UNDERSTANDING

THE
CHARACTERISTICS
DEVELOPMENT OF

IVONETTE S. LABANG
 INTRODUCTION

Development refers to growth, adaptation and change that occur over the course of a lifetime

(Papalia et. al, 2007). The human being is never static, from conception to death, physical and

psychological change is constantly taking place in all of us. The process of development has

been thought of in terms of stages that each of us must go through. These stages are

characterized by certain behavioral or developmental characteristics that each of us goes through

at different rates and even at different ages.

Among the stages of development, no other aspect of the life cycle has commanded as much

attention as adolescence. The teenage years are also called adolescence. In this stage it can easily

describes as the best of times and worst of times. It is the time when one goes through the worst

so as to reach out to the best. It is the most precious and memorable part of one’s life, and also

one of the most difficult stage of an individual.

Teenagers are currently period of time for maturity and character development. It involves the

improvement of a person to have a pleasing personality. The generation is aiming to have an

acceptable behavior and attitudes. This process is very adventurous and crucial because the

teenager has a distinct and strange character that needs improvement.

This study will outline changes that occur during adolescence in three domains: physical,

cognitive, and social. Within the social domain, changes in relationships with parents, peers, and

romantic partners will be considered. It will summarize sources of diversity in adolescents’

experiences and development.

The term adolescence is commonly used to describe the transition stage between childhood and

adulthood. Adolescences also equated to both the terms “teenage years” and “puberty.”

However, adolescence is not exclusive to either of these terms. Puberty refers to the hormonal

changes that occur in early youth; and the period of adolescence can extend well beyond the

teenage years. In fact, there is no one scientific definition of adolescence or set age boundary.

Adolescence known as in Latin Adolescertia from adolescere, mean to grow up. It is the period

of psychological, social and physical transition between children and adulthood. This age begins

from 13 years and continues till maturity. The ages of adolescence vary by culture. The world

Health Organization (WHO) defines adolescence as the period of life between 10 and 19 years of

age. As distinct from the word “teenager” is more easily defined, it describes a person who is

thirteen to nineteen years of age.

A thorough understanding of adolescence in society depends on information from various

perspectives, most importantly from the areas of psychology, biology, history, sociology,

education, and anthropology. Within all of these perspectives, adolescence is viewed as a

transitional period between childhood and adulthood whose cultural purpose is the preparation of

children for adult roles. The thoughts, ideas and concepts developed at this period of life greatly

influence one's future life, playing a major role in character and personality formation.

Early in adolescence, cognitive development result in greater self-awareness, greater awareness

of others and their thoughts and judgments, the ability to think about future possibilities, and the

ability to consider multiple possibilities at once. As a result, adolescents experience a significant

shift from the simple, concrete, and global self-descriptions typical of young children; as
children, they defined themselves with physical traits whereas as adolescents, they define

themselves based on their values, thoughts and opinions.

According to provisional census report of 2001, adolescents constitute 23 percent of total

population of our country. It is also a crucial period and stage of personality makeup i.e. a period

between childhood and adulthood. Adolescence is the period through which a growing person

makes transition from childhood to maturity.

Adolescence is an important period

Adolescence is an Important Period While all periods in the life span are important, some are

more important than others because of their immediate effects on attitudes and behavior, whereas

others are significant because of their long-term effects. Adolescence is one of the periods when

both the immediate effects and long-term effects are important. Some periods are important for

their physical and some for their psychological effects. Adolescence is important for both.

Adolescence is a transitional period

Transition does not mean a break with or a change from has gone before but rather a passage

from one stage of to another. During any transitional period, the individual’s status is vague and

there is confusion about the roles the individual is expected to play. The adolescent, at this time,

is neither a child nor an adult. If adolescents behave like children, they are told to “act their age.”

If they try to act like adults, they are often accused of being “too big for their britches” and are

reproved for their attempts to act like adults. On the other hand, the ambiguous status of today’s

adolescents is advantageous in that it gives them time to try out different lifestyles and decide

what patterns of behavior, values, and attitudes meet their needs best.

Adolescence is a period of change

change. During early adolescence, when physical changes are rapid, changes in attitudes and

behavior are also rapid. As physical changes slow down, so do attitudinal and behavioral

changes.

