Puberty is a complex of biological and physiological changes associated with the development of sexual and somatic functions. It is believed that puberty in boys begins at about the age of twelve and ends at the age of seventeen. Under the influence of hormones, teenagers turn into men. Changes affect not only the physiological side, but also the psychological aspect. The emotional and intellectual areas usually continue to develop until the age of twenty-two.
Physiological signs of puberty in boys
Puberty is associated with accelerated growth and weight gain. It is often found that a boy grows by three centimeters in a few months. Rapid growth usually continues until the age of eighteen. When puberty begins in boys, the gonads and penis enlarge. The prostate gland and seminal vesicles also become larger and begin to function. Their active work is manifested in erections and wet dreams. The latter include involuntary ejaculation. This phenomenon isnormal physiological process and indicates that the functioning of the genital organs has begun.
External sexual characteristics
The transitional puberty in boys is manifested in increased hair growth in the groin area (wedge type), armpits and on the face. If a teenager has a female form of growth, then it is necessary to consult an endocrinologist. Changes during puberty also affect the voice of teenagers. Gradually it becomes rough and low. This is due to an increase in the size of the thyroid cartilage of the larynx and the ossification of some of its sections. Under the influence of hormones, the smell of boys' sweat becomes sharper, the skin becomes oily, prone to acne. During this period, special attention should be paid to personal hygiene.
Musculoskeletal system
Puberty in boys affects changes in the figure - the pelvis is slightly extended, remains narrow, and the shoulders become wider. Teenagers often look awkward as different tissues grow unevenly. The first to increase in size are the bones, the next are the muscles, and then the nerve fibers and blood vessels. In parallel with the growth of the skeleton and muscles, physical strength increases, which at first lags behind the development of muscles. Parts of the body develop inharmoniously, first the feet and hands are extended, then the limbs, and lastly the shape of the face and torso changes. The body is shortened, the lower jaw increases in size. The shape of the head is the least subject to change, since the development of the skull and brain precedes the rest of maturation.
The main problems of adolescence in boys are associated with temporary impaired coordination of movements. The phenomenon can be explained by an overestimation of one's own motor abilities, which is based on unusually large body sizes, stiffness is characteristic. Coordination is affected by the gradual increase in muscle strength. This sequence ensures the coordinated work of various muscle groups.
Psychological characteristics of teenagers
It's not easy for boys to go through puberty. Photos at this time, many do not want to show. The teenager looks awkward, with excessively long limbs, disproportionate. Often, guys begin to slouch to avoid attention to themselves. More self-confident teenagers begin to look for their own style in order to please the opposite sex. Often at this time, a teenager enters into sexual activity. Up to this point, it will be useful to discuss together all the consequences of promiscuity.
The most difficult on the way to adulthood is the puberty period in boys. Psychology describes the extremely unstable nervous system of adolescents. A teenager is accompanied by frequent mood swings, he can become depressed because of a trifle, or he can react aggressively to a seemingly harmless joke. Teenagers are categorical in their opinion, they tend to act thoughtlessly, following the will of emotions. Physical andmental malaise is expressed in frequent whims and pugnacity. Boys can simultaneously experience hatred for the world around them and for themselves. To the contradictory state is added another attraction to forbidden actions. Puberty in boys is accompanied by feelings of loneliness and misunderstanding. Parents need to adhere to a special line of behavior in times of crisis, as one careless word can lead to unpleasant consequences.
The intellectual development of pubertal boys is actively aimed at finding their place in society. A teenager strives for independence, criticizes many topics. During this period, the formation of character, perception of the world around, one's image and line of behavior takes place. The teenager is already able to abstract mental operations from objects, thinking reaches the phase of formal operations, so often he begins to reach for general formulas and theories. A teenager thinks about his own theories of happiness, politics, philosophy. During puberty, the boy begins to perceive the world in terms of ways to change it. He is trying to form his life program, depending on his chosen goal in the future. With her, a teenager enters the adult world, encountering obstacles on the way, gradually socializes.
Puberty in boys includes the active development of the imagination. Teenagers carefully guard their fantasies. There is a development of self-consciousness. The boy begins to look for the reasons for his behavior, analyzes the further development of actions. This neoplasmpromotes understanding not only of oneself, but also of other people during puberty in boys.
