Adolescent, Characteristics and Problems (Long Essay)

Adolescent, Characteristics and Problems

By: Akande Iyiola Adeniyi

Adolescence, the most important period of human life, has been defined in a number of ways from different points of views as a period of physical development, a chorological age span or a sociological phenomenon. Adolescence according to Erik Erikson’s stages of human development, is the stage marked between puberty and adulthood, usually between ages thirteen to Nineteen, though the age bracket may vary depending on different cultures, for example, in the United State of America; an adolescent is understood to be any person between ages Thirteen to Twenty-Four. The World Health Organisation defined adolescent as the period of transition between ages Ten and Twenty.

The bottom line is that adolescent is a change from childhood to adulthood, thus the period of adolescent in Nigeria may also differs based on how the constitution spelled it out.

The term adolescence comes from the Latin verb “Adolescence” meaning “to grow into maturity”. In this sense, , adolescence is a process rather than a period, a process of achieving the desirable growth, attitudes, beliefs and methods for effective participation in society as the emerging adult. It is the process of transition from childhood to adulthood with an accelerated physical, mental, biochemical, social and emotional development. It is the period not only will be a boy or girl attains physiological maturity, but the adolescent also becomes increasing independent. Viewed as a socio-cultural phenomenon adolescence is a period in one's life when society ceases to regard him/her as a child but does not yet accord him/her full adult status, role or function.

According to Kolawole Kajebora in his Handbook on Adolescent Psychology says adolescence is the time identified with dramatic changes in the body, along with developments in a person’s psychology and academic careers. He went further to say that, in the one set of adolescence; children usually complete elementary school and enter secondary education, such as middle school (JSS) or high school (SSS).

The period of Adolescence is filled with intellectual and emotional changes in addition to other major biological and physical changes. It is a time of discovery of self and one’s relationship to the world around him or her.

Before we delve into the problems of adolescence, let us take some time to note the causes. It is important to the success of our discourse that we first understand what is happening to the teen physically, cognitively, and socially; before looking at how these affects teens.

Physical Development: During adolescence, teens experience rapid physical development at a speed unparalleled since infancy. Physical development includes; rapid increase in height and weight (seen earlier in girls than in boys), the development of secondary sexual characteristics (prominent among which is the onset of menstruation in girls and the growth of pubic hair),a continued brain development.

Cognitive Development: Adolescents usually possess greater thinking skills than infants. These advances in reasoning can be seen in the following areas;
• Developing advanced reasoning skills. These include the ability to think about multiple options and possibilities. It includes a more logical thought process and the ability to think about things hypothetically. It involves asking and answering the question, “what if…?”.
• Developing abstract thinking skills. These means thinking about things that cannot be seen, heard, or touched. Examples include things like faith, trust, beliefs and spirituality.
• Developing the ability to think about thinking in a process known as “meta-cognition.” Meta-cognition allows individuals to think about how they feel and what they are thinking. It involves being able to think about how one is perceived by others. It can also be used to develop strategies, also known as mnemonic devices, for improving learning.

Psycho-Social Development: There are five recognized psychosocial issues that teens deal with during their adolescent years. These include:
• Establishing an identity.
• Establishing autonomy.
• Establishing intimacy.
• Becoming comfortable with one’s sexuality.
• Making achievement.

These issues bring about such changes in youths as; spending more time with their friends than with their family, keeping a diary, locking up their rooms, become involved in multiple hobbies, become more argumentative, would not want to be seen with their parents in public etc.

As a result of these changes which the teen is undergoing, they become vulnerable to many forms of trouble. As adolescents try new behaviours, they become vulnerable to injury, legal consequences, and sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancies, traumatic injuries, particularly from car and motorcycle accidents, etc.
We shall then proceed to discuss some of these problems.

CHARACTERISTICS OF ADOLESCENT

MENTAL CHARACTERISTICS:

Mental development is closely related with intelligence and the capacity to learn. It is also a kind of intellectual growth which the individual has to attain with 'the help of maturation, learning and education. The characteristics of mental development during adolescence are :
1. Tremendous development of memory and imagination.
2. Increased ability to communicate with others.
3. Increased ability to generalise facts.
4. Increased ability to deal with abstract terms.
5. Ability to understand relationship between objects and to solve problems of increasing complexity and difficulty.
6. Increased ability of decision-making and understanding of moral issues.
Thus mental development begins with the ability to respond to simple stimuli and with the passage of time it acquires a complex nature. In other words, the mental development of an individual is indicated when he/she is able to perform mental processes successfully.

