The Adolescent

1. The Adolescent ages 12 through14 The time is identified with dramatic changes in the body, along with developments in a person's psychology and academic career.

2. At the onset of adolescence, children usually complete elementary school and enter secondary education, such as middle school or high school • This transition involves biological, social, and psychological changes • The characteristics of adolescents, cognitive, emotional and attitudinal changes

3. Physical Growth • Most youth have entered or completed puberty. • Less variation in levels of growth and sexual development. • Many youth have achieved their full adult height and other adult physical development milestones. Cognitive Stage • Major broadening of thinking abilities for many youth: can think abstractly and hypothetically; can discern the underlying principles of various phenomena and apply them to new situations; and can think about the future, considering many possibilities and logical outcomes of possible events. • Greater perspective-taking ability can result in increased empathy and concern for others, and new interest in societal issues for many. Moral Development • Less egocentric with age. Increased emphasis on abstract values and moral principles. • Increased ability (for some) to take another's perspective; can see the bigger societal picture and might value moral principles over laws: "principled" morality. • Different rates of cognitive and emotional development. For example, often advocates for specific values and violates them at the same time.

4. Self-Concept • Process of identity formation is intense. Experimentation with different roles: looks, sexuality, values, friendships, ethnicity, and especially occupations. • Some girls might experience obsessive dieting or eating disorders, especially those who have higher body fat, are chronically depressed, or who have highly conflicted family relationships. • Minority youths might explore several patterns of identity formation: • a strong ethnic identity • bi-cultural identity • assimilation into the majority culture • alienation from the majority culture Psychological and Emotional Traits • For some, increased ability to empathize with others; greater vulnerability to worrying, depression, and concern for others, especially among girls. • Many show an increase in responsible behaviors.

5. Relationship to Parents and Other Adults • Conflicts with parents often decreases with age. • Improved ability to see parents as individuals and take their perspectives into account. • Most maintain good relationship with parents. • Greater interest in taking on "adult-type" responsibilities (own checking account, doing own laundry, buying own clothes, cooking meals, making repairs, etc.). • Commonly makes most of own decisions, preparing for eventual family. • Needs balance between time spent with adults and with peers. • Continue to benefit from some parental limits and monitoring, while often objecting to them. • Common conflicts over money, curfews, chores, appearance, and activities with peers.

6. They start giving more importance to their friends, their peer group, and less to their parents/guardians • They may be subject to peer pressure within their adolescent time span, consisting of • the need to have sex • consume alcoholic beverages • use drugs • defy their parental figures • or commit any activity in which the person who is subjected to may not deem appropriate • Peer pressure is a common experience between adolescents and may result briefly or on a larger scale.

7. Home is an important aspect of adolescent psychology -- home environment and family have a substantial impact on the developing minds of teenagers In the search for a unique social identity for themselves, adolescents are frequently found confused between the 'right' and 'wrong’ Conflict at this developmental stage is normal and not unusual

8. In commerce, this generation is seen as an important target • Mobile phones • contemporary popular music, movies, television • programs • sports, video games • clothes are heavily marketed and often popular amongst • adolescents

9. Piagetattributed this stage in development with greatly increased cognitive abilities; at this stage of life the individual's thoughts start taking more of an abstract form and the egocentric thoughts decrease, hence the individual is able to think and reason in a wider perspective

10. The major task of adolescence is to become 'your own person'. Adolescents learn to make choices and commitments, follow through with them, and stand up independently in the world. They need to be respected for taking on these tasks.  After all, we respect adults who can do these things.  They are complicated and courageous actions. But teenagers swing back and forth between dependence and independence as they work on these tasks.  It's easy for parents to get frustrated.  And it's easy for a parent to assume that if the teenager would simply follow the plan that makes sense to a parent, things would be all right in the end. Life is not so simple, of course -- not for teenagers and not for adults. In many ways, adults carry on the very same tasks of growth and development themselves -- after adolescence.  Adults, however, usually have a greater sense of who they are -- what they value, what they need, and how best to get what they need -- than do teenagers. False starts, mistakes, poor judgment, or impulsive action are part of growing up.  And like teenagers, adults encounter these same challenges.  It's just that adults are usually better prepared to meet the challenges.

11. The main tasks of adolescence require teenagers to learn, and this kind of learning is not just a matter of getting the right answer.  Most important is to understand the meaning of the right answer.  And maybe "the right answer" is something that teenagers need to build up, responsibly, from lessons of experience.  This is truly difficult work and it absolutely requires support from parents, relatives, and neighbors. To help adolescents grow up, parents need to be aware of their own growth.  Everyone who is alive is changing, growing, and developing.  It's easy for a middle-aged adult to forget this fact, especially when confronted with a difficult teenage problem.  But parents who are working on their own growth are in a good position to understand teenagers and to respect what they are doing in the struggle to grow up and become good people in their own right.