1. CONCEPTS
Adolescence
Adolescence is the age when individual becomes integrated into the society of adults, the age when the child no longer feels that he/she is below the level of adults but equal, at least in rights or in other words it is a period of sexual ripeness that transform a child into biologically mature adult, capable of sexual and reproductive health and the potential consequences of that sexual activity. In this stage adolescents experience not only physical growth and change but also emotional, psychological, social change. An adolescent represents a window of opportunity to prepare for a healthy adult life. World Health Organisation (WHO) defines adolescents as the period of life between 10 to 19 years and they make 20%
It is a transitional stage of physical and psychological human development that generally occurs during the period between childhood and adulthood. Adolescence age begins when the individual attains sexual maturity and it is most closely associated with physical, psychological and social changes. It is divided into three stages and each stage has its own characteristics, they are early adolescence, middle adolescence and late adolescents. It is also a period of human development where individual move from dependency to independence and autonomy to maturity. As per Mabey and Sorensen (1995) a young person moves from being part of a peer group and to standing as an adult. According to Merriam Webster, adolescence is a period of life when a child develops into an adult, the period from puberty to maturity terminating legally at the age of majority. It is the state or process of growing up and development prior to maturity. According to Erikson (1959) described it as a process of individualisation and Freud (1958) also analysed it as a developing sense of detachment from parent. Adolescence period is a very important and exciting stage in life that are marred by many stages of development and challenge, it is a time when adolescent experiment so many things that can either make or break their life and future, a period of exposure, it is a very unstable, inconsistent and emotional period, there are different stress and storms attached with adolescence. Adolescence is a dynamically evolving theoretical construct informed through physiologic, psychosocial, temporal and cultural lenses. This critical developmental period is conventionally understood as the years between the onset of puberty and the establishment of social independence. Steinberg (2014). Adolescence is a period of life with specific health and developmental needs and rights. It is also a time develops knowledgeable and
Adolescence is a transition which has no fixed time limits. However, the changes that occur at this time are so significant that it is useful to talk about adolescence as a distinct period of human life cycle. This period ranges from biological changes to changes in behavior and social status, thus making it difficult to specify its limits exactly (Damon, 2008). Adolescence begins with puberty, i.e. a series of physiological changes that lead to full development of the sexual organs and the ability to breed and sex. The time interval that elapses begins at 11 to 12 years and extends to 18 to 20. However we cannot associate to a 13 with one 18 years. Let us talk about early adolescence between 11 to 14 years, which coincides with puberty, and after a second period of youth, or late adolescence between 15-20 years. Its extension to adulthood depends on social, cultural, environmental as well as personal adaptation.
In the critical incident described above, the main culture to take into consideration is the culture of adolescence. During the transitional period between childhood and adulthood, known as adolescence, many vital milestones must be met in order to ensure academic and personal success and wellbeing. Morbidity data allows for assessment of many conditions and non-fatal diseases that develop during adolescence. The top five causes of morbidity in adolescence between the ages of 10-14 include; unipolar depressive disorder, iron deficiency anemia, asthma, back pain, and anxiety disorders. Mortality rates of adolescence have been shown to decline in the past decade. The leading causes of death among the adolescent age group include; road injuries, suicide, lower respiratory infections, HIV, and interpersonal violence. It is estimated that 1.3 million adolescents died in 2012, and the mortality rate is 111 per 100,000. In regards to poverty, there are currently nine million adolescents who live in low-income households and there are four million adolescents who live in households that are at or below the federal poverty level (Adolescent health epidemiology, 2017).
According to Dolgin (2011), “Biological theorists - primarily biologists and psychologists – believe that adolescents are the way they are because of their genes, hormones, or evolutionary history. These theorists downplay environmental influences and tend to believe that the adolescent experience is similar regardless of where someone is raised” (p. 32). “Development occurs in an almost inevitable, universal pattern, regardless of sociocultural environment” (Dolgin, 2013, p. 32).
1. Adolescence is a time when a child develops into the adult. Kolbert discusses how parents influence this time of a child’s life by their beliefs or values. She discusses how parents relate responsibilities to their child during childhood will affect their adolescent and adult years.
Adolescence is transition between childhood and adulthood (10-20 years old). Adolescent experiences numerous changes in brain structure, physical growth, cognition, emotional and social development. Numerous academic disciplines such as medicine, psychology and sociology, etc. researched and proposed theories in attempt to understand these developments and their impact on adolescents. Any theory provides representative assessment of a person’s
Adolescence is the period of life between childhood and adulthood. “The process lasts from roughly 10-13 years of age and ends at 18-22 years of age. However, defining when adolescence ends is not an easy task. It has been said that adolescences begins in biology and ends in culture” (Clark, 2010,
When growing up, we all face the difficulty of finding who we really are as a person. This can be referred to as Identity Diffusion. Described in Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages, the individual has not yet experienced an identity crisis, nor has he made any commitment to a vocation or set of beliefs. There is also no indication that he or she is actively trying to make a commitment. According to psychologist Erik Erikson, identity diffusion has 4 major stages. Those components include: intimacy, a diffusion of time perspective, diffusion of industry, and negative identity. Even if you may not be aware of it, everyone really does experience these stages when growing up in life. In my life, I have gone through the four stages referred to as intimacy, a diffusion of time perspective, diffusion of industry, and negative identity.
