Life Stage: Adolescence 1

Life Stage: Adolescence

Brianna L. Leith

Seton Hill University

Life Stage: Adolescence 2

Abstract

Adolescence is one of the many life stages which brings its challenges and differences

into research. This stage is discussed by two important theorists, Kohlberg and Gillian, and is

known as the stage of identity versus confusion. Adolescence also has subgroups broken down

by ages that correspond to different developmental aspects. Overall adolescence can be broken

up into three major categories of development, biophysical, psychological and social

development. The information addressed through each of these sections can then be applied to

the following helping professionals, school social workers, therapists, and behavioral health

specialists. The many aspects of adolescence are attractive and can be seen throughout society

today and the complexity is fascinating due to the amount of information that can be provided

through numerous sources.

Life Stage: Adolescence 3

Life Stage: Adolescence

Adolescence is one of the multiple stages of life and it was selected for this research

paper due to the amount of research already conducted and the complexity of the life stage.

Adolescence is a difficult time and can lead to an increase in stress about themselves and their

relationships with other people. They will struggle with their appearances and go through

biophysical changes such as puberty. Adolescents will also developmentally and emotionally.

Their communication skills will expand and they’ll have the ability to think logically. Kohlberg

and Gillian’s theories support these aspects of adolescent development. There are also helping

professionals to assist adolescents with their transition and life changes.

Kohlberg and Gillian’s theories discuss the development of adolescence but they have

their ideas that support each other and oppose each other in their ways. Kohlberg’s theory of

moral development relies on the element of justice and that moral development comes from

different types of relationships between males and females. Kohlberg struggled in her interview

asking questions regarding the theory. The answers and some information present contradicted

each other and there was a sense of tension about the answers according to the interviewer.

Gillian’s theory agrees with some of Kohlberg's theory but in a way disagrees and discusses the

differences between morality and moral virtue. Morality would be loyalty to someone no matter

what and moral virtues are the face-to-face personal relationships. Gillian’s ideas are based on

the care of relationships between people in people’s lives (Jorgensen, 2006). The information for

both theorists covered similar information regarding the developmental stage of mental cognition

that aligned with the distinctions provided in the text (Ashford et al., 2018).
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The textbook written by Ashford, LeCroy, and Williams provided information about each

of the developmental life stages and during the chapters and information about adolescence

discussed the distinctions of this stage. Adolescence is seen through ages 11-25 years old which

is a long portion of a person’s life. These stages are broken up further into subgroups: Early

(11-14 years old), Middle (14-16 years old), Late (17-21 years old), and emerging adulthood

(18-25 years old). The last stage is also seen as young adulthood but is placed here to show the

connections to the coming stage. Each of the subgroups has its emphasis on specific

developmental aspects, for example from 11-14 years old adolescence emphasize their

interactions with their peers and begin to struggle with body image, due to changes from puberty,

and conflicts with parents tend to rise. There are similar descriptions for each of the subgroups

found, also in the textbook resource (Ashford et al., 2018).

The textbook resource also breaks down each of the life stages into three categories:

biophysical, Psychological, and Social Developmental Elements. The first developmental

element is biophysical which is the biological changes found throughout the body during

adolescence. This subcategory describes the growth spurts and hormonal changes that occur

during adolescence. Many noticeable changes take place and some people handle the changes

and new stresses differently than the people around themselves. “The stage termination

hypothesis or early maturation hypothesis posits that only early maturing adolescents are at

particular risk for psychosocial problems and adoption of unhealthful behaviors” (Sherar et al.,

2010). The behavior of the adolescent mind is in the process of maturing and may become more

at risk for issues later in life.

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During the next category, psychological development is discussed. Cognition and

communication skills further develop and improve. Other skills and development in this section

include operational skills, abstract thinking, increasing language ability. Adolescence will have

the ability to identify their emotions and the stresses of biological changes and brain

development lead to immense stresses through the years. An adolescent is learning to regulate

their emotions and has the ability to change their self-esteem to be happier. They will reflect the

views and opinions that come from their friends and peers. They want to be well-liked by their

peers and so they struggle with who they want to be and who others see them as. Adolescence

frequently think about who they are and who they want to become and many of their ideas and

self-views comes from their friends. A risk of this would be struggling with self-image and

acting out. For example, an adolescent may be viewed as a troublemaker, so they will continue to

act out and is liking to become a delinquent. The impact of peer relationships is vital during

adolescent development.

