Adolescence: Gender Differences, Body Image, and Risk Factors

This assignment delves into the psychological complexities of adolescence, focusing on the differing emotional experiences of males and females. It examines the tendency for girls to internalize symptoms, leading to issues like depression and anxiety, while boys often externalize, resulting in behaviors such as alcohol abuse and violence. The paper explores how societal expectations and body image concerns contribute to these disparities, particularly in females. The assignment also investigates the link between depression and high-risk behaviors in males, including substance abuse and risky sexual activities. Furthermore, it addresses strategies to minimize binge drinking among older adolescents, emphasizing the importance of education and emotional coping mechanisms. The paper utilizes research to support its claims, providing a comprehensive overview of adolescent psychology and its implications for mental health and well-being.

Running head: ADOLESCENCE IN MALES AND FEMALES
Adolescence in Males and Females
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

1Adolesence in Males and Females
Discussion
Internalizing Symptoms vs. Externalizing Symptoms
When it comes to emotional health, it can be identified that girls and boys emote
differently. Research has shown that while girls internalize their symptoms, boys externalize
these symptoms (Docherty et al., 2016). Due to the fact that girls are expected to internalize
and withdraw their emotions from childhood, they face grave problems such as loneliness,
depression and even social anxiety (Eastabrook, Flynn & Hollenstein, 2017). On the contrary,
since boys are expected to emote and express their symptoms, they are less likely to suffer
from problems associated with internalizing symptoms.
Body Image and Problems in Females
Girls, from a very young age, are concerned with their body image. The unrealistic
image of perfection, regarding their bodies, lead to high-risk behavior for females especially
in the adolescent stage. Negative body imaging, such as dissatisfaction with body weight,
lead to disorders such as binge-eating and even anorexia (Rosen, 2013). Since many
adolescent females emphasize body weight, this directly pushes them to tread the path of
depression because they are unable to bridge the gap between their expectations and reality.
Depression and High-Risk Behaviors amongst Males
It can be seen that males are more prone to high-risk behaviors such as alcohol abuse
and violence. Adolescent males, in order to cope with the challenges of puberty, tend to turn
towards substance abuse. Actions such as violence and alcohol abuse pose as an outlet to vent
out their emotions in order to grapple with their dynamic realities (Baskin-Sommers, 2015).
Since these high risk behaviors provide them with a temporary sense of escape, they are
quick to adopt these methods.

2Adolesence in Males and Females
Minimizing Binge-Drinking in Older Adolescents
Certain measures can be taken to ensure that older adolescents can minimize the risk
of binge drinking or substance abuse (Jester et al., 2015). For starters, education regarding the
negative side effects of substance abuse plays a major role in preventing alcohol abuse.
Furthermore, dealing with emotions in a proper and positive manner may also lessen the risks
of binge drinking to a great extent. The adoption of these measures during the adolescent
stage aids the older adolescent to adequately cope with the issue of binge drinking.

3Adolesence in Males and Females
References:
Baskin-Sommers, A. R., Waller, R., Fish, A. M., & Hyde, L. W. (2015). Callous-unemotional
traits trajectories interact with earlier conduct problems and executive control to
predict violence and substance use among high risk male adolescents. Journal of
abnormal child psychology, 43(8), 1529-1541.
Docherty, M., Boxer, P., Veysey, B. M., & Ostermann, M. (2016). Gender differences in
prevalence of internalizing and externalizing symptoms in a justice-referred sample of
youth. Journal of Juvenile Justice, 5(2), 104.
Eastabrook, J. M., Flynn, J. J., & Hollenstein, T. (2014). Internalizing symptoms in female
adolescents: Associations with emotional awareness and emotion regulation. Journal
of Child and Family Studies, 23(3), 487-496.
Rosen, J. C. (2013). Body image disorder: Definition, development, and contribution to
eating disorders. The etiology of bulimia: The individual and familial context, 1, 157-
77.
Jester, J. M., Wong, M. M., Cranford, J. A., Buu, A., Fitzgerald, H. E., & Zucker, R. A.
(2015). Alcohol expectancies in childhood: change with the onset of drinking and
ability to predict adolescent drunkenness and binge drinking. Addiction, 110(1), 71-
79.