Adolescence Concept

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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

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