Psychology

Adolescence is the period in between the beginning of puberty and the capability to take responsibilities of the adult life. Puberty commences with the appearing of secondary sexual characteristics and terminates with the growth of the long bones, where there is no more growth in height (Beckert, 2007).

Menstrual cycle begins at puberty in girls. The development of the uterus and the thickening of the virginal walls are promoted by estrogen. There is growth of supporting tissues in the buttocks and hips. The growth in the tissues and the widening of the pelvis enable childbearing. There is development of breasts. There is also growth of pubic and underarm hair, stimulated by androgen and estrogen (Rathus, Nevid and Rathus, 2007).

For boys at puberty, the hydrothermus sends a signal to the pituitary to rise the generation of FSH and LH. There is growth in the organs that produces semen. This is the time when the boys experience their initial ejaculation, often through masturbation. At this time, boys may start experiencing wet dreams (Rathus, Nevid and Rathus, 2007). They develop pubic, underarm and facial hair. Some boys develop hair on the chest, but this might even happen after the age of twenty. There is growth of the voice box and the lengthening of the vocal cords. This causes their voices to become deep. Individual growths however differ with some boys growing faster than girls. There is increase in muscle mass that increases the body weight. Shoulders broaden and the chest widens (Beckert, 2007).

Both boys and girls grow very fast during the puberty stage, but girls usually grow faster than boys. The sex hormones flow though the bloodstream in large amounts creates a relatively strong sex drive. This is why many of them seek sexual outlets like masturbation (Rathus, Nevid and Rathus, 2007).

Conclusion
There are issues that are experienced by both girls and boys during adolescence. They include negative body image, shame and embarrassment, and wrong messages about sexuality. Fortunately I did not experience any of these issues during my adolescence and I am positive about my body and sexuality.