Unit 3: Lesson 4: Adolescence

Lesson 4: Adolescence

Lesson 4: Adolescence

Adolescence is a stage in life characterized by transition in many areas of a person's life. Individuals generally enter adolescence between the ages of 10 and 12 and move on to the early adulthood stage between 18 and 22. This stage includes many physical, mental, and social developments as individuals grow, encounter new experiences, and learn new skills. This stage of the life span has been the subject of a great deal of research due to these changes and the impact that they can have on a person's life.

Puberty is perhaps the most significant physical change during adolescence. Although puberty and adolescence may sometimes be used interchangeably, they are separate growth aspects. Puberty is a rapid physical change experienced due to hormonal and body changes during adolescence. It is an ongoing change process, although determining its beginning and end for an individual is difficult.

The physical changes during puberty are many. Both sexes experience a growth spurt, although girls tend to experience this about two years earlier than boys (with a mean age of 9 for girls and 11 for boys). Hormonal differences also account for many additional changes. Males begin to grow facial and chest hair. Females develop breasts, and their hips widen. Females will also experience their first menstrual cycle, although the timing of this can vary.

The brain also experiences development during the adolescent stage of the life cycle. The corpus callosum thickens, which allows individuals to process information better. The prefrontal cortex continues to develop, giving adolescents more extraordinary abilities in reasoning and self-control. However, the prefrontal cortex doesn't fully develop until early adulthood, so many adolescents struggle with self-control and handling any emotions they may experience.

As adolescence is a time when individuals develop their sexual identities and may engage in sexual behaviors, this aspect is a primary focus for healthcare professionals across many branches of health science. Although teenagers are increasingly using contraceptives and condoms when engaging in sexual behaviors, health issues can still exist. In the United States, more than three million teenagers are diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease each year, and pregnancy in adolescence creates more significant risks for both the mother and the baby.

Adolescence can be a pivotal point for health issues, and poor health choices in adolescence can create larger patterns of poor health both in this stage as well as into adulthood. The leading causes of death during this stage of the life span are accidents, homicides, and suicides. We might relate these causes of death to the incomplete development of the prefrontal cortex. Another health concern for adolescents is the use and abuse of various substances, such as alcohol, illegal drugs, tobacco, and so on. Adolescents in the United States, for example, use drugs at a higher rate than their counterparts in many other industrialized nations.

Early Adulthood

Determining when a person transitions from adolescence to being an adult is often a murky area. Most individuals undergo a relatively lengthy process of gradually taking on adult roles and behaviors. Some scholars have termed this transition from adolescence to adulthood as emerging adulthood, generally occurring between the ages of 18 and 25. During this period, people may explore different careers and what they want their identities to be apart from their families. As part of this process, individuals may gain any of the widely accepted markers of adulthood, including full-time work or being able to care for oneself economically. These markers, however, are not always easily obtained during early adulthood today.

Early adults experience physical, mental, and emotional development. Most individuals will reach their physical peak between the ages of 19 and 26 (or by the age of 30 for many people). After this, individuals may experience decreases in their physical performance. Strength and muscle tone begin to decline, and body fat tends to increase after this age. People also experience development through their work and careers. New jobs require employees to learn new things and develop new skills to complete their work. Skills they possess may be honed and shaped for the tasks at hand.

In early adulthood, men have a higher mortality rate than women, and early adults also have higher mortality rates than adolescents. However, as a group, early adults tend to suffer from fewer chronic illnesses and colds than they did when they were younger. Any lousy health habits that individuals develop during adolescence, such as substance abuse, inactivity, and poor nutrition, tend to become worse. For example, binge drinking tends to increase among those who are of traditional college age. In studies of binge drinking, about half of binge drinkers report physical injuries or issues due to drinking and having unprotected sex.