ADOLESENCE

ADOLESCENCE

(Secondary or Higher Secondary School Stage)

          Adolescence is that span of years which boys and girls move from childhood to adulthood mentally, emotionally, socially and physically. It is a period from the onset of puberty to the age of maturity. It is a period of rapid physical and biological changes which may lead to confusions, tensions, frustrations and feelings of insecurity. It is a period of transition when changes of attitude and behaviour are most rapid. Stanley Hall rightly calls it is the period of stress and strain, storm and strife.  Holling Worth calls this the period of temporary insanity. It is because of the restlessness and disturbance due to the nature of development that takes place during this period.

Adolescence experiences create conflicts between himself and society. Change of role in society, shattered relations in home, failure to decide his status in social settings, difficulty in adjusting with the opposite sex, unnecessary restrictions on movement etc. give rise to tensions and worries. During this stage emotions fluctuate very frequently and quickly. He tries to oppose the views of parents and school authorities, but such efforts often fail. 

The adolescent lives in an intensely emotional life, in which the rhythm of positive and negative phases of behaviour gets lost. This results in constant alteration between intense excitement and deep depression. All these create a considerable degree of  stress and strain in the adolescent.

Adolescence is also known as  the period of transition because during this period an individual is neither a child nor an adult. During this period the individual’s status is vague and there is confusion about the role he is expected to play. He is often looked upon in an ambiguous manner by the elders. Sometimes he is expected to behave as an adult and at other times he is treated as a child.  This is the time when the individual is striving to wean himself away from the family in order to become a self sufficient and autonomous person. Some may take the drugs or get addicted to alcohol if their needs are thwarted or denied.  Hence Holling Worth calls it a period of temporary insanity. 

It is a very crucial period when the individual attains maturity physically, intellectually, emotionally, sexually and socially. The growth achieved, the experiences gained, the responsibilities felt and the relationships developed at this stage determine the complete future of the individual. 

Psychological Characteristics of Adolescence

1.     Self-consciousness is too much developed in adolescence.

2.     The adolescent is intensely emotional

3.     An adolescent is essentially a hero-worshipper

4.     Adolescent shows interest in physical attractiveness and good grooming

5.     Sex-consciousness become too intense at this time. They become interested in opposite sex and in extreme cases homosexuality  is established.

6.     Peer group relationship is too much intense at this time.

7.     Adolescence is a period of day-dreaming.

8.     It is the period of acquiring the attitudes and values needed for effective participation in society.

9.     The Adolescent wants to free himself from bondage. There is a tendency to revolt against authority.

10. Adolescents have strong desire to achieve self-sufficiency and make himself quite independent like an adult member of the society.

Developmental Characteristics of Adolescence

Physical and Motor Development:    During adolescence the physical growth reaches its peak and body takes its final shape. The growth and functioning of organs reach their upper range and the glands become extremely active.   There is a sudden shoot up in height, weight  and size. The arms and legs their final length. The size of the bones and muscles increase to the greatest extent possible. Along with these somatic changes, motor activity also attain its maximum limit.

The respiratory, circulatory and digestive systems acquire their full development. Brain gets fully developed. Pimples may appear on the face. There occurs change in voice among both sexes. The voice of boys deepens and becomes harsher while the voice of girls become shrill and sweet during this period.

During adolescence the individual attains biological maturation which is accompanied by the appearance of secondary sexual characteristics.  There is growth of hair under arms and around genital organs.  Boys develop beared and moustaches on their faces and in girls  the growth of breast and widening of pelvis are significant physical developments.  The girls begin to menstruate monthly and boys has nocturnal emission accompanied by erotic dreams.

Emotional Development:  Adolescence is characterized by emotional instability and intensity. It is the period of heightening of all emotions like anxiety, fear, love, anger, etc.   It is because of this fact the adolescence is considered as a period of stress and strain. Adolescents  are not consistent in their emotional expression. Their emotions fluctuate very frequently and quickly. Sometimes they appear to be enthusiastic and sometimes moody.

Self consciousness, self respect and personal pride will be too strong in adolescents. He is often irritable, easily excited and explode emotionally instead of trying to control his emotions.  What he feels, he feels it very strongly and when he reacts, he reacts vigorously. At no stage the individual is so restless and emotionally perturbed and touchy as in adolescence. He is too sensitive, inflammable and moody.

Intellectual Development:   Adolescence is a period of great intellectual advancement.  In this period functioning of the cognitive system develops in to its maximum level.  Intellectual powers like critical thinking, logical thinking and abstract reasoning develop.  Span of connection widens,  depth of understanding increases and functioning of memory sharpens. 

The adolescent develops fine imagination. The improper channelization of imagination may lead an adolescent to day-dreaming.  Writers, artists, poets, philosophers and inventors are all born in this period.  The adolescent learns to reason and seek answer to everything scientifically.  Ability to solve problems increasing during this period. The areas of interest widens and his love for adventure reaches its climax. All adolescents have one or more hobbies and strong likes and dislikes.

Social Development:  The most important characteristics of social development during adolescence is the increased influence of peer group. The   individual develops a strong sense of loyalty towards the group. He wants to  be accepted by the members of the group which he belongs. The friends as well as the peer group selected by an adolescent shape his behaviour to a great extent. They develop a philosophy of life regarding values, beliefs, activities, conduct etc. with regards to the philosophy of the peer group.

Adolescence is the period of increased social conformity. The individual becomes self-conscious of his place in the society. They want to become his behaviour according norms of the society. They seek social status and look for the approval in the society.  They develop a feeling of social responsibility and are highly critical of social evils and injustice. During adolescence, boys and girls express a greater need for independence and strive for total social freedom from their parents. They make friendship with those who conform to their standard and posses the personality trait they like. They do not tolerate the interference of others in selecting friends.

          In the beginning of adolescence the individual critically examines the moral code and asks a number of questions to establish his view points. Later he develops the ability to differentiate what is good and what is bad.

Sexual Development:  The whole personality structure and behaviour of the adolescent is dominated by sex. During adolescence the individual becomes very conscious of sex.  Contrary to the style of behaviour during childhood, the adolescent exhibit sexual trends in companionship.   During this period the sexual development goes into three stages.

1.     Stage of Auto-erotism:   In the beginning sexual tendency manifests in self-love. Boys and girls fall in love with themselves. Self decoration and admiring before the mirror is a common practice. According to Freud this the stage of narcissism. [Narcissus, a Greek prince of almost unparalleled beauty, fell in love with himself]   Self enjoyment by indulging in masturbation is prevalent at this stage.

2.     Stage of Homo-sexuality:  During the adolescence boys and girls are attracted to the members of their  own sex. Persons of this age can often be seen roaming together, praising each other and finding other modes of expressing their mutual affection.

3.     Stage of Hetero-sexuality:  During later adolescence, young men and women are seen attracted towards each other. They are increased to make friendship or even establishing sexual relationships with the members of opposite sex.