The preadolescent is oriented more toward his contemporaries than toward parents. First experiences of conflict between adult codes and the codes of contemporaries occur, providing still more opportunities for development of personal identity. The nine year old is interested in sexuality. The fact that boys and girls of nine sometimes profess to hate each other is only one step in the development of mature sexual attitudes and interests through a complex series of uncertain stages.
For despite this profession,
evidence of interest in sex and displays of sexual conceptions that
have already been adopted are abundant. Talk about sex with friends of
the same sex, interest in details of one's own sex organs and their
functions, sex swearing, and sex poems are all manifestations of this
interest. The nine year old relates to the process of reproduction,
sometimes with questions about fecundity-"Have I a seed in me?" The
division of sexes in play is obvious. Mixed play, if it does occur,
illustrates sexual interest, as kissing games and teasing about boy or
girl friends is a frequent outcome. (Gesell and Ilg, 1946, p. 322, 325,
370; Ames and Ilg, 1955, p. 204-205, 207-208).
The channels of expression which the ten to twelve year old chooses
to demonstrate interest in sex are often considered inappropriate by
adults. Considerable interest in "smutty" jokes is evidenced during
this period. According to Ilg and Ames, eleven and twelve years appear
to be a high point for smutty jokes among children in the United
States. It is part of a general growth gradient through which children
pass. (Ilg and Ames, 1956, p. 207). And it is at least partly because
of rapid and simultaneous development in many areas at once that this
late preadolescent period is commonly characterized by displays of
behavior that appear contradictory.
A mixture of good and bad behavior
tends to characterize the situation during late preadolescence; one
where the emergence of independence and self-reliance, a dependence on
individuality, antagonism between the sexes, the need for the security
of gangs, and a growing knowledge of reality and objectivity all are
found. All in all, these components result in what many term
"uncooperative, hard to live with" preadolescents. (Blair and Burton,
1951, p. 2-4).
The biological changes ushered in at puberty are awesome to the
preadolescent. The appearance of pubic hair is a social as well as a
personal event as peers take note of this phenomenon and the individual
is made to feel the approval or disapproval of the group.
I was a little wary of this (the appearance of
pubic hair) myself. Those who grew pubic hair
early were teased, but at the same time there
was a feeling of jealousy on the part of the
others. I was about average and accepted it as a
symbol of masculinity.
A friend and I or even a group of us would sit
around and compare penises. During most of these
comparisons, we would experience erections,
which we thought was funny. We watched to see if
our hairs had started to grow. For several weeks
we watched closely (once in a while checking
with a magnifying glass). Finally the big day
came for me.
I was so proud and excited that I
showed many of my friends and even my sister who
was just a year younger than I was. It wasn't
too long after my pubic hair growing incident
and after many attempts to reach climax, that I
finally succeeded to climax. Again this was a
proud and very important thing in my life at
that time.