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Sociosexual Development of Preadolescents

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Girls at Puberty

Abstract

Preadolescence is not a latent period but an active one, both biologically and socially. This span, from roughly 9 to 12 years of age, is characterized by progression in both sexual maturation and sociosexual interaction. Biologically, the early signs of the progression of sexual maturation toward the adult state occur in a somewhat predictable sequence (Tanner, 1978). However, the timing of these sequential events spans a broad normative range. Socially, it is a time span during which same- and opposite-sex peers enhance and solidify sex-role learning (Goldberg and Deutsch, 1977), and much clearer indications of sociosexual awareness begin to emerge (see Hill and Lynch, Chapter 10). The impact of the biological changes on the social changes has been the focus of considerable speculation and is being studied intensively by social and behavioral scientists.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Development, School of Human Ecology, Howard University, Washington, D.C., 20059, USA

    Ouida E. Westney

  2. Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, College of Medicine, Howard University, Washington, D.C., 20060, USA

    Renee R. Jenkins & Constance A. Benjamin

Authors
  1. Ouida E. Westney
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  2. Renee R. Jenkins
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  3. Constance A. Benjamin
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for the Study of Exceptional Children, Educational Testing Service, 08541, Princeton, New Jersey, USA

    Jeanne Brooks-Gunn

  2. Department of Pediatrics, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, 10019, New York, New York, USA

    Jeanne Brooks-Gunn

  3. Department of Individual and Family Studies, College of Human Development, The Pennsylvania State University, 16802, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA

    Anne C. Petersen

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© 1983 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Westney, O.E., Jenkins, R.R., Benjamin, C.A. (1983). Sociosexual Development of Preadolescents. In: Brooks-Gunn, J., Petersen, A.C. (eds) Girls at Puberty. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0354-9_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0354-9_12

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4899-0356-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-0354-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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