Adolescence Essay

Adolescence
An adolescence is period of physical and psychological development from the

onset of puberty to maturity. The adolescent is no longer a child, but they haven't reached
adulthood yet. Adolescence is considered people between the ages of 13 and 21. Puberty is
the physical maturing that makes an individual capable of sexual reproduction. Puberty is
important to adolescence because when a child hits puberty, that's when the child is
becoming an adolescent. Puberty is a big part of an adolescent's life.
Adolescence is not cultural universal. In some societies, young children go straight from
childhood to the adult life once they have done the necessary puberty rites. Puberty rites are
formal ceremonies that mark the entrance of young people into the adult life. People at the
age of 13 to 14 that completed these puberty rites can become accepted into the adult
society.
Three factors are important in the development of adolescence as a distinct stage of the life
cycle. The first factor is education. Young children are required to spend many years in school
and state laws make education mandatory up to the age of 16. The second factor that
separates young people in a different type of group is the exclusion of youth from the labor
force. In many states, child labor laws keep people from going to the labor force until they hit
the age of 16. Adolescents usually work part time while still going to school. The third factor is
the rise of adolescence as a distinct stage of the life cycle is the development of the juvenile
justice system. Our society has in effect created a separate legal status for young people, by
distinguishing between juvenile and adult offenders.
There are five characteristics that all adolescents have. These characteristics are biological
growth and development, an undefined status, increased decision-making, increased
pressures, and the search for self.
The brain and the endocrine system control biological growth and development. During the
early stages of adolescence, individuals experience growth in height and weight, changes in
the body, the development of sexual characteristics, and skin problems. For example, I
started getting curves in my body when I hit puberty. My body started to develop changes.
Our society's expectations for children and adults are clear, but for the adolescent,
expectations are inexplicit. Some adolescents are treated like children, but some are treated
like adults. There is an undefined status. For example, my parents pay for my lunch, but I
have to have a job so I can support myself.
Adults usually make most of the decisions for young children, but adolescents must
make many decisions on their own. For example, when I was a child, my mother would
choose what I would wear for school and what was in my lunch box. But now, I have to
choose what I will wear, what I will eat, what kind of job I want to have and many more
different decisions.
Adolescents are faced with a lot of pressure from many different people. They get
put under pressure from their parents to their peers. They also get pressure from school but
the most pressure adolescents receive is from their own peers. Adolescents wants to be
accepted and be liked their friends. They want to do what everyone else is doing, no matter
how much they might not want too. For example, I was always pressured from my parents
because they didn't want me to become a bad child like my older sister. They didn't let me go
out or do anything with my friends, but my friends would pressure me to sneak out and do
wrong things. I was getting pulled back and forth with a lot of pressure.
Adolescents are old enough to think about themselves and they are old enough to
know what they want to do. Adolescents are in the search for themselves. They figure out
what kind of person they really are. They can decide what is important to them and they can
gain personal norms that will guide their behavior. For example, I'm old enough to decide
what I want to do as my career and what I want to do as a living. I know that my family is most
important to me and I know what kind of friends I should have because I know my friends will
affect the way I behave.
Adolescents have to deal with many issues and have just as many problems as
adults. People believe that adolescents have it easy, but they really don't. It's the period when
they start making their own decisions and doing their own thing. They don't have their parents
holding their hands anymore. They are out there slowly preparing for the adult life.
(790 Words)

Adolescence Essay

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Adolescence

An adolescence is period of physical and psychological development from the

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