Age, psychology, crisis 13 years
This is a period of increased fatigue, reduced performance. Due to insufficient maturity, a teenager of thirteen cannot understand what is happening to him. Misunderstanding is expressed in increased excitability and motor restlessness. The upholding of one's independence, characteristic of this time, begins in the puberty period in boys. The age of the end of the crisis is fifteen years. At this transitional moment, increased resentment, irascibility, and sometimes demonstrative behavior are often manifested. Under the influence of hormones, boys are characterized by frequent mood swings and a violent outburst of emotions. For example, an hour ago he could cry because he was not bought a game, and now he is screaming and swearing at the fact that he is told to clean his room and does not remember the game. Bursts of increased motor activity are replaced by complete exhaustion, fatigue sets in quickly. With increased fatigue, a frequent complaint of parents about the "laziness" of their offspring is associated. Thirteen-year-old teenagers cannot do monotonous work, their attention and patience last for ten minutes. Efficiency and productivity of labor are sharply reduced, and the number of errors in actions increases. Basically, a negative phenomenon is associated with the restructuring of the propulsion system. Changes in functioning are also observed in the work of fine motor skills, which leads to a deterioration in handwriting. Sloppiness distinguishes pubertalperiod.
In boys, the age of thirteen is associated with the development of logical thinking, which is expressed in increased criticism. He does not take on faith the words of adults, requires evidence of their correctness. Boys begin to pay attention to their feelings and experiences, there are cases when at this age they begin to compose poetry or keep a diary. One of the symptoms of the crisis of thirteen years is considered pronounced negativism. The phenomenon is associated with the desire to deny traditional views, the teenager becomes withdrawn, he can often be seen thoughtful.
Prematurity
Early puberty in boys is quite rare. Usually the beginning of the maturation process is included in the standard framework. The earliest period of development is considered to be ten years, and the latest - fourteen. Boys, compared to their peers, have narrower shoulders and a wider pelvis. Prematurity is characterized by strong sexual urges during childhood. There are cases when, along with this phenomenon, mental retardation is detected. True premature puberty causes three reasons: disorders in the work of the hypothalamus, the influence of past brain diseases, and the idiopathic form. Timely treatment is essential as children stop growing prematurely.
Late development
Boys with late onset of puberty have mostly long legs and a short torso. The main symptoms are the lack of growth of pubic hair at fifteen, as well as the genitals tothirteen years old. Delayed maturation can be caused by diseases associated with pathologies in the structure of chromosomes, for example, Klinefelter's syndrome. The presence of diabetes mellitus, anemia, renal failure, or the effect of tumor processes in the brain also affects. Affects the timeliness of development by reducing the stimulation of hormones. The cause of temporary deviations may be a hereditary factor. If one of the parents had delayed puberty, then the possibility of transferring developmental characteristics increases.
Hypothalamic syndrome
This disease occurs in boys during puberty quite often. This is a neuroendocrine syndrome of age-related restructuring of the body with a disorder in the work of the hypothalamus, pituitary gland and other endocrine glands. Hypothalamic syndrome of puberty in boys usually develops by the age of sixteen. The development of the disease is affected by neuroinfections, stress, pathology of pregnancy, traumatic brain injury, changes in the functioning of the thyroid gland, radiation, and so on. Against the background of the syndrome, hyperproduction of corticosteroids and cortisol is noticeable. The latter causes a decrease in insulin sensitivity, which can lead to the development of diabetes mellitus and the formation of atherosclerosis. During the course of the disease, striae appear on the body - pink stripes.
Boys suffering from the syndrome begin to eat a lot in the evenings and at night, which is associated with the onset of activity of the vagus nerve (vagus), which stimulates the work of insulin. Over time, obesitymammary glands enlarge. Patients drink a lot, complain of frequent headaches, get tired quickly. Hypothalamic syndrome of puberty in boys causes a decrease in academic performance, an increase in the manifestation of negative emotions. Sufferers can become depressed because of the sharp attacks of others about their appearance.
