ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT

 

Meaning of Adolescent

     The origin of the word adolescence comes from ‘Adolescere’ Latin word which means to grow or grow to maturity. Adolescence is the most crucial and significant period of an individual’s life. It is the period of rapid revolutionary changes in the individual’s physical, mental, moral, spiritual, sex and social outlook.

Definitions:

1. Jean Piaget- “Adolescence as the age of great ideals and the beginning of theories as well as the time of simple adaptation of life.”

2. A.T. Jersild- “Adolescence is that span of years during which boys and girls move from childhood to adulthood, mentally, emotionally, socially and physically.”

3. Rabindranath Tagore – “In the world of human affairs there is no worse nuisance than a boy at the age of fourteen. He is neither ornamental nor useful.”

4. J.A. Hadfield (1962) – “When we speak of adolescent as growing up, we mean that the youth is leaving behind the phase of protective childhood and is becoming independent.”

Characteristics of adolescence

1. Adolescence is the period of rapid revolutionary changes.

2. Adolescence is the period of new learning.

3. Adolescence is the period of anxieties and worries.

4. Adolescence is the period of great storm.

5. Adolescence is the period of self-assertion and boldness.

6. Adolescence is the period of self-abasement.

7. Adolescence is the period of reckless and daring exploits.

8. Adolescence is the period of moral approval and disapproval.

9. Adolescence is the period of becoming independent.

10. Adolescence is the period of great ideals.

11. Adolescence is the period of simple adaptation to life.

12. Adolescence is the period, when signs of sexual maturity begin to occur.

13. Adolescence is the period of rapid fluctuation in mood.

14. Adolescence is the period of self-feeling and ambition.

15. Adolescence is the period of exaggeration.

16. Adolescence is the period of period of new birth.

17. Adolescence is the period of divided loyalties.

18. Adolescence is the period, when a new life of love awakens.

 

COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT / INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT

     Cognitive development is also referred as intellectual development. Adolescence is a period of great intellectual advancement. During this period the individual enters into piaget’s stage of formal operations, which is characterized by the ability to think abstractly. The ability to reason, to analyse the problem, to test the solutions and to grasp the logical theories or theorems is noticed among them. The adolescent learns to reason and seek answer to everything scientifically. Writers, artists, poets, philosophers and inventors are all born in this period. The important features of intellectual development during this period are:

Ø  There will be development of critical independent and abstract thinking facilitating abstract and symbolic learning.

Ø  Ability for creativity and productivity develops.

Ø  There is an increase in the ability to utilize symbolism in thought.

Ø  Conceptual learning takes place.

Ø  Adolescents show increased ability to generalize facts.

Ø  The power of imagination, memory, critical thinking and observation also increases.

CHARACTERISTICS OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

Adolescence is a period of great intellectual advancement. As the young person matures mentally, there are changes in his thinking and concept formation etc. The following are the important characteristics of mental development in adolescents,

Ø  Increased ability to generalize the facts: i.e. ability to generalize, on conceptual level develops. Adolescents can also generalize in an abstract way.

Ø  Increased ability of understanding: i.e. ability to see relationship and to solve problems of increasing complexity and difficulty.

Ø  Increased ability to deal with abstraction: i.e. ability to comprehend and communicate meanings in abstract qualitative concepts is an important aspect of intellectual maturity in adolescents.

Ø  Identification with conditions and characters in the longer world: i.e. ability to identify with circumstances and people outside of his own immediate environment develops.

Ø  Development of memory and imagination: i.e. ability to remember the facts increases and ability to imagine abstractive also develops very rapidly.

Ø  Ability to make decisions, problem solving and to communicate with other clearly develops.

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Ø  During adolescent period, the physical growth reaches its peak and body takes its final shape.

Ø  Growth and functioning of organs and organ systems reach their upper range and glands become extremely active.

Ø  During adolescence the individual attains biological maturation which is accompanied by the appearance is secondary sexual characteristics.

