In master's thesis with title Young adults' perspectives on the experience of physical changes during puberty, the author investigated the experience of physical changes from the perspective of young adults who have already completed puberty and remember their physical changes. In the theoretical part, she discusses the physical changes during puberty that every boy or girl experiences. It goes through studies that have explored the experience of physical changes during puberty, and describes the impact of precocious or late pubertal development on an individual's experience of self, emotions and behaviour. It also briefly touches on family support and the influence of peers during adolescence and puberty.
The empirical part presents a study involving 10 participants (5 men and 5 women) aged between 24 and 27 years. The author used a pre-prepared semi-structured interview, which she designed herself based on existing literature. The interview covered three main areas: pubertal changes, experience and perception of self, and the influence of family, peers and others. The results showed that the participants were well aware of the physical changes and mostly experienced them positively (feeling grown-up, happy, proud). Feelings of shame and dissatisfaction were mainly highlighted by the participants when they experienced changes in body composition or the appearance of acne. However, participants who were not prepared and/or did not receive enough support from their loved ones also experienced body changes negatively. Talking to family members or peers was an important influencing factor in facilitating acceptance of the changes, and participants also reported a good self-image and experiencing the changes as part of their development. The author also asked participants about body satisfaction and sexuality. Most participants reported dissatisfaction with their bodies during pubertal changes - either with their body shape or with certain parts of their body. Some also wanted to change and improve their bodies. Men were more open about sexuality and experimented more, while women experienced shame, disgust and discomfort at the thought of sex during this period.
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