Essay on Human Growth and Development: Adolescence and Adulthood

This essay provides an in-depth analysis of human growth and development, focusing on the stages of adolescence and adulthood. It examines the interplay of cognitive, emotional, intellectual, and social capabilities across the lifespan. The essay reviews four peer-reviewed articles exploring various aspects of psychological development. These include the role of emotions in categorization among adolescents and young adults, the impact of stress and identity on the mental health of transgender older adults, the significance of savoring and resilience in psychological well-being of older adults, and the influence of social trends on youth development. The paper highlights similarities and differences in the research findings, emphasizing the dynamic nature of social structures, cultural influences, and individual experiences in shaping psychological development. It underscores how experiences, societal norms, and personal resilience contribute to an individual's mindset and overall well-being across different life stages.

Running head: HUMAN GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
HUMAN GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
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Psychological development in human beings can be defined as the development of
cognitive, emotional, intellectual, and social capabilities and functions over the course of the
life span. It deals with the scientific understanding of age-related changes that occur in
experiences and behaviour. It begins at infancy and occurs through to old age. In this paper
we will discuss on the trends of development seen in the different stages of development
through the human lifespan, namely, adolescence and adulthood. The paper will discuss four
peer-reviewed articles and distinguish and compare the developmental theories which could
be attributed to those research.
1. Herry, C., Maintenant, C., Blanchette, I., Tricard, E., Gimenes, G., & Pennequin, V.
(2019). Emotional Response Categorization in Adolescents and Young Adults.
Cognition, Language, And Development, 122(4), 1349-1371. doi:
10.1177/0033294118784864
This article looks at categorization as an internal behavioural guide for interpreting
the environment and attempts to study whether emotion plays a significant role in
determining categorization in adolescents and young adults. The researchers conducted a
mood induction study in order to determine how individuals rely on emotions which
influence their decisions of categorization. As per the results, the emotional state
influences the way adolescents categorize, more than adults.
Environment presents an individual with many stimuli and scenarios. The study in
this paper differentiated the two target groups into adolescents (13-15 years old) and
young adults (21-29 years old). The results of the study quantitatively determined that
emotional state influences the cognitive categorization process more in adolescents than
in adults. It also showed that the entire system of internal organization is also heavily
influenced by mood which in turn is influenced by the emotional stimulus - response
system determined by the environment. The paper identified that the process of

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categorization was mostly determined by the participants in accordance with the
emotional significance of the target. The emotional valence of the target was found to be
a contributing factor and for a positive valence, a positive association was selected by the
participant. All of these influences were heavily observed in adolescents more than in
young adults.
Adolescent period is determined by the characteristic features of physical and mental
growth that determine the kind of a person an individual would turn out to be in the
future. Positive response towards an environmental stimuli is entailed with the way the
stimuli is perceived. Thereby, the process of categorization is defined and developed in
the mind of the individual. In an adult who has reached a level of emotional maturity, the
influence would obviously not be much heightened but certain stimuli are easily triggered
in adolescents much more easily than adults. This in turn determines the way the process
of categorization is influenced.
2. Hoy-Ellis, C., & Fredriksen-Goldsen, K. (2017). Depression Among Transgender
Older Adults: General and Minority Stress. Am J Community Psychol, 59, 295-305.
doi: 10.1002/ajcp.12138
This paper presents a study based analysis of how gender identity, effects of internalized
heterosexism and generally perceived stress impacts depression amongst the older
transgender adults. As a sub-objective, the paper attempts to assess the relative contribution
of each relationship on the individuals as well as a source of future research for enthusiasts
alike.
The results of the paper indicates that depression in older transgender adults are
significantly influenced by two of the above factors. Direct influence of perceived general

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stress was found to impact depression and perceived general stress in said individuals. At the
same time, the factor that influenced perceived general stress was the effects of internalized
heterosexism. Gender identity was not found to have a significant influence on either
depression or general stress.
The paper analyses the question of depression from the perspective of gender identity,
which has not been a topic for deep and thorough research all throughout the time. It is the
recent socio-political developments that have been instrumental in accommodating gender
identity and the acceptance of the third gender in the global social strata, that these kinds of
studies are becoming more relevant and prominent. This paper provides useful data in terms
of both gender identity and internalised heterosexism and how they can affect the mental
wellbeing of individuals. Heterosexism entails that the biologically assigned gender at the
birth should be considered the gender of the individual, thereby restricting that individual’s
choices and inclinations by stigmatising gender non conformity and identity of transgender as
socially abnormal. Stigmatised by the set norms, these individuals targeted in the paper
experience bouts of extreme depression and stress which is undoubtedly a matter of
significance importance and needs to be addressed further.
3. Smith, J., & Hollinger-Smith, L. (2015). Savoring, resilience, and psychological well-
being in older adults. Aging & Mental Health, 19(3), 192-200. doi:
10.1080/13607863.2014.986647
This paper looks at older individuals and the individual ability to maintain a
psychologically stable state of mind by savouring, regulating and negotiating the positive
experiences and feelings. The study measured through a survey, the savouring, resilience,
happiness, depression and overall life satisfaction of older individuals in a care center. The

