You have already learnt about growing up as adolescents in Class VIII through your science textbook. Growth is a natural phenomenon. Growth is a characteristic feature of all living beings. You must have seen seeds growing into seedlings, which then grow and develop into plants, or pups growing into dogs, kitten into cats and so on. Similarly an infant passes through different phases of growth from childhood to adolescence to adulthood. Although all the stages of growth and development are significant, it has been universally recognised that the stage of adolescence is the most critical one.
This chapter deals with the pattern of human growth with special emphasis on the growth spurt that takes place during adolescence which means by rapid changes in the body, psyche and behaviour. An adolescent, well aware of pubertal changes, must be able to understand and accept the changes with confidence, and not fall into the trap of escapist strategies such as drug abuse. Growing up with confidence needs proper understanding of various issues and concerns related to adolescence such as growth and development, self-concept and self-esteem, anxiety and depression, nutritional needs and sexual desires or any kind of harassment. Understanding these issues and concerns will help develop a positive attitude towards gender concerns and building healthy relationships.
Growth: A Natural Phenomenon
Recognition of adolescence as a distinct stage in the development of human beings began during the early part of the 20th century. Growth during adolescence is mostly portrayed as an exclusive characteristic of this period, making one believe that growth during other stages — childhood, adulthood and old age is hardly significant. But you would have observed that we have all been growing up since we were born without consciously realising it. We can appreciate the phenomenon of growth during all stages of human life by undertaking the following activities.
What is Growth?
Let us understand what is growth? Growth may be defined as the quantitative increase in size or mass. When weight is measured in kilograms and height in centimetres from time to time, we can know how much growth has occurred in a child. When the organs of the body grow, the number, the size and the weight of their cells increase. Growth can be measured in terms of the change in length, width, depth and volume in a specific time period. Although growth is a characteristic of living beings, in all living beings, the rate of growth also depends on nutrition and living conditions, including the environment at home.
Growth, Development and Maturation
Growth, development and maturation occur side by side. Growth is a quantitative increase in size through increase in number of cells or elongation of cells. Development may be defined as the progression of changes, both qualitative and quantitative, which lead to an undifferentiated mass of cells to a highly organised state. Maturation is a measure of functional capacity. For example, a child begins to speak by making unintelligible sounds. Then, slowly it acquires the capacity for speaking in a manner, which is easily understood by others. Another example of maturation is when a child begins to crawl and then matures to a state of walking on two legs. Similarly, organs of reproduction reach maturity at the end of puberty.
Determinants of Growth and Development
Although age related events of growth, development and maturation in human beings are mostly the same in all cultures, however, some variations do exist. This is because growth is affected by both genetic and the environmental factors. Growth is also influenced by the socio–cultural context. For example, in the economically backward families, the growth of family members gets stunted due to undernourishment. But even in economically sound households, the members may not be taking a nutritious diet. Many children who eat junk food all the time become obese. In fact, growth and development of a human being is a result of a combination of heredity and environment
Parents contribute genes to their biological offspring, so the children tend to resemble their parents in stature, body proportions, body composition, and pace of growth and development. Individual genes, however, are not solely responsible for growth, nor do they directly cause growth. Several genes jointly control growth. The hormonal and nervous systems also have an important role to play. Hormones from endocrine glands provide the requisite environment for gene action throughout life. For example, growth spurt during adolescence requires the secretion of adequate amounts of growth hormones into blood so that the genes regulating growth of skeleton, muscles and fat become active to the required extent. Because of inheritance, children of tall parents are likely to be tall and children of short parents tend to be short. One needs to understand the role of heredity in the context of development of body physique. Therefore, one should not develop a negative or positive image of oneself on the basis of one’s physique. Also, some individuals have a constitution which makes them look tall (ectomorphic), some medium sized (mesomorphic) and some have a small but rounded built (endomorphic). Thus, a normally growing adolescent should not base self-image on these factors as they are beyond one’s control.
Role of Environment
Growth and development are also influenced by environmental factors. The role of nutrition, child rearing practices and the psycho-social environment provided by the family is very critical.
