Psychology

Adolescence in psychology

Adolescence in an individual refers to the developmental stage and span in which a young person’s life is between the obvious onset of puberty and the completion of bone growth. It also gets characterized by changes in gender roles, more autonomous relationships with adults especially parents as well as more mature relationships with peers. It is usually between the ages of 13 to 18. Puberty is the period in human life when the bodily and genital organs start developing very fast and eventually reach their full development. The development in the adolescence stage entails physical, mental, emotional, moral, social, spiritual and other developments. This development results in significant physical, cognitive and social changes all throughout the adolescent stage.

The onset of adolescence gets marked by biological as well as social markers. The main biological are reproductive maturity at puberty and universal signals of the biological transition from childhood (Harris & Butterworth, 2012). The biological markers of adolescence comprise of rapid changes in physical development that entail of the growth spurt typically associated with the onset of puberty. The growth spurt is the accelerated rate of increase in height as well as the weight that happens in adolescence. Other physical changes that occur include changes in shape, body composition and the distribution of fat in the body. During the transition to adolescence, there is a broad variation, both between and within sexes in the onset and rate of change. In boys, the growth spurt usually begins between the ages of 10 and 16, whereas in girls the growth spurt often begins between the ages of 8 and 13. In girls, the growth spurt also entails the widening of the hip, development of breasts, growth of pubic and underarm hair and the head hair becomes coarser and thicker. In boys, the growth spurt also includes an increase in muscle and growth of pubic and underarm hair. Physical changes in individuals result in psychological changes. For instance, early adolescence is often a time of shaky self-esteem as well as a time when conflict with parents usually arises and also the emergence of closeness with friends and conformity to peer-group norms. According to Bernstein, Penner & Clarke-Stewart (2003), a particular challenge for adolescents is the transition from elementary school to middle school.

The cognitive changes that occur during adolescence include the development of thinking, knowing, remembering and reasoning abilities. Various changes in the brain of adolescents often alter the manner in which they think. They usually develop the capacity for formal operational thought as well as the ability to control self-thinking (Bernstein, Penner & Clarke-Stewart, 2003). Environmental stimulation also plays a significant role in attaining this developmental stage. There are also changes in vocabulary and other factors of language development especially those associated with abstract thought. Adolescents usually enjoy wordplay as well as create own dialect. Thoughts of adolescents usually become more complex, adaptive and global as the individual continues to gain more knowledge and problem-solving ability.

Although most adolescents remain financially and physically dependent on their parents, significant social changes occur to them. Often, the adolescent in schools gets greater freedom and flexibility, and also, more emphasis gets placed on self-discipline and self-motivation. The stage also gets characterized by activities such as the gain of increasing importance to peer relationships, increase in heterosexual interests and activities and usually most adolescents experience sexual intercourse. There is also the occurrence of emotional changes often with conflict and turmoil. Increased search for independence also occurs in the adolescent development stage. Moral development of an individual occurs. For the first time in the adolescence stage, a principled moral judgment that gets shaped by gender and culture becomes possible. The development of moral reasoning may develop through various stages namely pre-conventional, conventional, and post-conventional reasoning stages.

Maturational Theory

Using the assumption that adolescence commences with the biological changes; therefore, it also gets assumed that adolescence has a direct link between psychological development and biological factors. According to this perspective, all adolescences undergo similar stages of development based on the maturation of their body and brain. This view got pioneered by Stanley Hall and got perceived as the earliest formal theory of adolescence. In this theory, Hall claims that every person’s psychological development recapitulates both biological as well as the cultural evolution of the human race. Hall views adolescence as a period characterized by storm and stress that is similar to the volatile history of humankind over the last 200 years. Most of the thoughts, feelings, and actions in this developmental stage oscillate between goodness and temptation, humility and conceit, and happiness and sadness.

Culture significantly shapes the adolescent developmental stage as well as the way in which we understand adolescents. The mix with peers and the society at large in the adolescent stage impact the way we relate to people. Individuals usually encounter new attitudes, values, ideas, customs and relationships hence affecting the behavior of teenagers. Culture affects the contemporary developmental thinking of adolescents hence influencing the manner in which adolescents grow and develop.

References

Bernstein, D. A., Penner, L. A., & Clarke-Stewart, A. Roy, Edward J. 2003. Psychology. p. 50-526

Harris, M., & Butterworth, G. (2012). Developmental psychology: a student's handbook. Psychology Press. p. 300 - 421

Sherry Roberts is the author of this paper. A senior editor at MeldaResearch.Com in research paper services if you need a similar paper you can place your order for professional research proposal writing services.