Essays on Adolescent Development

Introduction

The negative or positive experiences of early childhood play a very significant role in the development of the social and emotional behavior of an individual. According to Fagundes, Bennett, Derry, and Kiecolt-Glaser (2011), the ability to understand the social and emotional behavior of an adult is complex because it requires one to have a comprehensive understanding of their entire lifespan (p. 40). This is because the social and emotional development of an individual are influenced by several factors that they encounter during their major stages of growth in their lifespan (McClelland, Ponitz, Messersmith, & Tominey, 2010, p. 35). Some of ...

Teenage boys may feel that girls are aliens, because they seem different, but in Neil Gaiman’s short Sci-Fi story, “How to talk to girls at parties”, the girls really are from another planet. The author humorously recounts the experience of two teenage boys, Vic and Enn, whose lack of experience around girls and nascent sexuality, cause them to ignore the visible signs that the girls they meet at a party are not from this world. Throughout the story, Enn, from whose perspective the story is told, is so focused on trying to talk to the girls he meets ...

The formation of one’s identity is the major characteristic of adolescent development. The identity formation process involves progressive changes from the time one is born to a level when one attains stability in their identity (Crocetti, Rubini, Luyckx & Meeus, 2007). These changes are assessed in three dimensions; exploration, commitment, and reconsideration. The exploration dimension involves a period when one is trying to experience and experiment alternative domains to form an identity (Crocetti, Rubini, Luyckx & Meeus, 2007). After one has made a choice on the alternatives, they implement the best alternative by making a commitment to the chosen domains. ...

3.1 Introduction Extracurricular activities have different effects on different individuals, yet they are important to the educational programs in many schools. Joseph Mahoney and Robert Cairns suggest that organized sports, vocational clubs, special interest academic pursuits, supervised student government organizations and other extracurricular activities are optional in most educational institutions, yet they offer students the opportunity to build on their overall personal and educational development, (Mahoney & Cairns, 1997, p. 241). Similarly, Albert Cohen’s review of Coleman’s The Adolescent Society reinforces the views that academic achievement may be increased when schools integrate athletic competitions into the academic ...

REVIEW: Summarize the consequences of pubertal timing for adolescent development.

Adolescence is considered as a transitional phase, that effects on a child’s physical and psychological development. The condition in the adolescence period and puberty differs in different countries and also in one country due to the influence of different cultures within one country (Newman, & Newman, 2011). When adolescent development is studied, it comes to more clear understanding that because adolescence is the hormones are affected due to puberty in such an age. As this is related to mind, science and also the physical body this topic is being studied in Biology, Psychology and Anthropology too in order to understand ...

The period of adolescent development can be difficult and exciting for either gender. Males and females develop different characteristics and different skills at different rates. Cognitive and physical development occurs very differently throughout adolescence depending on the individual’s gender as well as the individual themselves. Typical emotional development tends to be more similar between the sexes though it can vary depending upon each individual. We will explore the differences and similarities in these adolescent developments between the genders. During adolescent the individual’s self-concept, or way they view themselves, begins to change and develop. The self-concept involves ...

There are a lot of different things influencing our worldview and mind: economical, political, cultural, technological and social changes, urbanization and mass media. These factors can vary depending on the social status, country, environment in which the one lives. The influence is more significant if we speak about adolescents, as in this age the personality is being formed and is easily influenced by the world around. The relationship of adolescents with their families, peers and social sphere members are very important for their life and development. Adolescence is the period when young people can be significantly influenced by others. ...

Introduction

Racial and ethnic variations are common in most of the American families. Race and ethnicity is one of the major social factors that could affect the growth and trajectory of adolescent life to adulthood. According to most psychologists, parenting practices and social well-being differs from various ethnic groups or race (Heard, 2007, p. 320). The variations could always affect the development of an adolescent, and it should always be well-thought-out. Adolescent period is a very crucial time since it will eventually affect the development of adult life. Different studies and articles have discussed the effects of race and ethnicity to ...

