The male experience of pubertal change

Adolescent boys' psychological experience of the first ejaculation was examined with regard to emotional reactions to the event, feelings of preparedness prior to the event, informational sources, and extent of peer discussions following the event. Thirteen boys who ranged in age from 13 1/2 to 15 1/2 years were interviewed. Eleven of the boys had experienced an ejaculation; 55% felt they were well informed prior to the first ejaculation. However, only three had had ejaculation explained to them by another person, in all cases an adult male. The primary information source was reading material aquired from friends. The majority of the boys reported experiencing strong positive feelings at spermarche, and few had strong negative feelings. No one was upset or ashamed, and only two were very scared. The only boys who had discussed the experience were the three who received their initial information from adult males. No one had discussed the experience with peers. Differences and similarities in boys' experience of ejaculation and girls' experience of menarche are discussed.The research was supported by the W. T. Grant Foundation.The first author conducted this research as an undergraduate senior thesis in the Department of Psychology at Princeton University.