ADOLESCENCE

Adolescence refers to the time period between childhood and adulthood. It is generally believed to
start right before teenage years and end right after it. It is a transitional stage, as the individual is no
longer considered a child while also not being characterized as an adult. Adolescence is marked by
immense physiological and psychological changes, including a growth spurt in height, weight etc. For
e.g. on an average an adolescent boy grows by 4.1 inches each year, while adolescent girls grows by
3.5 inches. However, onset of adolescent is early in girls at around 10 years while adolescence in boys
starts around 12 years. Changes and development in adolescence includes;

PUBERTY

Puberty refers to the period in which sex organs in an individual matures. The pituitary gland in brain
send signal to others glands in body to start producing sex hormones at adult levels. The sex
hormones include androgen in males and oestrogen in females (androgen and oestrogen are present in
both females and males, however androgen are secreted at a higher level in males and vice-e-versa).

PUBERTY IN FEMALES

The beginning of puberty is marked by menarche in females. Menarche refers to onset of

menstruation in females. While the exact age at which puberty starts differs significantly, determined
by several factors, menarche is generally considered the start of puberty in females. Puberty in
females is further marked by development of primary and secondary sex characteristics.
Primary sex characteristics refers to development of organs and structures that are directly related
to reproduction. Primary sex characteristics in female include changes in vagina and uterus in
females, while secondary sex characteristics which refers to changes in body parts that are not
directly related to reproduction. Secondary sex characteristics in girls include development of breast,
appearance of pubic and underarm hairs.

PUBERTY IN MALES

Puberty in males follow a different route than in females. The onset of puberty in boys leads to growth
in penis and scrotum at around 12 years and within four years it grows to the adult level.
Primary sex characteristics in boys further include development in prostate gland and seminal vesicles
(sperm producing organ). By the age of 13 boys also experience spermarche, i.e. the first ejaculation
of sperms in males. It usually occurs a year after the body has started producing sperms.
Secondary sex characteristics on the other hand include development of larynx, appearance of pubic
hairs, facial hairs and underarm hairs.

OTHER CHANGES
The onset of adolescence also brings forth development of brains in individuals. Myelination refers to
the process through which nerve cells are insulated by fat cells leading to an improvement in
transmission of neural messages.
Adolescence also brings forth development of prefrontal cortex which usually last tills early 20’s.
Prefrontal cortex is the part of brain that allows individuals to think, evaluate and reason uniquely in
human ways.

SOCIOEMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT- SELF-CONCEPT, SELF-ESTEEM, IDENTITY,

PEER RELATIONS.

Self-concept: Self-concept refers to an individuals perspective on who they are. The numerous change
brought about in adolescence brings a change in how teenagers view themselves. Adolescences are
able to view various aspects of self simultaneously and their view of also becomes more complete and
coherent. The adolescences see themselves in psychological aspects and considers the concept of self-
more in abstract terms.

IDENTITY

James Marcia has conceptualized his theory of identity, in which identity is composed of two
elements, namely, crisis and commitment. Accordingly, crisis is the face in which an adolescence
consciously chooses between various roles and makes decision. Whereas, commitment refers to
psychological investment in one course of action or ideology.

A) IDENTITY ACHIEVEMENT: teenagers who have successfully explored who they are and
what they want to be. Accordingly, they have gone through the phase of crisis here they
choose between various alternatives and have committed themselves to a particular role.

B) Identity foreclosure: These are adolescents who have committed to an identity but who did
not do it by passing through a period of crisis in which they explored alternatives. Instead,
they accepted others’ decisions about what was best for them. Typical adolescents in this
category are a son who enters the family business because it is expected of him and a
daughter who decides to become a physician simply because her mother is one. Although
forecloses are not necessarily unhappy, they tend to have what can be called “rigid strength”:

C) Moratorium: Although adolescents in the moratorium category have explored various

alternatives to some degree, they have not yet committed themselves. As a consequence,
Marcia suggests, they show relatively high anxiety and experience psychological conflict. On
the other hand, they are often lively and appealing, seeking intimacy with others. Adolescents
of this status typically settle on an identity but only after something of a struggle
 D) Identity diffusion: Adolescents in this category neither explore nor commit to considering
various alternatives. They tend to be flighty, shifting from one thing to the next. While they
may seem carefree, according to Marcia, their lack of commitment impairs their ability to
form close relationships. In fact, they are often socially withdrawn.

RELATIONSHIPS: FAMILY AND FRIENDS

The social world of adolescents is considerably wider than that of younger children. As the relations
of adolescents outside their home grow considerably more important, their interaction with family
takes new and often difficult character.

AUTONOMY: autonomy refers to independence and sense of control over one’s life. In adolescents,
the teenagers seek more autonomy and children who have previously accepted their parents’
judgments, declarations, and guidelines begin to question—and sometimes rebel against—their
parents’ views of the world.
The increase in adolescent autonomy changes the relationship between parents and teenagers. At the
start of adolescence, the relationship tends to be asymmetrical: Parents hold most of the power and
influence over the relationship. By the end of adolescence, however, power and influence have
become more balanced, and parents and children end up in a more symmetrical
The degree of autonomy that is eventually achieved varies from one family and one child to the next.
Cultural factors play an important role. In Western societies, which tend to value individualism,
adolescents seek autonomy at a relatively early stage of adolescence. In contrast, Asian societies are
collectivistic; they promote the idea that the well-being of the group is more important than that of the
individual, in such societies, adolescents’ aspirations to achieve autonomy are less pronounced.

PEERS: