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Minimizing embarrassment: boys' experiences of pubertal changes.
Issues in Comprehensive Pediatric Nursing
|October 1, 1991
Summary
This study explored male adolescents' pubertal experiences using grounded theory. Boys navigate physical changes by managing embarrassment, comparing themselves to peers, and developing coping strategies to feel comfortable.
Area of Science:
- Adolescent Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Limited understanding of boys' subjective and emotional experiences during puberty.
- Puberty involves significant physical and social-emotional development in males.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the lived experiences of male adolescents undergoing physical maturational changes during puberty.
- To understand the subjective and emotional aspects of pubertal development in boys.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative research methodology.
- Grounded theory approach to data analysis.
- Investigating the question: "What is the experience of the physical maturational changes in male adolescents?"
Main Results:
- A Basic Social Psychological Process termed "Minimizing Embarrassment" emerged.
- This process includes four stages: waiting, noticing, dealing with, and feeling comfortable with changes.
- Boys form expectations, compare themselves to peers, and employ strategies like avoidance, pretense, or joking to manage embarrassment.
Conclusions:
- Male adolescents actively manage their pubertal experiences, particularly focusing on minimizing embarrassment.
- Coping strategies are employed based on perceived "normality" or difference compared to peers.
- Feeling comfortable with changes is achieved through successful navigation of these social-psychological processes.