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Abstract
Moodiness is a phenomenon commonly associated with early adolescence. A review of the literature surveyed diverse theoretical explanations for the emergence of moodiness at this developmental stage. Psychoanalytic perspectives suppose that physiological change prompts a "developmental disturbance" in adolescence. However, empirical studies attempting to link moodiness with aspects of puberty, i.e. pubertal stage, pubertal timing, and levels of hormonal secretion, often show inconsistent results. Cognitive-constructivist theory speculates that moodiness coincides with complex social cognitive development and interpersonal perspective taking. Fifty-six early adolescents, aged 11-13 years, (girls: N = 30, boys: N = 26) were recruited to test the hypothesis that moodiness, defined as low mood tone, psychopathology, negative affect, and mood variability, is more associated with complex social cognitive development than with pubertal stage. In a brief interview, subjects resolved social dilemmas presented through the Interpersonal Negotiation Scales for the assessment of social cognition. Subjects completed the Physical Development Scale to determine pubertal stage and the Self-Image Questionnaire for Young Adolescents for measures of mood tone and psychopathology. Also, for one month, they recorded feeling states three times each week. A 2 x 2 factorial design organized the data in terms of pre-pubertal/early pubertal and later pubertal stages as well as less vs more complex social cognitive development. Analyses of variance (ANOVAs) were computed for the measurements of moodiness for boys and girls separately. Results revealed significant findings for each gender. Boys with less complex social cognition showed signs of greater emotional disturbance than boys with more complex social cognition. Boys with advanced social cognition reported greater feeling states of pleasure than boys with less advanced social cognition. Girls with advanced social cognition reported themselves lower in arousal feeling states than girls with less advanced social cognition. For mood variability in girls, pubertal stage had greater effect than social cognition. Implications for developmental theories about this age group and future areas of study were identified.
