adolescence

Examples of adolescence in the following topics:

• Socioemotional Development in Adolescence

  • Adolescence is the period of life known for the formation of personal and social identity.
  • This is common, as peer relationships become a central focus in adolescents’ lives.
  • Early in adolescence, cognitive developments result in greater self-awareness.
  • Adolescents can begin to qualify their traits when asked to describe themselves.
  • Differentiation becomes fully developed by mid-adolescence.

• Adolescence

  • The study of adolescent development often involves interdisciplinary collaborations.
  • During early adolescence, adolescents often associate in cliques; exclusive, single-sex groups of peers with whom they are particularly close.
  • Romantic relationships tend to increase in prevalence throughout adolescence.
  • Adolescence marks a time of sexual maturation, which impacts the types of social interactions adolescents maintain.
  • Adolescents strive for autonomy.

• Cultural and Societal Influences on Adolescent Development

  • The influence of parental and peer relationships, as well as the broader culture, shapes many aspects of adolescent development.
  • Adolescence is a crucial period in social development, as adolescents can be easily swayed by their close relationships.
  • While adolescents strive for freedom, the unknowns can be frightening for parents.
  • Although conflicts between children and parents increase during adolescence, they are often related to relatively minor issues; regarding more important life issues, many adolescents will still share the same attitudes and values as their parents.
  • Many factors that shape adolescent development vary by culture.

• Cognitive Development in Adolescence

  • Adolescence is a time for rapid cognitive development.
  • Adolescents think more quickly than children.
  • Processing speed improves sharply between age five and middle adolescence, levels off around age 15, and does not appear to change between late adolescence and adulthood.
  • Adolescents can think about thinking itself.
  • Adolescents are more likely to take risks than adults.

• Adolescent Socialization

  • Bullying is an example of the negative influence that peer groups can have on adolescents.
  • Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and psychological human development.
  • This is also a time when adolescents start to explore gender identity and sexuality in depth.
  • Exploring these possibilities may result in abrupt changes in self-presentation as the adolescent chooses or rejects qualities and behaviors, trying to guide the actual self toward the ideal self (who the adolescent wishes to be) and away from the feared self (who the adolescent does not want to be).
  • Romantic relationships tend to increase in prevalence throughout adolescence.

• Physical Development in Adolescence

  • During puberty, an adolescent experiences a period of rapid physical growth that culminates in sexual maturity.
  • Adolescence is a socially constructed concept.
  • The accelerated growth in different body parts happens at different times, but for all adolescents it has a fairly regular sequence.
  • This non-uniform growth is one reason why an adolescent body may seem out of proportion.
  • The adolescent brain also remains under development during this time.

• Levinson

  • Research in this field questions not only whether development ceases after adolescence, but also the notion, popularized by many gerontologists, that a decline occurs after late adolescence.
  • Research in Positive Adult Development questions not only whether development ceases after adolescence, but also the notion, popularized by many gerontologists, that a decline occurs after late adolescence.

• Dividing the lifespan

• Childhood

  • Childhood is the age span ranging from birth to adolescence.
  • Some consider that childhood, as a concept of play and innocence, ends at adolescence.
  • Adolescence is usually determined by the onset of puberty.
  • The end of adolescence and the beginning of adulthood varies by country.
  • Evaluate the importance of childhood (early, middle and adolescence) in terms of socialization and acceptance in society

• Childhood Socialization

  • Gender roles are taught from infancy through primary socialization, or the type of socialization that occurs in childhood and adolescence.
  • Primary socialization takes place early in life, as a child and adolescent.