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Social development of adolescents
Importance of puberty
What is the concept of adolescence
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Adolescence begins in biology and ends in society. The definitions we accept to describe the onset of adolescence revolve around puberty, biological changes of the body. Therefore I consider adolescence to begin in biology. Adolescence ends in society. Entrance into adulthood marks the end of adolescence. The definitions of who is considered an adult are defined by society and therefore I contest that adolescence ends in society.
The onset of adolescence is marked by a sudden increase in the production of many hormones in the body. The hypothalamus, the part of the brain that controls the pituitary, sends signals the increase hormone production. Growth hormone produced in the anterior pituitary is increased in production, targeting the soft tissue and bones making them grow rapidly. Gonadotropic or follicle stimulating hormone, also produced in the anterior pituitary, is increased and is responsible for the growth of hair on the body and face. The gonads, ovaries and testes, increase production of estrogen and testosterone respectively, which are responsible for the growth of secondary sex characteristics, such as breasts in females and masculine features in males. The production of these hormones causes many of the changes we characterize as the start of adolescence, to occur. The question remains, what causes the hypothalamus to signal these increases in the hormonal production? Much research has been done on this subject, however it has been inconclusive to an accepted reason. This is largely due to the fact that so far we cannot experiment physically on the brain to see what causes the signals to be sent from the hypothalamus to the pituitary. Most of the research is studies of different individuals and g...
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...k of labor force, or need for militia for a war society has considered younger people adults, In times of high unemployment and need for advancing of knowledge the age of adulthood has been raised by society to keep adolescents in schools longer. So the end of adolescence is determined largely by society.
Arguments can be made to show that adolescence either begins in biology or society, and ends in either biology or society, Biological proof of genetic control over hormone regulation is still lacking, but reasonable evidence can be shown that the onset of maturation is largely due to biological factors. Society has a large role in defining the transition from adolescence to adulthood. The age of the onset of adulthood has constantly changed and differs greatly from individual to individual with no correlation to physical factors, mostly social factors.
We are introduced to adolescence in the 5th stage of development. Adolescence begins for boys around the age of 14 and continues up until the age of 21 years of age. At this stage of development, there are many changes that occur emotionally, physically, sexually and spiritually (McGoldrick, Carter, & Garcia Preto, 2011). At this time, adolescent kids are going through changes in their body. They are dealing with coming into their own sexuality. Skills pertaining to social skills and social relationships are being developed through experience. Adolescents are also increasing their skills of physical and mental coordination, such as learning about the world and working on their own coordination. Adolescence is also characterized by learning their own identity and where they fit in the world, as well as learning their relationship with peers and those around them. Spiritual identity is also developed along with a deeper understanding of life. Independence is something that is also weighing on the mind of an adolescent. Overall changes in the family structure can also occur when a child of this age reaches this
American teenagers are often criticized for being irresponsible and immature. Some in the older generation will also state that kids are taking too long to move out of the house. These views of young adults are pessimistic and demeaning to the current generation. While the adolescent stage has been extended, American kids are taking an ample amount of time to accept the responsibilities of becoming an adult.
First, puberty must be defined as the complicated process of boys and girls sexually maturing to be able and ready to reproduce physically, cognitively, and socially/emotionally. During this time girls (between the ages of eight and fourteen) and boys (between the ages of nine and fifteen) bodies release hormones causing a multitude of changes. Precocious puberty is the abnormally early onset of puberty, before age eight in girls and nine in boys. This early start of maturation for girls and boys has many effects, including physical, cognitive, and social/emotional that may cause some problems. In addition, there are two different types of PP, which include central precocious puberty (Gonadotropin dependent) and peripheral precocious puberty (Gonadotropin independent). Gonadotropin dependent is when the pituitary gland is stimulated to produce gonadotropins (hormones). Then those hormones cause the gonads of both genders to produce sex hormones that are responsible for the advancement of puberty. Whereas gonadotropin independent, is when the sex hormones are responsible for the symptoms, in this case the pituitary gland is not. True CPP/PPP is accountable for prominent secondary sexual characteristics, accelerated bone age, a shorter finishing stature, disproportionate body debut, and psychological issues. With this in mind, this paper will describe the characteristics of precocious puberty including:
Oswalt, algela “Mental, Emotinal Social changes through puberty –child&adolescent development: puberty”. Seven counties.org.edu.mark dombeck.seven countries services, inc, 2014.web.29Apr.2104.http://sevencounties.org/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=38408&cn=1276>
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).
When studying human development, it is helpful to understand the main developmental domains (i.e physical, cognitive, emotional and moral) and the ways in which people develop within each domain at certain age stages. Use of psychological theories is also helpful to understand the reasons for this development and the ways in which it manifests at different age stages. The objective of this essay is to analyse the influences on development from conception to late adolescence. It will describe theories of lifespan development with information regarding my own development used to support these theories. It will be concluded that theories of lifespan development can be used to explain life experiences in the different developmental domains at different
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.
Adolescence. The. The instinctive phenomenon that delivers many suspicions and guilty pleasures that haunt the young minds of adolescents until the coming of age. However, the absence of adolescence delivers the vacancy of knowledgeable wings that fly up to moral intelligence. It epitomizes the meager amount of light that provides sight to the step directly in front of one’s self, rather than light radiating upon the rest of the staircase; the unknown world of adulthood.
What role does early puberty play in sex? As childhood slowly fades away and the signs of puberty becomes apparent on the young adolescent body. During puberty the body undergoes many physical changes that seemingly just appear. For girls in the early years of adolescence may not see any secondary changes in their appearance however their ovaries began to grow. In recent years girls have been experiencing puberty at early periods rather than 8-11 years old. Because of evidence linking early maturation to adjustment and body image problems we should not consider early maturation to be an advantage for girls (Jaffe, 1998). Taking a look at the fashion industry, they have already taken advantage of the opportunities for those that welcome the early maturing body. It’s the time during maturation and the selection of apparel that accentuates the maturing body of a young lady that gets boys interested in them.
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,
Has there been a time when you suddenly found yourself watching a group of teens communicate and they all seemed to be doing something different from what you can see? How did this make you feel? Did you feel like you had to conform to their way of communicating to each other? If so you just failed victim to your desire to conform. Adolescence, go through different stages of development, these stages are meant to move adolescence between their childhood and their adulthood. These stages are the experiences a teen go through that brings about a variety of changes and emotional issues. Varies cultures play a part in the adolescence development, ranging from their preteens through 19 years of age. “According to the World Health Organization (WHO), adolescence covers the period of life between 10 and 20 years of age. Adolescence is often divided by psychologists into three distinct phases: early, mid, and late adolescence” (World Health Organization).
Adolescence is the transitional stage from childhood to adulthood, commonly occurs amongst individuals aged between 12 to 18 years (Hoffnung et al., 2016, p. 350). It is a developmental period characterised by hormonal changes that result from the onset of puberty, which is defined by the emergence of secondary sexual characteristics, such as growth of body hair and deepening voices in males, and breast development and menstruation in females (Jones & Creedy, 2012, p. 28). The timing in the onset of puberty differs in gender, girls generally reach pubertal development at an earlier age than boys (on average 13 years old for girls, and 14 years old for boys). In addition, environmental variables also influence the timing of puberty. For example,
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.
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.
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,