The Process of Adolescent Development Essay

Adolescence describes the transitional stage in a teenager’s life, from childhood to adulthood, where an individual evolves physically, psychologically, emotionally, cognitively and socially. It is a defined social category that is expressed through immaturity and unpredictability and allows an individual to learn and discover their sense of self and identity. The idea of adolescence came into perspective after children were expected to take on adult roles as soon as they were mature enough to, going straight from puberty to adulthood. As society changed and moulded, so did the ideas about life stages, which is evident in Erikson’s theory.

First, review what you’ve learned about the adolescent from your interviews. Then, complete Section I of the Adolescent Development Analysis Worksheet to determine the ASCA Development Stage in which you believe the teen falls. Finally, identify and write a description here of the stage in which the teen falls, then give at least two examples that support your stage choice.

Adolescence is the transition period between childhood and early adulthood, beginning at about age 11 or 12 and lasting until around age 18. Puberty marks the beginning of adolescence. During puberty, hormonal changes happen in the body, prepare the body for reproduction and change the size and proportions of the body. As the body undergoes this dramatic transformation, major changes happen in the brain as well.

In this paper I plan to discuss the developmental stages of adolescence. Adolescents are also referred to as "teenagers" or "young adults." Adolescence begins after the childhood stage and ends right before adulthood. The years of adolescence range from 12 years old to 21 years old. The years of adolescence can be quite a roller coaster ride. Young people in this stage encounter a great deal of changes in their life as they prepare for adulthood. I will discuss emotional, intellectual, physiological, and social domains of development and how it relates to adolescents. I will also discuss some helpful tips for teachers to aide in communicating effectively to adolescents and understanding their

The human brain consists of billions of neurons (nerve cells) and develops rapidly during early childhood. These nerve cells send electrochemical signals to each other to form the brains essential functions of language, communication, learning, memory, movement, thinking, and problem-solving. This essay will explore the changes in children’s behaviour from early childhood to adolescence as the brain develops.

In your opinion, what are the two most important factors that influence adolescent development? Give rationales for your choices.

While reading Developing Adolescents: A reference for Professionals, I couldn’t help but think about the girls at my intern site. I feel like I understand them a lot better after this reading. Their at the stage of their lives where things are constantly changing, their still trying to understand themselves and their ideas. So it should be expected that it’s going to take time for some of the girls to warm up to me and actually trust me enough to be free and open around me as much as I see that they are with Stanley and their peers.

Fine motor skills and hand eye coordination are making improvements between the ages of 6 and 8. The frontal lobes become more improved with logic, planning, and memory, so the children begin to comprehend the meaning of time. A mixture of proteins and phospholipids from a sheath around many nerve fibers, which causes impulses is called myelination, and it is one of the factors responsible for those growths. From the ages of 6 to 12 the nerve cells that are in association with the areas of the brain, are the sensory, motor, and intellectual functioning connect and they become completely myelinated. This process helps with the child’s reaction time, and speed.

Adolescence is the transitional period in a persons life time that links childhood and adulthood. The factors that influence development during adolescence include genetic/biological and environmental/social. There are many developmental issues that take place during the transition from an adolescent to a young adult. The issues of emerging adulthood(18-25) are characterized by new experiences, experimentation, exploration as well as new developmental tasks.

In girls, puberty starts with breast development, which now often begins by age 10. But puberty's landmarks are the first ejaculation in boys, usually by about age 12, and the first menstrual period in girls, usually within a year of age 12. (p. 165)

There are five characteristics that all adolescents have. These characteristics are biological growth and development, an undefined status, increased decision-making, increased pressures, and the search for self. The brain and the endocrine system control biological growth and development. During the early stages of adolescence, individuals experience growth in height and weight, changes in the body, the development of sexual characteristics, and skin problems. For example, I started getting curves in my body when I hit puberty. My body started to develop changes. Our society’s expectations for children and adults are clear, but for the adolescent, expectations are inexplicit. Some adolescents are treated like children, but some are treated like adults. There is an undefined status. For example, my parents pay for my lunch, but I have to have a job so I can support myself.

Adolescence is the distinct transitional stage between childhood and adulthood in human development, extending primarily over the teenage years and terminating legally when the age of majority is reached (Rathus, 2014). However in some instances, this biological, cognitive, social and emotional maturity may not be reached until a later stage and may be dictated by gender. Adolescence is characterised by rapidly changing and unpredictable behaviour (Freud, as cited in Rathus 2014), heightened and unstable emotions (Hall, as cited in Rathus 2014), disturbances in identity, the gradual development of one’s moral reasoning (Kohlberg, as cited in Rathus, 2014) and the gradual establishment of one’s independence. Several of these changes may occur at differing phases in adolescent growth. This development is categorized into three separate stages; early adolescence, middle adolescence, and late adolescence. Early Adolescence, commencing from the ages of eleven or twelve until the age of fourteen, comprises of several features such as rapid biological development and maturity, heightened stress levels and limited coping capabilities. On the other hand, middle adolescence, from the approximate age of fourteen to sixteen, involves the gradual cease of biological change, an increase in coping strategies and declined stress levels. Furthermore, late adolescence, commencing from the age of sixteen until the age of eighteen or nineteen, encompasses physical maturity, whereby the

Usually, the first theme that arises with the thought of adolescence is puberty, which can be a tumulus time. Puberty is a time of rapid physical maturation including hormonal and bodily changes. These changes include menarche, weight gains, height gains, and hormonal changes (McGraw Hill Education, 2015). Personally, puberty was a time of rapid growth; I went from kids sizes to adult sizes in the matter of a few months. As an early-maturing girl, I was confused and surprised when I started to notice the changes occurring to my body; I started to form breasts and my figure began to change drastically. I no longer had the body types of my friends who were boys. Nevertheless, these changes began to occur and I wasn’t prepared for one of the markers of “womanhood”; my first menstruation. I went through lectures with my mother and she gave me “talks”, but when it came to reality, I wasn’t prepared. However, with a little patience I have survived the most difficult parts of puberty but this isn’t the only thing adolescences have to deal with.

From birth through adolescence, a significant amount of developmental changes occur. Children grow and develop physically, cognitively and emotionally. Each individual aspect of development has an effect on the child as a whole. If a child struggles developmentally in any of the areas (physically, emotionally or cognitively), it can affect one of the other areas of development as well. For example, if a child is underdeveloped physically, they may experience emotional development issues because they may be made fun of and teased by other children.

There are many factors that contribute to determining how a young person will develop into a mature adult. This research paper will discuss three of those factors and how they can negatively affect the development of an adolescent male - sexual or physical abuse, self-esteem, and pubertal timing. By the end it will be clear what influences an adolescent’s mental, emotional and physical health, and what makes a male feel capable of being secure in their own skin.