Reflective Summary on Human Learning (Sixth Edition) by

Reflective Summary on Human Learning (Sixth Edition) by

Introduction

Reflection of the first designated chapters of the Ormrod (2008) textbook on Human Learning (Sixth Edition) provides a broad spectrum of the evolution of the science of learning providing understanding of the cognitive abilities aligned to the human learning experience. From the onset of this reflection and choosing the two areas personally affecting the subjectivity of understanding self, changing beliefs about learning, and influencing the professional goal of attaining the role of teacher, it became apparent there was more to this process than just two chapters. First, Boud et al (1994) and ...

The movie Love and Basketball is a romantic American drama released in 2000. The story is about two teenage basketballers, Quincy and Monica who fell in love (Prince-Bythewood et.al, 2000). This movie clearly depicts adolescent development through the various scenes that are in line with adolescent theories. Monica has a heated argument with her mother where she confronts her mother for judging her style in dressing. She is a tomboy but the movie hardly equates her to being gay. This heated argument between Monica and her mother is in line with Sigmund Freud’s theory of adolescent development who believed that the ...

a juvenile’s experience in the juvenile justice system?

Introduction

On any ordinary day, an estimated 81,000 children (263 out of every 100,000 youths ages 10 through the state’s upper age of original juvenile court jurisdiction in the overall population) are contained in a juvenile justice residential placement (Children’s Defense Fund, 2012). To add, about 7,560 children are contained in adult jails and 2,778 in adult prisons (Children’s Defense Fund, 2012). This is a risky very condition. As reported in the 2007 National Prison Rape Elimination Act Commission, juveniles are at the highest risk of ...

Can Parental Involvement Reduce Teenage Gang Involvement?

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Literature Review

Determining the whether parental involvement can reduce teenage gang involvement begins with the exploration of the related researches. Knowing the extent of the problem is detrimental in identifying the role of parental involvement to the issues of teenage involvement to gangs from which preventive measures can be formulated. According to Howell (2010) gang violence became a widespread problem among community and to several countries in the world. In addition, the demographics of the people joining are constantly becoming younger. In South American region, the age of gang members go as young as eight years old. In other part ...

Adolescence is a transitional period in life where a person’s development is characterized by daring behaviors and involvement in adventurous activities. At this stage, adolescents imitate behavior as they strive to explore the world. Peer pressure is a major influence on decisions and lifestyle while body image is a very sensitive issue especially among females. Moreover, the level of self-esteem plays a role in the youth’s ability to form and sustain social networks that fulfill their needs for information, alternative ideas and emotional support. Social skills aid in the development of independence, direct future career paths and enable the establishment of successful ...

Introduction

In some ways, we all develop in almost the same ways, yet in other ways, we all seem to develop rather uniquely. We all have a lifespan during which a pattern of changes occurs from birth until death. In the field of study known as lifespan development, these patterns of development that takes place during the whole lifespan of a human being are examined. Human development is what lifespan development emphasizes on. Most life development studies emphasize on comprehending how principles of development vary around the world, and how the process of development is influenced by cultural, ethnic, and racial factors. Moreover, ...

Popular Teen Magazines and Their possible effect on adolescent development

Introduction

Teen magazines have been in existence for decades. However, the evolution of the content in the magazines is subject to debate. Currently, teen magazines have a wide scope, covering issues like sexuality, dating, body image, clothing, physical appearance, pregnancy, careers, fashion, exercises and work. All these are issues related to or affecting teenagers in the world today. The presentation of these issues in the magazines has however raised eyebrows on how it impacts on the teenagers. The aim of the magazines is to inform and educate the young individuals on how to become all round individuals depending on the ...

Effects of technology on interaction

Adolescence is a stage in life that marks a transition from childhood to adulthood. It is generally referred to as the life’s second decade. The age bracket for this stage ranges from 10-23 years. Early adolescent begins from 10-13 years, mid-adolescence starts from 14 to 18 years and finally, late adolescence starts from 19 to around 23 years. One can fall in any of the three phases of adolescence and undergo all the experiences before growing to an adult. With the advancement in the use of technology, adolescents are seen to be the largest numbers of users. Use of ...