Adolescence

 CONTENT

1. ADOLESCENCE

• Etymology
• Meaning of adolescence
• Other names of adolescence
• Definition of Adolescence

2. CHARACTERISTICS OF ADOLESCENCE

3. DEVELOPMENTAL TASKS OF ADOLESCENCE

4. PROBLEMS OF ADOLESCENCE

1. ADOLESCENCE

Etymology of Adolescence

The word “Adolescence” has been derived from a Latin word “adolescere” which means to “to grow”.

Meaning of Adolescence

Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from childhood to adulthood.

Adolescence is the stage of growth and development in an individual’s life from age 12 years to 18-19 years.

Other Names for Adolescence

• Spring of life
• ‘Attractive age’ but ‘uneven and strange’ in life.
• Period of stress and strain
• Period of teenage
• Period of second birth
• Revolutionary period of human life

Definitions of Adolescence

W.H.O defines adolescence as, 

“The period of life between 10 and 19 years of age.”

G. Stanley Hall states viewed, 

“Adolescence as a period of inevitable turmoil that takes place during the transition from childhood to adulthood.”

Brigge and Hunt stated that,

 “The word which best characterizes adolescence is change, change is physiological, sociological and psychological.”

2. CHARACTERISTICS OF ADOLESCENCE

a) Development in mental abilities and intelligence

• In adolescence, the complete development of an individual’s intelligence and their mental abilities i.e., attention, memory, imagination, thinking, reasoning, analysis, synthesis, and abstract thinking takes place
• This enhances their ability to solve problems, capacity for creative thinking and imagination.

b) Bodily changes and sex development

• In this stage, the external and internal organs of adolescents develop completely.
• The external and internal changes that take place in e bodies of adolescent create a stir in their physical and mental activities.
• Adolescents feel extraordinary attraction towards the other sex.

c) Exuberance of aspiration, ambitions, and imagination

• During adolescence there is a rapid increase in the desires and aspirations of boys and girls.
• They try to look attractive by keeping their bodies fit, healthy and beautiful.
• They desire and aspire to eat the best food, wear trendy clothes, best accommodations, best education and other things.
• Adolescents in this age are often lost in fantasies and they day dream.

d) Stability in interest

• Upto the age of 15 years, there are changes in the interest of adolescents but after this age their interest starts becoming stable.
• Heredity and environment of the adolescent also affects their interest. As a result of this, some interest are common and some uncommon (or different).
• Common interest between adolescents mainly includes beauty and fitness of body, attractive clothing etc.

e) Development of good/bad habits and tendencies

• Adolescence is a time of change, the changes can be constructive i.e., these changes can generate good habits and tendencies or they can be destructive i.e., these changes can generate bad habits and tendencies.
• At this stage, the physical and mental changes are such that if the needs (or wants/demand) of adolescents are not fulfilled, they result in the formation/generation of bad habits.
• The development of good/bad habits and tendencies depends on the environment the adolescent lives in.

f) Mental Independence and self support

• There is a strong tendency of independence in the adolescents in this stage; they do not want to depend on their families and peers.
• As far as self reliance is considered, sometimes they consider themselves capable of performing every task and want to do their word themselves.
• However at times they consider themselves incapable of doing tasks and expect corporation and guidance from elders.

g) Future Anxiety

• The anxiety about the future arises in this stage.
• There are three major anxieties of adolescents about the future:

                    * Vocation anxiety
                    * Life partner anxiety
                    * Status anxiety

h) Emotional Instability

• Adolescents under the age of 15 years are very emotional.
• Their emotions swing between hope and despair i.e., they sometimes get excited and sometimes get discouraged; sometimes they are active and sometimes inactive; sometimes they show love and other times hatred.

i) Hero Worship

• The boys and girls at this age of adolescence have a tendency of making idols.
• Their idols belong to a specific region i.e., social, religious, politics, sports etc.
• They never get tired of praising their idols.
• They try to impersonate their idols by talking, walking, dressing etc like them.

j) Moral and Immoral Development

• If the adolescents gets good atmosphere at home, school and neighborhood, it inculcates good moral habits and values by taking inspiration from these places.

3. Developmental Tasks of Adolescence

Developmental task: 

The term developmental - task was introduced by Robert Havighurst in the 1950’s.

Developmental tasks refer to a physical or cognitive skill that a person must accomplish during a particular age period to continue development.

According to Havighurst’s Developmental Tasks of Adolescence are following:

1. Achieving new and more mature relations with age mates of both sexes.

2. Achieving a masculine or feminine social role.

3. Accepting one’s physique and using one’s body effectively.

4. Desiring, accepting and achieving socially responsible behavior.

5. Achieving emotional independence from parents and other adults.

6. Preparing from economic career.

7. Preparing for marriage and family life.

8. Acquiring a set of values and an ethical system as a guide to behavior- developing an ideology.

4. Problems of Adolescence

1. Emotional Instability

• Adolescent’s emotions are unstable.
• Their emotions fluctuate rapidly i.e., one moment they are happy and the next moment they are angry and irritated.
• Emotions like anger, love, lust etc are very intense.

2. Suicidal Tendencies

• Adolescents who are not well adjusted in their environment are unable to form deep friendship with their peers.
• Some adolescents also face mental pressure from their parents to perform well in academics and life.
• Some adolescents also face bulling and teasing from peers for their difference and weaknesses.
• Due to these reasons, the adolescents develop a feeling of loneliness and feel that nobody loves them.
• This leads to the development of suicidal tendencies in the adolescents.

3. Sex related problems

• Due to the development of reproductive organs in this stage, adolescents feel attracted to the opposite sex.
• In this stage, tendencies like self love, homosexual sex, heterosexual sex drives are found in adolescents.
• Due to the lack of proper sex education, adolescents get involved in sexual activities which sometimes results in teenage pregnancy and motherhood, which further leads to serious mental and physical health, social and economical consequences.

4. Development of Juvenile delinquent tendency

• During adolescence, teenagers fall prey to many bad habits and sometimes even violate laws.
• Criminal tendencies start growing in them.
• Some adolescents even experience joy in committing crimes.

5. Tendency of Indiscipline

• Adolescents become undisciplined; start breaking rules; developing criminal attitude due to the formation of bad companionship; being inspired towards bad values and habits.

6. Ego Problems

• Adolescents try to prove themselves correct and superior in every situation
• This leads to them quarreling in groups.
• Teenagers make and try to put efforts to boost their own ego.

7. Personal Problems

• Adolescents have many personal problems related to their appearance which makes them conscious in public places.
• They become insecure of their physical appearances like being fat or thin, too tall or short, structure of their nose etc.

8. Social Problems

• Some adolescents face problem socializing with their family, friends, and in social gatherings.
• They hesitate in the company of opposite sex for the fear of being ridiculed and judged.

9. Biological Problems

• Adolescents go through a lot of bodily changes during this stage and sometimes find it difficult to share their concerns and problems related to these changes with others.
• This problem occurs mainly in adolescents who do not receive proper education about physical health mainly reproductive health.

10. Eating disorders

• In the fear of looking too fat, some teenagers stop eating a proper and required quantity of nutritional food.
• Some adolescents start overeating due to stress and anxiety.