Introduction
The sexuality of the adolescent is tied up inextricably with the events of puberty. This is because the body of the adolescent develops its adult shape and reproductive functioning and the hormonal changes which affect sex drives in complex ways. Although biological processes do not tell us everything about how and why we behave sexually, understanding these processes is necessary for explaining sexual development. This paper studies; the interaction between hormones and behavior, the interaction between hormones and behavior affects the development of adult sexuality, evaluation of development psychology processes on sexual differentiation, and determination of key biological changes in sexual behavior.
A Review of Related Literature
Explain the Interaction between Hormones and Behavior
Classically, hormones are viewed as causal agents of the behavior of the kind of one-hormone one-behavior interaction. This school of thought has been aided mainly by research studies on castration and therapy for hormone replacement that indicated that behavior was abolished by castration and restored by exogenous administration of androgens (Nelson, 2005). Probabilistic theory to the effects of hormones on behavior is viewed as facilitators of behavior rather than as determinant factors (Rutter, 1987). Hormones can increase or reduce the probability of expression of a given behavior by acting as neuron-modulators on the neural pathways underlying that behavioral pattern (Golombok & Fivush, 1994). There is also the realization that the social environment feeds back to influence the levels of hormones. This is viewed as an adaptive mechanism through which individuals may adjust their motivation according to the social context they are facing. This reflects a two-way type of interaction between hormones and behavior. Incidentally, hormones such as androgen are seen as playing a vital role as endocrine mediators of the effects of social context on the expression of social behavior (Golombok & Fivush, 1994).
Evaluate Biological Processes on Sexual differentiation
There are several biological processes involved in sexual differentiation. Sexual orientation is the process by which males and females develop their sexual anatomy. According to Rutter (1987), this process starts in the womb during the embryonic stage of prenatal development. At conception, a female egg having 23 chromosomes unites with male sperm, also having 23 chromosomes, to form a single cell with 23 chromosome cell pairs. One of the sex chromosome pairs has the capacity to determine the genetic sex of the child. The sex chromosome provided by the egg is always an X chromosome; the male sperm can donate either an X or Y chromosome. If the male sperm contributes an X chromosome, the child will be a genetic female with a XX sex chromosome pair. A Y chromosome from the sperm will result in a genetic male with an XY pattern (Golombok & Fivush, 1994).
The single-cell formed at conception immediately begins to divide to produce an embryo. For the first few weeks, XX and XY embryos appear to be identical, each developing neutral sex glands. Sexual differentiation begins at about 6 weeks. At this point, the messages encoded in the XY chromosome pair cause the sex glands of genetically male embryos to develop as testis. According to Golombok & Fivush (1994), “the direct influence of sex chromosomes on sexual differentiation appears to end at this stage”.
Explain the Interaction between Hormones and Behavior
Nelson (2005) explained that the key biological changes in sexual development involve; an individual’s body alteration at puberty which includes the growth accompanied by changes in strength and body proportions, development of primary sex features, and of the secondary sex features. The adolescence period is a period of rapid biological, psychological and sexual maturation. The marked biological changes during this period include an increase in weight, musculature, and the development of adult sexual characteristics. During this stage of development, both sexes experience increased excretion of androgens. This hormone is more profound in boys than in girls; girls experience a large increase in estrogen. These fluctuations of hormones have a psychological effect on an individual’s sexual desires (Rutter, 1987).
Some aspects of puberty, for instance, the onset of biological changes begin at younger ages. During this stage of development, children grow in stature and begin to develop the physical characteristics of adults early; produce hormones that control sexual development to increase reproductive maturity at younger ages. Generally, biological changes are thought to be complete with the attainment of puberty. However, the adolescence stage experiences continued development throughout in the form of maturing body shape and growth and growth in body size.
Conclusion
In sum, the study of people with unusual prenatal history has assisted people to understand the role of biology in sexual development. Although sexual behavior is socially influenced, prenatal sex hormones set the foundations for later sex-role behavior and possibly sexual orientation. Prenatal hormones do not determine sexual development. Instead, their effect is augmented or diminished according to the social environment in which the child grows (Nelson, 2005).
References
Golombok, S., & Fivush, R. (1994). Gender Development. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Nelson, R. (2005). An Introduction To Behavioral Endocrinology. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates.
Rutter, M. (1987). Developmental Psychiatry. New York: American Psychiatry Pub..