Patients are usually tall, fat limbs, wide pelvis, round puffy face. The skin is delicate, prone to sunburn. Hair is mostly prone to falling out, greasy. Patients with hypothalamic syndrome are distinguished by soft, tender hands, with long fingers and thin nails. With a decrease in thyroid function, drowsiness, a slow reaction, and chilliness are observed. Affected boys suffer from excessive sweating, hot flashes, nausea, fever, and so on.
One form of hypothalamic syndrome is juvenile basophilism. With the disease, obesity, enlargement of the mammary glands, high growth compared with peers are noted. Puberty can be either premature or delayed. In the first case, the boys are hypersexual, prone to early sexual intercourse.
Under the influence of stress, the syndrome can worsen and lead to various crises. Diabetes mellitus, hypertension, gynecomastia, peripheral atherosclerosis may develop. With timely treatment, in most cases recovery is observed. The syndrome usually regresses with age. With a decrease in body weight, striae turn white and become inconspicuous. With proper correction, all symptomsdisappear by the age of 20-25.
Diseases of puberty
One of the most common diseases are osteochondropathy. The negative phenomenon is associated with a lack of calcium in fast-growing bones. Due to the deficiency of an important element, adolescents complain of pain in the knees and ankles. Problems bring and excess calcium. It can be deposited in the kidneys in the form of s alts, leading to urolithiasis or pyelonephritis.
Problems with the functioning of the adrenal glands can begin at puberty in boys. Diseases associated with these disorders lead to the development of hypertension and early atherosclerosis. The work of the adrenal glands is also reflected in cardiac activity. In case of violations, arrhythmia, sharp fluctuations in blood pressure, and headaches may occur. During puberty, disturbances in the endocrine system may occur. The reason for contacting an endocrinologist is mainly precocious sexual development or its delay. During the examination, violations may not be detected, then the teenager and parents should be patient.
During puberty, two more opposite diseases occur - pubertal obesity and malnutrition. In the first case, there is an excessive deposition of fat on the abdomen, thighs. A suffering teenager is characterized by lethargy, lack of initiative, prefers a sedentary lifestyle. Sexual development is usually normal, growth is average or above average. The cause of obesity lies in the activity of basophilic elements of the anteriorlobe of the pituitary gland. Usually the disease does not require special treatment, but examination and observation is mandatory. As for pubertal wasting, the disease is also associated with a disorder of the pituitary gland and is more characteristic of girls.
In conclusion
In addition to somatic diseases, psychological disorders can also develop during puberty in boys. Age, signs of disease are different. Often the impetus for the development of the disorder is an overly critical attitude of a teenager towards himself, his appearance, as well as an increased sensitivity to ridicule. For example, depersonalization disorder is associated with anxiety about changes in the body. A teenager experiences a feeling of alienation, anxiety due, for example, to an enlarged hand. There are doubts about the veracity of sensations, sometimes in the reality of one's own personality. Teenagers describe their condition as if all the actions take place in a dream, the sounds are muffled. This is connected with the development of certain rituals to make sure of the reality of their existence. Another disorder associated with changes in the perception of the environment is derealization. In this case, people are perceived as inanimate objects, and the sizes and shapes of objects are distorted. The condition is characterized by depression, obsessive thoughts, fears, memory impairment.
Changes in the body can lead to the development of complexes and even to a crisis state. So, the disease dysmorphophobia is expressed in an obsessive fear of a defect in appearance (apparent or imaginary). The sufferer begins to lead a secluded life, carefullymasks the defect. The teenager is in a depressed state, constantly dissatisfied with his appearance. The disorder can lead to deliberate harm to one's body in order to get rid of the defect on one's own.
Despite the desire of adolescents for independence, for open negativity, disobedience, and sometimes aggression, they remain children even in puberty. In boys, age, psychology of behavior are interrelated. But every teenager needs to be listened to and their problems properly perceived. With a joint decision with parents, the difficulties of deplorable consequences can be avoided. The family should forever remain a safe place where a teenager can take a break from adversity and be accepted for who he is. It should be remembered that during puberty, most diseases, both physical and psychological, can be prevented or cured without much effort. To do this, you need to be attentive to what the boy tells about himself, to monitor his behavior.
