Human Development in Adolescence

Running head: HUMAN DEVELOPMENT IN ADOLESCENCE
Human Development in Adolescence
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1HUMAN DEVELOPMENT IN ADOLESCENCE
Human Development is indicative of biological along with the psychological
development of an individual across lifespan. It is indicative of the development that takes
place from the infancy stage to the adulthood stage. Adolescence refers to transitional stage
pertaining to physical along with the psychological development that takes place from the
period of puberty to that of legal adulthood (Ahmed, Bittencourt-Hewitt & Sebastian, 2015).
Adolescence can be said to be related to teenage years however physical and the
psychological expressions can begin in the earlier stage and end in the later stage. This essay
provides an overview of the developmental period of adolescence and the milestones that are
experienced at this time. The essay also analyses the adolescent stage in relation to two
theories of the developmental psychology. The essay also includes a reflection on the
personal experiences in relation to this significant stage of life.
Adolescence refers to transitional phase of the growth in between the childhood and
the adulthood. World Health Organization has defined adolescent as a person who is between
the age of 10 and that of 24. There are various societies in the world that have equated
adolescence with the stage of puberty. There are various kinds of physical changes that takes
place in adolescent stage which culminates in the reproductive maturity of an individual.
There are many societies where the adolescence can be understood in the broader terms that
helps in encompassing the psychological and the social terrain along with the physical
aspects of the maturation (Boyd, Bee & Johnson, 2015). At the stage of adolescence, the
boys and the girls become emotionally distanced from their parents. This separation can help
in establishing the personal values of an individual and it helps an individual in becoming
self-sufficient. According to Crone and Konijn (2018), the teenagers do not have clear roles
in the society but they occupy the ambiguous period in between the childhood and the
adulthood. An individual undergoes upsurge of the sexual feelings in the adolescent stage that
follows latent sexuality of the childhood years. The adolescents are portrayed as being

2HUMAN DEVELOPMENT IN ADOLESCENCE
rebellious and distracted. The young people experiences physical and the social changes that
has an impact on their behaviour. At the time of puberty, the young bodies become infused
with the hormones that paves the path for the stimulation of their desire.
The main event at the stage of adolescence is that there is spurt in the growth that is
followed by the puberty changes. An adolescent grows several inches within many months
that is followed by a stage of slow growth. The event that takes place in adolescence is
physical maturation that takes place on account of the hormonal changes. It has been argued
by Allemand, Steiger and Fend (2015) that the pubertal change that takes place is the
enlarging of the testicles and the appearance of the public hair. The hair grows under arms
and on face at the adolescent stage and there is voice change that takes place in the adolescent
stage. The girls also face puberty however the pubertal change of the girls begins before boys
of same age (Steinsbekk & Wichstrøm, 2018). The pubertal change that takes place in the
girls leads to their breast development. The development of the public hair takes place after
the process of development of breast.
The theory of the Identity Development of Erik Erikson talks about the acquiring of
the ego-identity along with the identity characteristics that are crucial in relation to the
adolescence stage. The identity of a person can be established in various ways and it is
dependent on the culture of an individual. According to Ciarrochi et al. (2016), the
developing of a string ego-identity can take place with the help of meaningful recognition of
the achievements along with the accomplishments of a person. Erikson states that in the stage
of adolescence, an individual establishes sense of the personal identity. It helps in avoiding
dangers in relation to role diffusion along with the identity confusion. It has been argued by
Blakemore (2017) that an adolescent has to answer the questions for their own selves
regarding from where they are coming from. Identity is not provided to an individual by the
society but it should be acquired with the help of sustained individual efforts. Erikson talks