Adolescence is a period of physical and psychological development from the onset of puberty to maturity. The adolescent is no longer a child, but they haven’t yet reached adulthood. Adolescence is considered people between the ages of 13 and 21. Puberty is the physical maturing that makes an individual capable of sexual reproduction. Puberty is important to adolescence because when a child hits puberty, that’s when the child is becoming an adolescent. Puberty is a big part of an adolescent’s life.
Throughout our life, it can be marked by developmental changes in every domain of life: our physical, cognitive, social, personalities, and morals. Due to some important researchers such as Erickson, Freud, Piaget we are able to understand the development of each of these domains. Each stage of it’s life has it’s own difficulties and events that can determine a person’s life (Mogler, 2008). During the stages of adolescence, they are very vulnerable to a lot going on in their life such as fitting in, peers, family, school, activities, and society, and not to forget the ups and downs of puberty. Adolescence can be viewed as a huge part of many children’s lives where in this part of their life they try to find teenagers experience physical, cognitive,
In example, according to the Euro-Western view, adolescence is characterised by the interaction between the individual’s biological development and the demands requested by the industrial and post-industrial societies. Although adolescence is globally referred to as the period in life that groups individuals from 12 to 18 years, each individual’s development varies within different countries and cultures. According to the Euro-Western world, adolescence is a time in life that is characterised by experimentation, fun as well as personal growth that will later lead the individual to become a full adult. However, not every young individual experiences this positive and fun side of this life stage. In fact, adolescence is characterised by the hormonal changes that occur during puberty, which are argued to influence adolescents’ behaviour. Hall (cited in Drewery and Claiborne, 2010) argued that due to the effects caused by puberty, young individuals often experience tension, conflicts with their parents and peers, as well as critical mood changes. In line with Hall, Freud (cited in Drewery and Claiborne, 2010) argues that adolescence is a life stage in which it is hard to maintain a steady equilibrium. For these reasons, adolescence can still be considered a “problematic” stage in life, yet it is not necessary true that these conflicts are triggered by biological changes (Drewery and Claiborne,
Adolescence is a period of transition between the ages of 13 – 19, after childhood but before adulthood. Adolescence can be a difficult period in a teenager's life. Many teenagers do not know how to react or how to adapt to all of the physical, social, and psychological changes that occur during this period. Some adolescents pass through this period without problem, while for others, it is a period of torture, discomfort, and anxiety. With all the biological and social pressures that occur during adolescence, many teens fail to assume their identity. Sometimes family and society does not help to make this task easier. Challenges teenagers face due to biology and society are body image, hormonal changes, social and parental pressures, family problems, school pressures, alcohol, drug abuse, homosexuality, and suicide.
Adolescence is a time of challenge and change for both teens and parents. Teens are at a stage in life where they face a multitude of pressing decisions -- including those about friends, careers, sex, smoking, drinking, drugs and parental values. At the same time, they are confronted with profound physical, social and emotional changes.
Indeed, adolescent may be defined as the period within the life span when most of a person’s biological, cognitive, psychological and social characteristics are changing from what is typically considered child-like to what is considered adult-like (Learner and Spainer, 1980). This period is a dramatic challenge for any adolescent, which requires adjustment to change one’s own self, in the family, and in the peer group. Contemporary society presents adolescents with institutional changes as well. Among young adolescents, school setting is changed; involving a transition from elementary school to either junior high school or middle school; and late adolescence is accompanied by transition from high school to the worlds of work, University or childrearing. An adolescent experiences it all ranging from excitement and of anxiety, happiness and troubles, discovery and bewilderment, and breaks with the past and yet links with the future (Eya,
Adolescence is defined as “the developmental period of transition between childhood to adulthood that involves biological, cognitive, and socioemotional changes; beginning around the age of 10 to 13 and ends in the late teens.” (Santrock 16) As I reflect on my younger years I remember having many different emotional issues; many of them due to the fact that I moved around a great deal until I was about 12 years of age. I always felt misunderstood by my peers and adults. However, growing up in the 80’s was not all bad; it was a very popular culture. While reading chapter one and two I was able to put some of my feelings and actions in perspective.
1. What was your adolescence like? How would you describe it? Summarize your experiences as you made this passage through life.