GRSJ224/Adolescence
Adolescence
Overview
WHO identifies adolescence as the period in human growth and development that occurs after childhood and before adulthood, from ages 10 to19. It represents one of the critical transitions in the life span and is characterized by a tremendous pace in growth and change that is second only to that of infancy. Biological processes drive many aspects of this growth and development, with the onset of puberty marking the passage from childhood to adolescence. [1]
Stage of life
Adolescence, perhaps the most influential life stage a person will experience. The way someone lives this timeframe will form the person they will become for the rest of their lives. Adolescence is known as the time between childhood and adulthood. There is no particular age when a person enters adolescence; this is especially so considering that each country may have a different idea as to what constitutes adolescence, and what tasks are entrusted (such as voting, sex, driving, serving in the armed forces, etc.). In the past adolescence had been marked in large part by the onset of puberty, but puberty starts at different times for everyone and usually is a long process making it hard to judge. Many of the changes teens (aka adolescent) children go through are not just physical but also very psychological. Teens become more independent and start to disagree or challenge parents and authority figures as they mature. There are many ideas as to why, both physical and mental. It is argued that the development of sex drives leads to attraction outside the family resulting in conflicts between the adolescent and parents, teachers, and other authority figures. The cognitive theory suggests that teens switch from the concrete operational stage to the formal operational stage. It is during this time that teens acquire new ideas of abstract reasoning, importantly those related to moral judgments. Teens are trying to ultimately create a positive identity. Failure to do so can result in identity/role confusion and lead to delinquent behavior, behavioral maladjustment, promiscuous acts, and even criminal activity.
Biological determinants
The biological determinants of adolescence are fairly universal; however, the duration and defining characteristics of this period may vary across time, cultures, and socioeconomic situations. This period has seen many changes over the past century namely the earlier onset of puberty, later age of marriage, urbanization, global communication, and changing sexual attitudes and behaviours. [2]
Example
When it comes to juvenile delinquency a large majority of these disturbances are done by males. A popular and easily accepted reason for this is that many of these young males may be trying to display their masculinity and thus more likely to offend. Performing these dangerous, tough, and often aggressive activities may be a means of displaying their masculinity. Acting out these ideas will generally make males more willing to do these antisocial and criminal acts in an effort to be accepted by their friends and peers. For young people being accepted is very important, and at times people may ‘flock’ to the wrong groups of people and be forced to do questionable activities. Another idea for why males are more likely to offend can be a biological reason. Males may just be more biologically aggressive. It should come as no surprise that adolescents with past trouble with the law viewed law enforcement worse than those with little to no prior involvement.