Ø  There is growth of hairs under arms and around genital organs.

Ø  There is change in the voice of adolescents and the rapid growth of organs may puzzle them.

Ø  During this period, sexual glands start function and produce hormones which enable boys and girls, to become men and women.

Ø  Along with these somatic changes, motor activity also attains its maximum limit.

According to D.Cole, “Adolescence is a period of growth in all systems of the body. In the course of a few years the individual undergoes changes both in his size and in his internal chemistry changes, which take him from a childhood to an adult level. The rapidity, variety, and force of these developments are alike bewildering- even while they are often exciting. The alternations indeed so extensive that some people have regarded adolescence as a sort of second birth.” In the light of the above definition let us know the bodily changes that take place during adolescence period.

Important external and Internal bodily changes that take place during adolescence are as under:

1. HEIGHT: The average girl reaches her mature height between the age of 16 and 17 and the average boy, a year or so later. During this period, there is a rapid physical growth and dramatic bodily changes. The glands become active and there is increased production of hormones. Almost all boys and girls show a spurt in growth during this period. There is sudden shoot up ingrowth in the height. The age at which it occurs varies from individual to individual. The growth in height is associated with puberty Growth period ranges from 13 o 17 years.

2. WEIGHT: The weight changes follow a timetable similar to that of height changes.

3. BODY PROPORTIONS: The various parts of the body gradually come into proportion. The trunk broadens and lengthens and therefore the limbs no longer seem to long.

4. SEX ORGANS: Both female and male sex organs reach their mature size in late adolescence.

5. DIGESTIVE SYSTEM: The stomach becomes longer and less tabular. The intestines grow in length and circumference. The muscles in the stomach and intestinal walls become thicker and stronger. The liver increases in weight. The esophagus becomes longer.

6. CIRCULATORY SYSTEM: The heart grows rapidly. The length and thickness of the walls of the blood vessels increase and reach a mature level like the heart.

7. RESPIRATORY SYSTEM: The lung capacity of girls attains mature level around 17 years while in case of boys it takes several years more to reach the mature level.

8.ENDOCRINE SYSTEM: Temporary imbalance of the endocrine system an be observed during early adolescence period. The sex glands become functional.

9.BODY TISSUE: The skeleton stops growing at the nature level, i.e. bones reach their mature size.

 

10.APPEARANCE: The different parts of the body grow at different times. The arms and legs grow in length and become finer. The pelvis bones of girls become broadened and their waist becomes circular. The breast starts growing to be mature level. Boys develop the sound shoulders. Pubic hairs start growing on their body and on their face. Early Maturing boys tend to be more feminine and late maturing girls tend to be masculine in the total trend.

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

Ø  Social development invites development of social behavior and social relationship.

Ø  Adolescence is the period of increased social conformity.

Ø  The individual becomes self-conscious of his place in the society.

Ø  During adolescence, boys and girls express a greater need for independence and strive for total social freedom from their parents.

Ø  They make friendship with those who confirm to their standard and possess the personality trait they like.

Ø  They don’t tolerate the interference of others in selecting friends.

The major characteristics of social development during this period are,

   1. Adolescence is a period of establishing hetero-sexual relationship.

    2. There is an increased influence of peer group during adolescence.

    3. Group loyalty becomes very much pronounced during this period.

    4. Co-operation reaches its peak and the individual is in a mood to sacrifice his own       

          interest for the greater cause of the group.

    5.During adolescence a feeling of social responsibility develops and the adolescent in

       highly critical of social evils and injustice.

CHARACTERISTICS OF EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

     Fundamentally human beings are creatures of feelings or emotions. Our emotions control our behavior. Emotion is the organism is a dynamic internal adjustment that operates for the satisfaction and welfare of the individual.

      Adolescence period is marked by heightened emotionality. It is evident from nail biting tension, conflicts, quarrels with parents, siblings and classmates etc.

