Adolescence is a period of transition between
childhood and adulthood. The onset of adolescence has indeed changing with
time: nowadays adolescence starts around 9 and 10 years of age and goes on
about 18 or 20. Adolescence ca be described from different view points:
from a physiological POW
as an individual process, from a historical POW as a historical
phenomenon and from a social POW as a social condition linked to different
cultures. In the passage from childhood and adulthood there are several changes.
From a physical POW girls start to menstruate and so become fertile the
signs are: breast development, body hair, and more adult shape in Boys the
voice breaks, facial and body hair appear as well as, involuntary erections.
These physical changes influence heavily how adolescence relate
to others and how they perceive them selves. From a psychological POW
adolescence can be defined as a process of differentiation from adults.
Adolescence is a period of growing and changing and as all transitions and
changes it is a
process that involves personal turmoil. Adolescents need to stand back
from their parents and to define their own identity.
During their development adolescents have to
face up series of hurdles, obstacles and difficulties from which they have to
emerge positively to built a positive image of
themselves and adequate self esteem. These experiences are extremely important
to their development to there: personal growth, moral growth, their gender
identity, their relationship with adults, society and institution. The outcome
of this experience may be positive or negative, but there must be a balance
between failure and success to have a positive feed back, to built
a positive self image and therefore self-esteem. Adolescence need to
differentiate from their parents, in this long process the role of school is
vital to help them develop a critical flexible sense of judgment, the
creation of cognitive models and to learn to read situations.
Another important role is the peer group because their friends become a source
of help and solidarity in facing the difficulties of growing up. Episodes of
transgression are a part of adolescence, but if they become their constant
behaviour then the adolescence ill be referred to as deviant. Boys and girls
manifest their disaffection in different ways boys tend
to adopt heterodistructive behaviour and girls tend to be self
destructive.
