Question

In your own understanding, evaluate the relative contribution of heredity and environment to development during adolescence.  

Answer 1

During adolescence, the growth rate of the body is very high and this is the stage during which our skeletal system becomes matured. At the end of adolescence, the growth of bones ceases and growth is highest during adolescence. As we enter adolescence, the proportion of lean body tissue increases in females by two-thirds as much lean body mass as males.

In females, the body fat increases twice than males during adolescence but decreases in males. This is because females secrete estrogens that cause fat accumulation, whereas testosterone released in males cause muscle build up. The proportion of red blood cells is also more in males than females.

The height, intelligence level, body pattern and other characters are determined by the genetic inheritance. However, the complete expression of genes requires the presence of appropariate environment. For example, a person cannot reach the height determined by the heredity unless he/she can able to take the adequate nutrients necessary to the growth of the musculoskeletal system. Identical twins grown under different environmental conditions do not develop same characteristics because of environmental effect on gene expression.