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The Importance of Puberty in Adolescent Development

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Biosocial Foundations of Family Processes

Part of the book series: National Symposium on Family Issues ((NSFI))

Abstract

Adolescence is a good time to study the influences of physiology and social environmental factors within the family because it is a time of major biological change with substantial implications for psychological change. Puberty represents a key transition in psychological function, and many studies of adolescent development consider the effects of puberty. Key questions concern mechanisms by which puberty affects psychological function and the psychological consequences and antecedents of variations in pubertal timing. Examples of these questions are considered in this chapter, with consideration of the ways in which they can be integrated with behavior genetics studies.

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Acknowledgments

I am grateful to Susan McHale for valuable discussions on issues related to the chapter and to Carolyn Scott for helpful suggestions for improving it.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA

    Sheri A. Berenbaum

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  1. Sheri A. Berenbaum
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Correspondence to Sheri A. Berenbaum .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Sociology & Crime, Law, &, Justice, Pennsylvania State University, Oswald Tower 513, University Park, 16802, Pennsylvania, USA

    Alan Booth

  2. Dept. Human Development & Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, 16802, Pennsylvania, USA

    Susan M. McHale

  3. , Department of Sociology, Human Demograph, Pennsylvania State University, 16802, USA

    Nancy S. Landale

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Berenbaum, S.A. (2011). The Importance of Puberty in Adolescent Development. In: Booth, A., McHale, S., Landale, N. (eds) Biosocial Foundations of Family Processes. National Symposium on Family Issues. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-7361-0_7

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