The first is heightened emotionality, the intensity of which depends on the rate at which the

physical and psychological changes are taking place. Because these changes normally occur

more rapidly during early adolescence, heightened emotionality is generally more pronounced in

early than in late adolescence.

Second, the rapid changes that accompany sexual maturing make young adolescents unsure of

themselves, of their capacities, and of their interests. They have strong feelings of instability

which are often intensified by the ambiguous treatment they receive from parents and teachers.

Third, changes in their bodies, their interests, and in the roles the social group expects them to

play create new problems.

Fourth, as interests and behavior patterns change, so do values. What was important to them as

children seems less important to them now that they are near adults. They recognize quality as

more important than quantity.

Fifth, most adolescents are ambivalent about changes. While they want and demand

independence, they often dread the responsibilities that go with independence and question their

ability to cope with these responsibilities.

Adolescence is a period of egocentric and problem age

girls to cope with.

There are two reasons for this:

First, throughout childhood, their problems were met and solved, in part at least, by parents and

teachers. As a result, many adolescents are inexperienced in coping with problems alone.

Second, because adolescents want to feel that they are independent, they demand the right of

coping with their own problems, rebuffing attempts on the part of parents and teachers to help

them. Because of their inability to cope with problems alone as well as they believe they can,

many adolescents find that the solutions do not always come up to their expectations.

Adolescence is a time of the search for identity

Adolescence is a time when teenagers begin to explore and assert their personal identities.

During this developmental period, teenagers engage in a process of searching for where they fit

in with peers and society at large. The identity the adolescent seeks to clarify is who he is, what

his role in society is to be? It is common for adolescents to have an unstable sense of self and try

out new personal labels and associate with various peer groups.

Additionally, adolescents might struggle to define their sexual and gender identity during the

teenage years. While these unstable identity issues are a common part of early adolescence, they

tend to stabilize between the ages of 19 and 21, according to the American Academy of Child

and Adolescent’s “Facts for Families," as cited by the Early Head Start National Resource

Center.

Peer Relationships
During adolescence, relationships with peers begin to take precedence over relationships with the

family. Although family interactions are still important and essential for a teen’s development,

adolescents often place a stronger emphasis on their friends’ perceptions and values. Likewise,

during the adolescent years, teens might be strongly influenced by their peers’ beliefs and

behaviors. Paired with adolescents' limited life experience and under-developed decision-making

skills, teenagers are often vulnerable to negative peer pressure.

Adolescence Is the Threshold of Adulthood

As Adolescents approach legal maturity, they are anxious to shed the stereotype of teenagers and

to create the impression that they are near-adults. Dressing and acting like adults, they discover,

are not always enough. So, they begin to concentrate on behavior that is associated with the adult

status- smoking, drinking, using drugs, and engaging in sex. They believe that this behavior will

create the image they desire.

Independence and Testing Boundaries

Adolescents often test parents’ and teachers’ rules and boundaries. Although this rebellious

behavior might seem oppositional to parents, in most cases, this behavior is driven by the

adolescent’s need to develop autonomy, experience new activities and earn more independence,

explains the American Psychological Association. Even though teenagers can benefit from

testing boundaries during adolescence, they still require rules and boundaries if they are to avoid

negative influences and achieve their potential.

Self-centered Attitudes

It is often difficult for adolescents to look at circumstances from other people’s perspectives.

This is due, in part, to their still-developing brain structures. Thus, adolescents might come off as
self-centered and focused on their own needs without considering how those needs affect others.

This apparent lack of empathy is normal and typically resolves itself once a teen reaches the end

of adolescence. However, a complete lack of empathy in adolescents could mean a more

significant underlying mental health issue exists. If that's the case, consult a mental health

worker.

Many times, teenagers are thought of as a problem that no one really wants to deal with. People

are sometimes intimidated and become hostile when teenagers are willing to change their

authority. It is looked at as being disrespectful. Teenagers are, many a times, not treated like an

assettes and as innovative thinkers. ( Zula, Age 16, Brooklyn, New York, Quoted in

Adolescence, John W. Santrock 11th Ed. Tata Mc Graw Hill, 2007, pp 9)