Nutrition: A nutritious diet favours growth. Growth requires multiplication of cells or enlargement of cells, which depends on an adequate supply of nutrients. In fact, at every stage, the body needs a basic level of nutrients for its sustenance. Nutrition is, therefore, the most important external factor for growth. You have learnt in earlier classes in your science lessons that essential nutrients in a human diet are:
1. Proteins and amino acids
2. Carbohydrates and sugar
3. Lipids – fats and oils
4. Minerals – Macronutrients: Calcium, Phosphorus, Sodium, Potassium, Sulphur, Chlorine, Magnesium. Micronutrients: Iron, Zinc, Manganese, Iodine, Cobalt, Copper, Molybdenum, Nickel.
5. Vitamins – Vitamins are of two kinds Fat soluble: Vitamins A, D, E, K Water soluble: Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Folic Acid.
6. Water
Nutrients are obtained from food. Both quality and quantity of food are important. Food provides energy, and energy (in kilo calories) is required not only for growth but also for maintenance of the body, its working as well as reproduction.
maintenance of the body, its working as well as reproduction. A balanced diet contains all the nutrients in appropriate quantities. Undernutrition during childhood results in slow growth and delayed maturation. If continued into adolescence, it leads to short stature adulthood. Nutritional needs during adolescence are more than that during childhood. Dietary deficiencies retard the growth. The nutrient requirement however varies among adolescents since rate of physical growth is not the same in all. In populations with food shortage, growth of children is delayed. They may be shorter or of less weight due to malnutrition or undernutrition.
The Psycho-social environment
The quality of emotional and psychological environment in which a child lives and grows do influence the hormonal balance of the body, thereby affecting growth. Growth gets retarded as a result of emotionally stressful environment.
Physical and psychological stress together have been found to influence growth and development in girls with respect to menarche and menstruation. The age of attaining puberty among boys and girls varies. Some adolescents show signs of early maturation, while others mature late. Highly competitive track athletes who enter training before puberty have been found to show delayed menarche. It is possible to explain the delay due to the elevated levels of certain hormones in blood during severe physical exercise. These hormones delay the onset of menstruation. The timing of menarche is possibly the best researched adolescent event known to be affected by factors like heredity, nutrition, illness, socio-economic status and psychological condition.
Socio-economic Status
Socio-economic status also affects growth. Poverty and low socio-economic status lowers the rate of growth in youngsters. Such retarded growth in socially weaker sections of the society is linked to heavy physical labour and the stress associated with it. Malnutrition and an unhygienic environment is also not congenial for growth.
elf-concept and Self-esteem
Growth and development during adolescence do affect selfconcept and self-esteem. The concept of ‘self’ becomes evident in boys and girls as they enter their ‘teen’ age. Several changes begin to occur in their body and psyche. As a result, the attention is focused towards ‘self’. As the concept of ‘self’ develops, it makes the teenager develop less dependence on parents. Self-image becomes important not only for oneself
but also in the eyes of others. There is a tendency for looking into the mirror and admiring oneself. Grooming oneself to look beautiful or handsome to others is always at the back of the mind of young boys and girls.
Support and guidance from parents and teachers and friendship with peers help in developing ‘positive self-esteem’. Self-esteem is also a kind of self-recognition. It is important for growing up with confidence.
The consequences of low self-esteem and self-image are detrimental to efficiency. Try to have high self-esteem and a positive self-image.
Peer group is important because friends and peers may help to sort out confusions regarding rapidly occurring changes in the body. Similar changes in friends of the same age reassure that all is normal. As adolescents grow, they emotionally move further from parents to become independent adults. Acceptance among peers becomes important. Company of wrong peers or adults becomes risky during early adolescence.
Psychological Security
For developing self-confidence and self-esteem, it is essential to have a stress-free environment. Adolescence is a period of losses—loss of childhood, loss of sexual innocence, loss of freedom from responsibility. Adolescents need parental support to cope with these losses.
Psychological security depends a lot on how a boy or girl was valued by the family as a child. You may have seen that teenagers who have experienced encouragement from others with respect to values and parental expectations tend to be psychologically more secure than those who are subjected as children to shame and punishment.
A psychologically secure teenager is able to concentrate on studies, have respect for parents, spend time judiciously on hobbies and establish healthy relationships. Adolescence has to be viewed as a period of gains too— the adolescent attains a beautiful physique, figure and face. Another gain is the maturity of brain, which leads to rational thinking and better understanding of subjects and issues. But to ignore the losses and carry the gains forward, support from parents/guardians, teachers, and peers goes a long way in helping the youngsters cope with changes occurring during adolescence.
