What is Adolescence?
The term adolescence is commonly used to describe the transition stage between childhood and adulthood. Adolescence is also equated to both the terms “teenage years” and “puberty.” However adolescence is not exclusive to either of these terms. Puberty refers to the hormonal changes that occur in early youth; and the period of adolescence can extend well beyond the teenage years. In fact, there is no one scientific definition of adolescence or set age boundary. There are key development changes that nearly all adolescents experience during their transition from childhood to adulthood.1 Many researchers and developmental specialists in the U.S. use the age span 10 – 24 years as a working definition of adolescence. This age span can be further divided into sub stages. The table below, developed by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, describes the developmental characteristics of adolescents by sub stage specific to physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development.2 This table illustrates that adolescence is one of the most dynamic stages of human growth and development; and is second only to infancy in the rate of developmental changes that take place. | Stages of Adolescence | Physical Development | Cognitive Development | Social-Emotional Development |
|---|
Early Adolescence
Approximately 11 – 13
years of age | Puberty: grow body hair, increase perspiration and oil production in hair and skin
Girls – breast and hip development, onset of menstruation
Boys – growth in testicles and penis, wet dreams, deepening of voice
Tremendous physical growth: gain height and weight
| Growing capacity for abstract thought
Mostly interested in present with limited thought to the future
Intellectual interests expand and become more important
Deeper moral thinking | Struggle with sense of identity
Feel awkward about one’s self and one’s body; worry about being normal
Realize that parents are not perfect; increased conflict with parents
Increased influence of peer group
Desire for independence
Tendency to return to “childish” behavior, particularly when stressed
Moodiness
Rule- and limit-testing
Greater interest in privacy
Growing sexual interest | Middle Adolescence
Approximately 14 – 18
years of age | Puberty is completed
Physical growth slows for girls, continues for boys | Continued growth of capacity for abstract thought
Greater capacity for setting goals
Interest in moral reasoning
Thinking about the meaning of life | Intense self-involvement, changing between high expectations and poor self-concept
Continued adjustment to changing body, worries about being normal
Tendency to distance selves from parents, continued drive for independence
Driven to make friends and greater reliance on them, popularity can be an important issue
Feelings of love and passion
Increased sexual interest | Late Adolescence
Approximately 19 – 24
years of age | Young women, typically, are physically fully developed
Young men continue to gain height, weight, muscle mass, and body hair | Ability to think ideas through from beginning to end
Ability to delay gratification
Examination of inner experiences
Increased concern for future
Continued interest in moral reasoning | Firmer sense of identity, including sexual identity
Increased emotional stability
Increased concern for others
Increased independence and self-reliance
Peer relationships remain important
Development of more serious relationships
Social and cultural traditions regain some of their importance |
Growing research on the adolescent brain has provided a better understanding of typical adolescent development. Combining what is known about neurological development, in conjunction with physical, cognitive, and social-emotional adolescent development will help AFL staff to better understand and provide “stage-appropriate” guidance to adolescents in their programs. The next section provides an overview of neurological development and the important structural and functional changes occurring in the brain during adolescence. << PreviousNext >> |
