Adolescent Self-Portrait Essay

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Adolescence

Adolescent Self-Portrait

Adolescence: A conflicted life period

Adolescence is often considered to be a particularly 'fraught' time during the average individual's life history. Although the construction of adolescence and the age during which someone is considered to be an adolescent may vary from culture to culture, most societies define a certain period of time as 'not childhood' and 'not adulthood.' There are common physiological changes seen in all adolescents such as menstruation in females; lowered voice in males; and increased height and body hair in both genders. Adolescents also begin to experience and experiment with showing sexual desire. However, these changes can cause great anxiety and confusion, as the adolescent struggles with his or her emerging adolescent identity.

Females in particular tend to be more anxious about their body image than boys because of the great emphasis placed upon female beauty within the culture as a measure of self-worth (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman 2010:260).

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Girls tend to mature earlier than boys and very early-maturing girls often experience particularly traumatic feelings about changes in their bodies (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman 2010: 261). A common feeling amongst adolescents is that their body and mental state are not the same: they feel part child and part adult all at once, and this can be exacerbated by early maturity.

Adolescents are often said to be very impulsive and exhibit risk-taking behaviors such as engaging in substance abuse and early sexual activity. This may be partially due to the hormonal changes during this period of time and the underdeveloped areas of the brain which relate to judgment and foresight. Adolescents may feel like adults and judge themselves to be far more capable and mature than they really are in terms of perceiving risk (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman 2010: 262).

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"Adolescent Self-Portrait" (2013, October 20) Retrieved June 3, 2026, from
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"Adolescent Self-Portrait", 20 October 2013, Accessed.3 June. 2026,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/adolescent-self-portrait-125139
   

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