Risky, early, controversial. Puberty in medical discourses

Cozzi, Donatella; Vinel, Virginie

doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2014.11.018

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…The more we try to grasp universal criteria of development, the more we encounter variations, nuances and idiosyncrasies. That is how diagnoses of non-conformity with age-appropriate-development have also become so widespread in the field of formal school learning, and as in the alarm about the precocious puberty in spite of the controversial medical data (Cozzi and Vinel, 2015 ; Piccand, 2015 ). The medicalization of ages that are judged to be “critical” (e.g., puberty, menopause) entails both an eagerness to define what is proper to a given age, and the difficulty to distinguish between “normal” and “pathological” changes.…”

Section: The Normative Power Of Physical Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Illegitimate bodies? Turner syndrome and the silent interplay of age, gender, and generational positions

Diasio

2023

Front. Sociol.

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This paper focuses on the strength of social norms that define the right development of the body in time. It also analyzes how the social positions of age, gender and generation intertwine in the definition of such a legitimate body. The starting point is anthropological research carried out in France between 2018 and 2020 among girls and women affected by Turner syndrome, a rare genetic condition causing small stature, ovarian insufficiency, a delay or absence of puberty, and infertility. We first explore how measuring the body has become central in the social construction of the concept of age-appropriateness. We then present four women' narratives, which express various forms of desynchronization: the gap between physical appearance, chronological age and age status; the cleft between the physical development induced by hormone therapy and being in a particular stage in life; the difference between chronological and reproductive age; and lastly, the trouble in a generational position related to infertility. For women suffering from this genetic condition, the gap between bodies, time and social statuses associated with age, gender and generation, may engender a feeling of “being out of place.” The alignment of body and time is then one of the bastions of essentialization and naturalization. Finally, we stress the complex interplay of bodily and social markers of age and gender, and their role in social relations as both a resource and a constraint. Thus, while the syndrome may cause distress and sometimes a lack of legitimacy, it also leads to a critical re-examination of hegemonic models of womanhood and their intersection with age positions.

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Section: The Normative Power Of Physical Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Illegitimate bodies? Turner syndrome and the silent interplay of age, gender, and generational positions

Diasio

2023

Front. Sociol.

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“…Participants in the US exhibited familiarity with psychological theories and child rearing techniques, and this led to heightened expectations and corresponding tension that was related to the responsibility that they perceived over their children's future life circumstances (Bradley, 2015;Cozzi & Vinel, 2015). The US sample of mothers of young children repeatedly expressed concern over not being able to reach established milestones that drove their interactions on behalf of their children.…”

Section: Stressmentioning

confidence: 99%

What Mothers of Young Children Care about: A Grounded Theory Study

Parameswaran¹

2021

IJPS

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Mainstream psychology of parenting styles minimizes the wisdom of mothers in being able to navigate parenting within a complex ever-changing system. This empirical study involves in-depth interviews conducted in two different contexts. This paper explores the major concerns mothers have about their child-rearing experiences, their children’s welfare, and the impact that these concerns have had on their personal wellbeing. The paper will outline some ways in which mothers attempt to address the barriers to a fulfilling mother-child relationship.

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“…Selon elle, le genre est considéré comme « le produit d'une répétition ritualisée de conventions […] socialement induit, en partie par la force d'une hétérosexualité obligatoire incontournable » [Butler, 1995: 175]. Il est bon de rappeler que, lorsqu'ils craignent une entrée précoce dans la vie sexuelle, les protagonistes du discours public sur la puberté anticipée -médecine et psychologie, presse périodique et divulgation sur la Toile [Cozzi and Vinel, 2015, sous presse] -la conçoivent inéluctablement comme hétérosexuelle. Elle a de toute évidence pour but la procréation, elle est donc sujette à son tour aux dispositifs de contrôle qui président à cette dernière et en régulent les étapes socialement correctes -ni trop tôt, ni trop tard.…”

Section: Donatella Cozziunclassified

Donner forme à l’incertitude Savoirs médicaux et passage de l’enfance à l’adolescence

Cozzi¹

2015

Ethnologie Française

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résuméLa diminution relative de l'âge de la puberté et le discours médical autour des pubertés dites précoces engendrent un questionnement sur les frontières biologiques de l'enfance. Ces questionnements relayés par les médias et l'internet, souvent de façon exacerbée, génèrent des inquiétudes sur le raccourcissement de l'enfance. Le souci de donner une forme à l'incertitude, d'en simplifier la complexité, investit donc la tranche d'âge de la puberté, que l'on présente comme une temporalité perturbée, sous le signe du risque.

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Risky, early, controversial. Puberty in medical discourses

Cited by 8 publications

References 57 publications

Illegitimate bodies? Turner syndrome and the silent interplay of age, gender, and generational positions

Illegitimate bodies? Turner syndrome and the silent interplay of age, gender, and generational positions

What Mothers of Young Children Care about: A Grounded Theory Study

Donner forme à l’incertitude Savoirs médicaux et passage de l’enfance à l’adolescence

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