Discuss the concept of adolescence as a social construct and its validity for different cultures

Adolescence is Erikson’s fifth stage of development wherein the person must master the conflict of identity versus role confusion. The question, who I am? Is a question that arises during this time? The child is concerned with

1. In the article Denaturalizing Adolescence, Lesko defines adolescence in reference to teens between the ages of 12-17 (p. 156). She talks about the characteristics of adolescence; that we have framed within our society. They are seen as "hormonally driven, peer-oriented, and identity seeking" by the majority of adults (Lesko, 140). According to her adolescence was created in the 19th century during industrialization. Adolescents were ‘coming of age' into this "important, powerful, uncontrollable change" (Lesko, 148) and they needed to be disciplined. It was believed that the characteristics of adulthood were a direct reflection of the society around them; as teens couldn't make a decision for themselves.

There are so many examples of child and adolescent behaviour is reported in the media on a daily basis. Such behaviour can be linked to a variety of different developmental theories, learning styles and sociocultural influences in learning and development. I decided to examine the article ‘Is teenage risk-taking vital for our species?’ from the guardian website. As it mentioned in the article above there are some descriptions needs to be understood. I think that the description of adolescence in the opening paragraph can be linked to Erikson’s idea on adolescent development. Erik Erikson was a psychologist who was a pupil of Sigmund Freud. He believed there are eight psychosocial stages that a child or young adult passes through. For him adolescence is a period when a young person is trying

Depending on time, culture and circumstances, people move through the vast stages of their lives in diverse and unique ways. While some cultures emphasise the importance of childhood development, others represent adolescence as a time of momentous change and maturity. On the other hand, some societies give no acknowledgement to adolescence at all. This is the study of the life course. From a sociological standpoint, the life course is a method of analysing how social customs change with age and development. The study of the life course is a relatively young one; first being introduced in the 19th century (reference). Consequentially, much of its interest lies in the recent developments regarding youth and—more specifically—adolescence.

Even though Erikson believed that an individual’s identity was discovered by the end of adolescence, he advised that identity will continue to grow throughout adulthood. With that being said, Erikson lacked in providing information of that growth (Sokol, 2009). Erikson’s theory was also unclear of the causes of the psychosocial stages of development and how the resolution of one stage influenced an individual’s personality. He did however stress that his theory was merely an instrument that provided an outline that development growth could be measured by (McLeod, 2013).

5.) Adolescents have to find their identity. This can be a challenge for some adolescents, because of the environment surrounding them. Researches have suggested growing up in Western countries is more difficult. In Western countries children are expected to not act like children, but aren’t expected to act like men and women. People in the United States expect their children to be successful, by providing them with name-brand clothing and electronics. However, in non-Western countries children passes through stages. A ritual is preformed to recognize a child turning into an adult. When this happens children receive blessings and spiritual gifts. Most importantly, some children aren’t allowed to live with their mothers after puberty in non-Western countries. All children develop differently. Girls tend to need relationships to feel connected in the environment, while

Adolescence, one bold word that might leave you wondering what is it exactly? Questions come to mind, how long does it last? Why are adolescents out of control? The definition adolescence is loosely defined. In some countries this time in someone’s life may be shorter or longer, depending on ones culture. According to Laser, J., & Nicotera, N. (2011), adolescence is including young people whose ages range from about 13 years old to about 20 years old. Using theoretical strengths perspective helps find the light to what seems to be the light at the end of the tunnel.

Adolescence is a time of emotional, cognitive and physical development as the adolescent moves from being a child to an adult (Carr, Eshkevari & Kosky, 1991). Erikson (1968) believed that adolescence is a time of identity crisis. As the adolescent moves from childhood to adulthood they experiment with different identities until they form an identity which is their true self. This is known as identity formation (Becht, Branje, Denissen, Koot, Meeus, Nelemans & Vollebergh, 2016).

Adolescence is not cultural universal. In some societies, young children go straight from childhood to the adult life once they have done the necessary puberty rites. Puberty rites are formal ceremonies that mark the entrance of young

Adolescence, too, can be divided into sub-stages: Early Teen Years (from twelve to fourteen); Middle Teen Years (fifteen to eighteen); and, Late Teen Years (nineteen to twenty) (pink). Erikson’s Developmental Theory labels this time as the fifth stage: Identity vs. Role Confusion. Up until this stage, all the prior stages involved events enacting their influence on the individual, this, the fifth stage, involves the opposite-the influence the individual can enact. The primary task of adolescence is to establish one’s identity, that is, to answer the question “Who am I?”. This quest for identity is achieved by experimentation; failure to experiment can result in role confusion according to Erikson (gold). This may mark a withdrawal from

For instance, the development of identity is something that occurs seriously in the childhood and becomes particularly more important during adolescence. However, Erikson believed that this is a persistent process throughout humans lives. Erikson’s theories of crisis in adolescence which is role confusion are being in the stage of adolescence is basically the time where we identity and find our true self or identity and also our real

Adolescence is the developmental stage between childhood and adulthood; it generally refers to a period ranging from age 11 and 19. Adolescence has many psychological and social stages, as well as biological. The beginning of adolescence is usually marked with the beginning of puberty. Adolescence can be prolonged, brief, or practically nonexistent, depending on the type of culture in which it occurs. Adolescence is somewhere between childhood and adulthood. It is filled with constant change, uncertainty, but it can be wonderful and full of expectation. Everything a child learned to believe is suddenly challenged. One day you are a cute child that everybody seemed to adore, and the next day your skin and body are

Adolescence is the period of development from ages 10-21, it is the period between childhood and adulthood (McGraw Hill Education, 2015) It is a time of confusion and exploration. This stage continues until a person is holding a full time job, economic independence, and taking responsibility to oneself (Santrock, 2011, p. 344). As a 16 year old female I am in the midst of all these changes and can relate many themes to myself and my own experiences.

Adolescence is perhaps the most confusing and complex time in one’s developmental life as one’s physical body, the way one thinks, the brain structure, emotions, identity, and sexuality are all developing simultaneously. I am currently an adolescent, my age is nineteen, that has recent experience with the trials and tribulations that accompany those formative years. My journey as an adolescent is nearing its end as I am entering the emerging adulthood phase of my life, but proper reflection upon my experience should give key insights into the development of today’s adolescents.

According to Erickson (1968), adolescents were often at the fifth psychosocial stage of human development. This stage was called “Identity versus Identity Confusion.” According to Erickson, if adolescents were not allowed to explore their new roles and follow a future positive path, they may remain confused about their identity. Resolving conflicts during adolescence, according to Erickson, assists adolescents to become who they would be, unique individual, progressing further into higher developmental stages. Erickson noted that for adolescents to become autonomous, their self-concept and self-esteem