Running head: DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY: ADOLESCENCE 1
Developmental Psychology: Adolescence
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
, DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY: ADOLESCENCE 2
Developmental Psychology: Adolescence
Introduction
Adolescence marks the period of the human phase of development between childhood
and adulthood; thus, it is a transition stage. The term "adolescence” is linked to a Latin word
adolescere, which means – to grow to maturity. Studies have established that the development
period lasts for approximately ten years from an average of 10 to 20 years; however, some
people show early and late maturity. Historically, changes from being a child to adulthood are
prolonged due to various factors, such as environmental, nutrition, parental guidance and obesity
(Smith et al., (2013).
Society, however, has put markers that guide or indicate the end of the adolescence
phase; these indicators include financial independence from parents and guardians, completion of
a formal level of education, parenthood or even marriage. Though there is no definite point in
time when a person attains such markers, a development duration referred to as emerging
adulthood exists to study the prolonged period, which is set between 18 – 29 years (Arnett,
2014). The characteristics developed during the human cycle have made us more adaptive to the
surroundings. Thus the inquiry of this paper seeks to establish why and how adolescents differ
from adults in terms of physicality, cognitive, socially and neurologically.
The adolescent process is a natural way our bodies and brain development to capacity by
shaping the adult brain and body organs. The process results in hormonal release and changes in
behavior, emotions, and cognitive traits of teenage years - The process is essential because it
drives humans from childhood life to independence using complex reasoning, interest in social
affiliations, and an urge to exploit beyond boundaries (Arnett, 2014). Teen transformative stages
Developmental Psychology: Adolescence
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
, DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY: ADOLESCENCE 2
Developmental Psychology: Adolescence
Introduction
Adolescence marks the period of the human phase of development between childhood
and adulthood; thus, it is a transition stage. The term "adolescence” is linked to a Latin word
adolescere, which means – to grow to maturity. Studies have established that the development
period lasts for approximately ten years from an average of 10 to 20 years; however, some
people show early and late maturity. Historically, changes from being a child to adulthood are
prolonged due to various factors, such as environmental, nutrition, parental guidance and obesity
(Smith et al., (2013).
Society, however, has put markers that guide or indicate the end of the adolescence
phase; these indicators include financial independence from parents and guardians, completion of
a formal level of education, parenthood or even marriage. Though there is no definite point in
time when a person attains such markers, a development duration referred to as emerging
adulthood exists to study the prolonged period, which is set between 18 – 29 years (Arnett,
2014). The characteristics developed during the human cycle have made us more adaptive to the
surroundings. Thus the inquiry of this paper seeks to establish why and how adolescents differ
from adults in terms of physicality, cognitive, socially and neurologically.
The adolescent process is a natural way our bodies and brain development to capacity by
shaping the adult brain and body organs. The process results in hormonal release and changes in
behavior, emotions, and cognitive traits of teenage years - The process is essential because it
drives humans from childhood life to independence using complex reasoning, interest in social
affiliations, and an urge to exploit beyond boundaries (Arnett, 2014). Teen transformative stages