Psychological Insecurity and Mental Illness
Psychological insecurity expresses as anxiety and depression and in severe cases may result in psychosis, which is a mental disorder. Psychologically insecure individuals may even attempt suicide.
Anxiety and Depression
During growing up, adolescents also become victims of anxiety and depression.
Anxiety
Anxiety is not abnormal. Everyone gets the feeling of anxiety sometime or the other. Anxiety is an apprehension of something unpleasant or some danger. It causes mental discomfort and pain. It may sometimes prove to be useful, for example, before an examination or competition. But an abnormally high level of anxiety is counter productive as it distracts and lowers the span of attention. Adolescents sometimes panic out of anxiety without knowing the reason. They may even feel a fear of failure in future. This makes them tense and tired. Anxiety may manifest as a need to get medical treatment for an imaginary sleep disorder or some other physical complaint. It may also manifest as over breathing (hyperventilation syndrome). Anxiety may even be due to separation from parents or even for having to attend school out of compulsion or due to sex drive. Adolescents may try to get out of anxiety by self-help. The right treatment for anxiety lies in seeking help from parents, teachers, counsellors and even friends.
Depression
Feeling ‘sad’ or low is common among the adolescents. If the feeling is short-lived there is no problem. But sometimes symptoms of depression show up as social withdrawal, need to weep, eating and sleeping problems, and feeling of dejection and hopelessness. Depression at times leads to hostility towards parents, society and peers. ‘Anger’ is sometimes a psychological reaction for fighting depression. If an individual faces pressure, he/she should be empowered to access or seek information, advice, support through appropriate communication from significant adults such as the parents, teachers, elders, relatives, peers, counsellors and health professionals. The best way to get out of depression is to engage oneself in various types of physical activities and hobbies.
Psychosis
Psychosis is a medical term for a serious illness in which the patient loses contact with reality. The perception in the patient’s mind has no connection with reality of the outside world. The quality of relationships declines progressively and contact with others lessens with time in a psychotic person. A psychotic may also suffer delusions and hallucinations in which the patient imagines voices and happenings which are far from real. Psychosis may result from abuse of alcohol and drugs, injury and traumatic events.
Suicidal Tendency
Depression and suicidal tendencies often go together. It is unfortunate that often a trivial problem drives a person to commit suicide. The person feels that it is difficult to run away from unhappiness and death can be the only solution. Suicide in adolescents is mostly due to a sense of guilt or failure. Suicidal behaviour is usually impulsive. It is attempted to punish the self or a loved one. Often suicide is followed by a quarrel with a loved one. It springs from loss of reasoning, which is usually temporary. For teenagers, or for that matter for everyone, it is important, therefore, to think about the consequences before taking any extreme step. The need is to take care of such adolescents and help them overcome depression. It is the responsibility of the parents to take to the child or consult a counsellor if they see any symptoms of depression before it is too late.
Drug or Substance Abuse
Young people are more vulnerable to drug or substance misuse and abuse due to peer pressure, poor self-esteem, low achievement at school or family history of drug or substance abuse. Drugs are chemicals. Some are used for treatment and help in recovery from an ailment. But when drugs are used for purposes other than treatment, their consumption becomes ‘drug abuse’ rather than ‘drug use’. Many a time drugs given for medical treatment are also abused as in the case study given below.
Certain drugs serve no useful purpose; instead have adverse effects on the body. Drugs such as Marijuana, hallucinogens and tranquilisers which have an effect on the brain and drive the user into a make believe world of fantasy and provide false feelings of being free from problems. These are not only addictive but also have an adverse effect on the brain.
Sexual Harassment or Sexual Abuse
Sexual harassment is described as any unwelcome sexual gesture or behaviour, whether directly or indirectly–physical contact or advance, showing pornography, a demand or quest for sexual favour, or any other unwelcome physical, verbal/ nonverbal conduct. It also includes molestation and rape. It is a criminal act and a punishable offence. Young girls and boys often become target of sexual harassment/abuse by older and powerful people. As per the research, a person who is engaged in sexual abuse of young girls and/or boys is often known to them. Boys are equally vulnerable to sexual abuse. The black mailers usually threat the youngsters of serious consequences if they tell anyone. In such cases, the girl/boy being abused must immediately inform parents/or any trusted member for protection.
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