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results indicated that older individuals have a greater ability to savour and regulate the
positive experiences and channel their emotional outcomes towards an overall positive and
satisfactory lifestyle and a general psychological wellbeing.
The paper also identifies resilience as an important factor in the determination of a
positive lifestyle. What the paper unearths is that levels of resilience is inversely connected
with positive psychological outcomes. Older individuals with lower resilience are capable of
nurturing more positive feelings and emotions. The relationship between savouring and
psychological wellbeing is therefore high for people with low resilience.
Aging is a process that accumulates a wide gamut of experiences, some good, while the
others emotionally taxing. The process of growing up is also entailed with the process of
adapting to constant changes and hardships without losing the quality of life. These
experiences determine the way an individual flourishes in his/her life and the way the handle
hardships determine the level of their resilience. In turn, these factors deeply influence how
the individual would nurture and savour the positive emotions from their lives for a positive
psychological wellbeing.
4. Tomasik, M., Pavlova, M., Lechner, C., Blumenthal, A., & Körner, A. (2012).
Changing contexts of youth development: An overview of recent social trends and a
psychological model. NEW DIRECTIONS FOR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT, 135. doi:
10.1002/yd.20026
The contexts of development play a crucial role in shaping the psychological methods of
adaptation and development of younger people. The paper studies the influences of social
factors and trends of the overall psychological growth of an individual and how the changing
dimensions of society and societal norms are shaping the adolescent psyche.

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The paper illustrates the influences of globalization and economic changes on the
reshaping of the central micro-contexts of the age group. The paper argues that individuals
deal with the societal changes in their own personalised ways which plays an active role in
the development of these individuals and helps us understand the consequences of social
change on psychology. The paper illustrates factors like schools, families, peers, leisure
indulgences, community engagements under the micro contexts of society and analysed how
the trends of change extant in these aspects have modified the way psychological
development happens in youths.
The significance of this paper lies in the discussion on social frameworks and norms that
shape the way an individual perceives the ways of the world. Those factors help in shaping
the mindset of the individual by deliberately enforcing that the norm that is visible is the
widely accepted one and should be followed by everyone else. This kind of a structure is seen
in almost all social spheres and is significant in the study of social psychology.

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General Summary
The four papers span four different aspects of psychology amongst two different
general age groups. There are similarities as well as differences in what was discussed in the
papers. First of all, the social structure has been dynamic throughout history, allowing for the
permeation of multiple opinions and expansion of beliefs throughout world societies. Such
structures and norms encapsulates the fact that they are responsible for the development and
adaptation of a cultural mindset which in turn influences the individual thought process.
The way a person stays happy and counters the effects of sadness and depression is
influenced by the way the individual has perceived his expressions throughout his lifetime.
An adolescent is not fully capable of controlling his emotions and psychological wellbeing.
However it will be his experiences throughout his life that will determine the way he will
keep himself satisfied in his old age. Hardships presented on the path of growing up has been
shown to be instrumental in determining the level of resilience as well as the capability to
incorporate and nurture positive feelings. That in turn is also influenced by the way the
individual was perceived by society and how societal regulations surrounding his identity has
helped him shape his mindset in a way reflective of his adult psyche.
Cultural connotations of identity and experiences have also been significant
influencers of psychological development and not only do they affect the growth and
development but also the way an adult views the world against the way a youth views the
world.

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References
Herry, C., Maintenant, C., Blanchette, I., Tricard, E., Gimenes, G., & Pennequin, V.
(2019). Emotional Response Categorization in Adolescents and Young Adults.
Cognition, Language, And Development, 122(4), 1349-1371. doi:
10.1177/0033294118784864
Hoy-Ellis, C., & Fredriksen-Goldsen, K. (2017). Depression Among Transgender Older
Adults: General and Minority Stress. Am J Community Psychol, 59, 295-305. doi:
10.1002/ajcp.12138
Smith, J., & Hollinger-Smith, L. (2015). Savoring, resilience, and psychological well-
being in older adults. Aging & Mental Health, 19(3), 192-200. doi:
10.1080/13607863.2014.986647
Tomasik, M., Pavlova, M., Lechner, C., Blumenthal, A., & Körner, A. (2012). Changing
contexts of youth development: An overview of recent social trends and a
psychological model. NEW DIRECTIONS FOR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT, 135.
doi: 10.1002/yd.20026