The following are emotional characteristics in adolescence period.

1.      Complexity: During this period an individual experience a number of emotional upheavals and storms. His emotional development becomes complete by the experience he gets in his environment. The adolescent learns to conceal his true emotional experience.

2.      Development of abstract emotion: Adolescents express their emotional feelings in relation to objects, which are abstract or not present in concrete form.

3.      Emotional feelings are widened: As mental ability develops simultaneously emotional feelings are widened with imagination of past, present and future conditions.

4.      Bearing of tension: i.e. ability to control and bear the tensions in different social situations develops. It gives more emphasis on self-control.

5.      Sharing the feelings of others:  i.e. ability to share the happiness or sorrow of others develops. It helps to love his neighbours as much as himself.

6.      Increased passion: i.e. ability to understand his own feelings and appreciates the emotional feelings of others.

7.      Reviewing of hopes and aspirations: i.e. ability to think in positive manner and accordingly changing their hopes and aspirations to achieve their motto in life.

MORAL DEVELOPMENT

Ø  Moral development is one of the most important developmental dimensions of the human beings.

Ø  It is often referred to as the character is to be considered as an essential quality of a personality of the individual.

Ø  Man is neither moral nor immoral by birth. He may be considered as a blank slate.

Ø  His character is moulded at the hands of the parents, other relatives, neighbours, class and school mates, other pals, peers and the members of the larger society.

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT IS DEPENDENT ON THE FOLLOWING FACTORS:

1. Biological make-up of the individual.

2. The physical environment.

3. The social influences.

4. The cultural influences.

5. The physical and mental health.

6. The rules and regulations of the community.

7. The socio-economic status.

8. Sanction and punishment given by elder members.

CHARACTERISTICS/FEATURES OF MORAL DEVELOPMENT

1.      Due to development of critical attitude and independent thinking the individual begins to question all ethical principles, values and ideals which he had accepted earlier uncritically and undoubtingly.

2.      He/she develops the power to deliberate to evaluate alternatives to choose wisely and to reconstruct his behavour accordingly.

3.      Finally, he becomes a person of good character, who is energetic in serving others, who is persistent in the achievements of worthy purposes and who is consistent in motives conduct that confirm to the best social mores.

 

 

IMPACT OF URBANIZATION AND SOCIO- ECONOMIC CHANGE ON ADOLESCENT

     Adolescence is a period of transition, marked by physical, psychological, and cognitive changes underpin by biological factors. Today’s generation of young people the largest in history is approaching adulthood in a world vastly different from previous generations; AIDS, globalization, urbanization, electronic communication, migration, and economic challenges have radically transformed the landscape. Transition to productive and healthy adults is further shaped by societal context, including gender and socialization process. With the evidence that young people are not as healthy as they seem, addressing the health and development issues of young people, more than ever before, need concerted and holistic approach. Such approach must take the entire lifestyle of the young person as well as the social environment into context. This is particularly critical in developing countries, where three major factors converge comparatively higher proportion of young people in the population, disproportional high burden of youth-related problems, and greater resources challenge.

    The continuous and rapid growth of urbanization in the world has touched every aspect of an individual’s life, which can be seen as both benefactor and derogatory to one’s behavior. Same can be said for its impact on mindset of children of the modern world, which has both improved and ruined their lives.

POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE IMPACT OF URBANIZATION ON ADOLESCENTS

POSITIVE	NEGATIVE
1. Children today are more aware of their surroundings, and better connected with the outside world due to the technological advance.	1.The new gadget have isolated the children from real world, while making them habitual of the virtual world.
2. Better availability and enhanced efficiency of the education system has helped in increasing the learning ability of the children.	2.Instances if obesity have increased due to more consumption of fast-food.
3. Increase in economic status of the family helps in decreasing instances of health-related problems among children.	3.Instances of family strife increase when children seek more and more independence from their parents. Also, another reason for family strife can be that both the parents are working and cannot give enough time to their children which hampers their individual development.
4.The extent of patriarchal mindset has also decreased to some measure, leading to better gender sensitization among children.	4.Unchecked access of children to the internet has also led to growth of anti-social elements in the society.