The stresses of being an adolescent are intense and being influenced by peers has a

significant impact and may create more challenges than learning experiences. Social

development during adolescence is another aspect of this life stage that includes strengths and

risks. Social development includes learning more about self-control and building healthy

relationships with their parents. Adolescence tend to be at a higher risk for conflicts with their

parents/guardians. These interactions will have an impact on a developing adolescent who may

be struggling with their self-image or is social and never home with family. During the many

physical and mental changes then comes sexuality questions and stresses of presenting

themselves to their friends and family. Sexuality stresses can lead to further risks of rejection,
Life Stage: Adolescence 6

isolation, and harassment. These risks harm adolescents and may withdraw from social

interactions out of fear of rejection.

There are many helping professionals that can assist adolescents and their families

through the many developmental changes and new challenges they may face, some are school

social workers, therapists, and behavioral health specialists. These are only some of the people

that can assist adolescents and their families. School social workers can assist the school and

social setting since they will witness the interactions an adolescent will have with their peers.

School social workers will also be able to provide support to the adolescents that are struggling

with their identity and falling into peer pressure. School social workers have the ability to step in

and have an impact on the adolescent’s life and ensure that they will be treated fairly among their

peers. School social workers can have a special impact on the LGBTQ community since many

adolescents discover and explore themselves and their identity there are special ways to ensure

the safety of exploring one’s identity (Kuff et al., 2019).

A therapist can also ensure the safety of an individual during identity exploration and

social rejection. Therapists can counsel and advise adolescents during these life changes and

development. Therapists can learn more about the mental and cognitive development of an

adolescent. They are beneficial because they will understand the adolescent maturity and

behavior. Adolescents are becoming more mature and their brains are developing but these

changes can lead to mental illnesses that can go undiagnosed if a professional is not involved

during the developmental stages.

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Behavioral health specialists are other helping professional that can assist in the

development of adolescence because they can understand the maturity and behavior levels of

development on a deeper level; they focus solely on the behavior of the adolescent. A behavioral

health specialist could target the acting out and delinquent behaviors and turn them into healthier

and better traits for a person headed towards adulthood. Delinquency tends to begin at a younger

age and if it ignored then the adolescent may continue their actions as an adult and face more

serious consequences (Ashford et al., 2018).

Conclusion

Adolescence is a multifaceted topic that incorporates the individual and then everyone

they are connected to daily such as family, school friends and programs, and outside helpers such

as social workers, therapists, and behavioral specialists. There are many people involved in one

person’s life which can create more challenges since there must be clear communication about

the individual to everyone connected to them. There are also many changes throughout the body

from biophysical, psychological and social changes. Those changes vary for each adolescent and

they will bring their risks and hazards. The many aspects and changes through adolescence are

fascinating since they are treated differently in different types of environments where some treat

them as children incapable of making decisions for themselves and others treat adolescents as

adults. These variants will have an effect on professional help and the adolescent. The

continuation of research and assistance will continue to be a need for adolescents due to the

many aspects of their development.

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References

Ashford, J., LeCroy, C., Williams, L. (2018), Human behavior in the social environment: A

multidimensional perspective. Sixth Edition, pp.307-309.

Buchen, L. (2012). Arrested development. Nature. Vol.484 (Issue 7394), pp. 304-306.

Foster, D. (2014). Review of Arrested adolescent offenders: A study of delayed transitions to

adulthood. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 43(7), 1209–1213.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-014-0138-3

Jorgensen, G. (2006). Kohlberg and Gilligan: Duet or duel? Journal or Moral Education,

Vol.35(Issue 2), pp.179-196.

Kuff, R., Greytak, E., Kosciw, J. (2019). Supporting safe and healthy schools for lesbian, gay,

bisexual, transgender, and queer students: A national survey of school counselors, social

workers, and psychologists. ERIC, p.132.

Sherar, L., Cumming, S., Eisenmann, J., Baxter-Jones, A., Malina, R. (2010). Adolescent

biological maturity and physical activity: Biology meets behavior. Pediatric Exercise

Science, Vol.22, pp. 332-349.