| adolescent egocentrism | Self-centered thinking patterns of childhood that sometimes occur in the teen years.
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| anorexia nervosa | An eating disorder characterized by low body weight and distorted body image.
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| bulemia nervosa | An eating disorder featuring binge eating and purging.
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| clique | Group of friends who share similar interests and activities.
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| convergent thinking | Thinking used when a problem to be solved has one correct answer.
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| crowd | Reputation-based group whose members may or may not spend time with one another.
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| divergent thinking | Thinking used when a problem to be solved has many possible answers.
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| early-onset trajectory | Criminal behavior that begins before puberty.
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| executive functioning | Cognitive efforts involving attention and critical thinking.
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| formal operational stage | Piaget's fourth stage of cognitive development, featuring abstract thought and scientific thinking.
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| heterosexual | Sexual attraction to members of the opposite sex.
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| homosexual | Sexual attraction to members of the same sex.
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| hormonal balance | Change in hormone levels, one of the triggers of puberty.
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| identity crisis | Erikson's term for those situations, usually in adolescence, that cause us to make major decisions about our identity.
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| identity statuses | Marcia's categories that depict levels of crisis and commitment that contribute to a sense of identity.
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| imaginary audience | Adolescents' perception that others are constantly scrutinizing their behavior and appearance.
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| late-onset trajectory | Criminal behavior that begins after puberty.
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| LGBT | An acronym referring to lesbian (female), gay (male), bisexual, and transgender individuals; it can include a Q for queer or questioning (LGBTQ).
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| menarche | A girl's first menstruation.
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| personal fable | Adolescents' tendency to think of themselves in heroic or mythical terms.
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| puberty | The process of physical changes by which a child's body becomes an adult body capable of reproduction.
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| reticular activation system (RAS) | Complex subcortical system that protects the brain from being overwhelmed.
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| secular trend | The decreasing age of the onset of puberty.
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| spindle cells | Neurons that play a large role in emotion.
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