    Seeing both the aspects of the situation, the rapid growth of urbanization alone can’t be held responsible for the situation. The parents also have some responsibility towards their children, and should be able help them in adopting the positive aspects of the ever-changing world around them.

        Socio-economic position has a clear impact on developing self-esteem, especially during the important stage of adolescence. Family income has a profound influence on the educational opportunities available to adolescents and on their chances of educational success. Due to residential stratification and segregation, low-income students usually attend schools with lower funding levels, which result in reduced availability of textbooks and other instructional material, laboratory equipment, library books, and other educational resources; low-level curricula; and less qualified teachers and administrators.

     At this period of life, the self-esteem of young people undergoes important changes, influenced not only by the already-mentioned socio-economic status, but also by variety of other intrapersonal, interpersonal and socio-cultural determinants. Adolescence, the period of transition from childhood to adulthood, is a critical time for the development of lifelong perceptions, beliefs, values and practices. An adolescent struggle with the developmental tasks of establishing an identity, accepting changes in physical characteristics, learning skills for a healthy lifestyle and separating from family. Therefore, before entering adulthood, it is important for the adolescent to develop high self-esteem and the ability to care for the self.

     Family income affects the quality of the neighborhoods in which children and adolescents grow up. Compared with low-poverty neighborhoods, high-poverty neighborhoods have lower availability of high-quality public and private services such as parks, child care centers and preschools, community centers, and health care providers, as well as fewer social supports and less effective social networks. Conversely, high-poverty neighborhoods are more likely to be physically deteriorated and to have more crime and street violence, greater availability of illegal drugs, and more negative peer influences and adult role models. These characteristics of high-poverty neighborhoods may have deleterious consequences for the cognitive functioning, socialization, physical health, emotional functioning, and academic achievement of children and adolescents.

     The effects of concentrated poverty in schools may include disciplinary problems and chaotic learning environments. The cumulative effect of socio-economic status on families, neighborhoods, schools, and health care guarantees that poor and low-income adolescents arrive at young adulthood in worse health, engaging in risker and more dangerous behaviours, and with lower educational attainment and more limited career prospects than their more affluent counterparts.

DEVELOPMENTAL TASKS OF ADOLESCENTS

     The task that help the individual for the successful adjustment in the society are known as development task.

    The concept of development task was proposed by Having Wast.

According to him, a development task is a task which arise at about a certain period in the life of the individual’s success achievement of which lead to happiness and to success which later tasks, while failure leads to unhappiness and difficulty with later tasks.

There are three factors from which different kinds of development tasks arise. They are;

1.      Physical maturation.

2.      The cultural pressure of society.

3.      The personal values and aspiration of the individual.

     Development tasks such as learning to walk arise mainly from the first; tasks such as learning to read arises primarily from the second force and task such as choosing and preparing for a vocation develops from the third force.

IMPORTANT OF DEVELOPMENT TASKS

They serve three very useful purpose,

1.They serve as guidelines to the individual to know what society except from him at a given

  age.

2. Development tasks show the individual what lies ahead and what they will be expected to  

    do when they reach their next stage of development.

DEVELOPMENTAL TASKS OF ADOLESCENCE

The important development tasks of adolescence are,

1.      Acquiring a set of values and an ethical system as a guide to behavior.

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

3.      Achieving a masculine or feminine sex roles.

4.      Desiring accepting and achieving socially responsible behavior.

5.      Accepting one’s physique and using one’s body efficiently.

6.      Achieving emotional independence.

7.      Selecting and preparing for an occupation.

8.      Preparing for marriage and family life.

9.      Achieving assurance of economic independence.