 for boys, are regular and part of the journey to adulthood. Due to biological and genetic differences, girls mature two years earlier than boys (Bany,2020). Both boys and girls have growth spurts regarding height, weight, and hair growth in the pubic area and underarms. Boys notice spurts of facial hair on their faces, and girls experience breakout-like acne. Boys also see a deepening of their voice, and girls notice breast development and begin menstruating; these changes are caused by hormones such as an increase in testosterone and estrogen.

The interviewee revealed that she caught the bodily changes when she turned eleven, which is the correct onset of these changes. Various researchers have found that adolescents have a hard time accepting bodily and physical changes during these bodily changes; girls show more body dissatisfaction, which shows up as unhappiness regarding changes in height and weight. Contrary to this finding, my interviewee reported a positive body image and self-esteem during these changes. The reason could be associated with her parental support during these transitions. She mentioned that open discussions about these bodily changes were encouraged in her environment. Parents play a pivotal role in how children perceive their body image and self-esteem. This involves addressing stigmas surrounding weight concerns, destroying distorted beliefs about unrealistic body images, and respecting diverse body shapes and sizes (Karoll,2023).

Physical activity is associated with several positive outcomes, such as weight control (van der Heijden & others, 2010), low levels of depressive symptoms (Sund, Larsson, & Wichstrom, 2010), and lower drug use (Delisle & others, 2010). My interviewee regularly exercises and maintains a healthy diet to maintain her physical fitness. Although researchers have found that physical exercise declines and becomes less active through adolescence, she retains her fitness through regular exercise. The National Sleep Foundation (2006) reported that 45% of students got less than 8 hours of sleep during school nights, which leads to tiredness, irritability, and depression compared to students who slept 8 hours every night. The interviewee ensured the lights were out by 10 PM and would wake up by 6AM to exercise. At several points during the interview, I wished I had followed a similar routine as she did; maybe my life would have turned out much better than it did!

As cited by Santrock, these transitional changes also include changes in their cognitive process. Adolescents start developing powers of thought that provide new cognitive horizons. According to Piaget's cognitive theory, around age 11, a child transitions from the concrete operational stage to the formal operational stage, marked by abstract thinking. The child can understand and differentiate between real and hypothetical questions and events and can reason logically. Adolescents think more abstractly and idealistically than adults and are more logical. This process, a hallmark of adolescent thinking, plays a crucial role in problem-solving. As a result, Maladjusted thinkers come up with ideas for solving problems and then systematically choose the best strategy for resolving the issue (p.370).

Adolescents see an increase in attention span comparable to that of adults. Depending on their interests and motivation, teenagers typically can focus for extended periods, ranging from one to several hours. I administered a digit span test and color Stroop to the interviewee to assess her short-term memory, a significant component of her working memory and attention span. The Stroop test assesses selective attention, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility. In the Digit span test, she could recall up to 8 digits after a brief exposure to the digits, which is a healthy short-term capacity. According to George Miller, his magical number is seven items plus or minus two, which means that an individual can recall between 5 to 9 items within short-term memory limits. Also, low errors in the Stroop test indicate reasonable cognitive control with minimal interference.

Adolescence: the time when our brains turn into hormonal reality shows, and our bodies decide to throw surprise puberty parties. Through the eyes of a 17-year-old, we get a front-row seat to the zit-popping, voice-cracking gala of growth. Riding the rollercoaster of adolescence with a good support crew and a personal fitness regime makes the ride smoother and almost enjoyable. Who knew sweating it out and having a bedtime could be secret weapons against the dreaded mood swing monsters? And thanks to the magic of brain development, teens suddenly start thinking about the world in ways that would be confusing. Adolescence isn't just a stumble through the awkward years; it's the undeniably messy, hilariously bewildering quest to becoming a fully-fledged adult. So, let's give it up for this wacky, wonderful time—pimples, puberty, and all.

 

 

References

Bany-Mohammed, H. (2020, February 28). Why do girls mature faster than boys? – Baron News. https://www.baronnews.com/2020/02/28/why-do-girls-mature-faster-than-boys/#:~:text=Girls%20physically%20mature%20faster%20than%20boys%20on%20a,than%20males%20due%20to%20their%20differences%20in%20biology.

Nurturing Positive Body Image in Children | Psychology Today. (n.d.). Www.psychologytoday.com. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/eating-disorder-recovery/202312/nurturing-positive-body-image-in-children

Roberts, S. R., Gorrell, S., & Grange, D. L. (2024). Body image during puberty: What happens to how kids feel about their bodies? Frontiers for Young Minds, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/frym.2024.1178387

Santrock, J. (2010). Life-Span development. McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages.

Soliman, A., De Sanctis, V., Elalaily, R., & Bedair, S. (2014). Advances in pubertal growth and factors influencing it: Can we increase pubertal growth? Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism, 18(7), 53. https://doi.org/10.4103/2230-8210.145075

 

‌The growing child- teenager (13 to 18 years). (n.d.). Stanford Medicine Children’s Health. https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=the-growing-child-teenager-13-to-18-years-90-P02175

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