Mental health challenges occur for all teens and young adults, but there is increased risk for those with developmental disabilities or special health care needs. Mental health is defined by the World Health Organization as a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community. Adolescence is a time of change and transition. All teens face new situations as they enter and

Complete their high school experiences, consider moving away from their childhood homes, and

grow more independent from their families. Dealing with new situations and responsibilities

increase: learning to drive, travelling independently on public transportation, dating and romantic relationships.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:It is during adolescence that rapid physical growth and changes in physiological processes take place. Arising from the hormonal changes, these developments produce reproductive maturation. Important external and internal bodily changes that take place during adolescence are as under:

Height, weight and body proportions:
The average girl reaches her mature height between the age of 16 and 17 and a boy a year or so later. Weight changes follow a timetable similar to that of height changes and various parts of the body gradually come into proportion.
Sex organs and endocrine system:
Both female and male sex organs reach their mature size in late adolescence. The sex glands become functional and there is a temporary imbalance of entire endocrine system in early adolescence.
Sequence of Physical Changes during Adolescence
-Growth of testes and scrotum generally by the onset of puberty and begins between age 10 and 11 years in male, Pubic Hair appearance.
-The spurt in height, wider shoulders and the boy becomes more muscular, Voice change, Growth of body hair.
-Activation of oil and sweat glands.,Growth of facial hair.
-Puberty among girls begins between 8 and 12 years of age and ends around 16 years of age.
-Breast budding starts from 8 to 13 years and completes between 13 and 18 years, Growth of bony pelvis.
-Growth spurt starts around 10 years of age and peaks at 12, Pubic hair appearance.
-First menstrual period is seen between the age of 9 and 18 years. ,
-Growth of body hair, activation of oil and sweat glands, completion of the growth of uterus and vagina as organs for reproduction.
Likely problems associated with physical characteristics of an adolescent are:

In adolescence new sensations, features and body proportion emerge. The physical changes occurring during adolescence symbolized with the termination of childhood. As a result of glandular changes and changes in the size and proportion of the internal organs, the pubescent child suffers at times from physical disturbances.

a)      Height:A structural feature of special concern in adolescence which brings problem sometimes is height. If an adolescent boy is not up to the expected height, his ego may suffer from failure to live up to expected physical standards. In contrary very tall girls face humors from peer groups.

b)      Weight / obesity: A fat person meets constant frustration, hears humorous allusions and clothes also don't fit them smartly. Therefore over weight is a big issue for teenagers and they constantly try to adopt dieting pattern to stay slim.

c)       Motor development disorder:Among the effects of physiological changes are problems associated with motor development which have far reaching implications. Both sexes decline in gross physical activities during adolescence, because there is less enjoyment in such activities. The significant skeletal changes are in the long bones and large muscle groups, where that poor co-ordination is found.

d)      Menstruation: One of the characteristic features of adolescence, onset of menstruation is a traumatic experience for a considerable number of adolescent girls because of its sudden and dramatic onset. Many physical problems like abdominal pain; nausea, vomiting, and feeling of uneasiness are associate with it.

e)      Voice change:Changes in the voice in the male are initiates in early puberty. The adolescent boy may feel embarrassed by unexpected shifts in his tone until he learns to handle his voice.

f)       Acne: It is extremely common among adolescents and needs to be addressed because of its impact on self esteem.

g)      Iron deficiency anaemia: Mainly among adolescent girls, due to excessive menstrual loss, inadequate iron intake due to poor eating habit and early marriage with pregnancy.

h)      Malnutrition: Mainly due to inadequate food intake. Likeness towards junk food and empty calorie foods.

MORAL CHARACTERISTICS:

-Adolescents are generally idealistic, desiring to make the world a better place and to become socially useful.

-They are in transition from moral reasoning which focuses on “what’s in it for me” to that which considers the feelings and rights of others.

-Often show compassion for those who are downtrodden or suffering and have special concern for animals and the environmental problems that our world faces

-Are moving from acceptance of adult moral judgments to development of their own personal values; nevertheless, they tend to embrace values consonant with those of their parents

-Rely on parents and significant adults for advice when facing major decisions

-Increasingly assess moral matters in shades of grey as opposed to viewing them in black and white terms characteristic of younger children

-At times are quick to see flaws in others but slow to acknowledge their own faults

-Owing to their lack of experience are often impatient with the pace of change, underestimating the difficulties in making desired social changes

-Are capable of and value direct experience in participatory democracy

-Greatly need and are influenced by adult role models who will listen to them and affirm their moral consciousness and actions as being trustworthy role models

-Are increasingly aware of and concerned about inconsistencies between values exhibited by adults and the conditions they see in society

SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS:

In the area of Social Development, young adolescents:

	-Have a strong need to belong to a group, with peer approval becoming more important as adult approval decreases in importance.
	-In their search for self, model behavior after older, esteemed students or non-parent adults.
	-May exhibit immature behavior because their social skills frequently lag behind their mental and physical maturity.
	-Experiment with new slang and behaviors as they search for a social position within their group, often discarding these “new identities” at a later date
	-Must adjust to the social acceptance of early maturing girls and the athletic successes of early maturing boys, especially if they themselves are maturing at a slower rate.
	-Are dependent on parental beliefs and values but sought to make their own decisions.
	-Are often intimidated and frightened by their first middle level school experience because of the large numbers of students and teachers and the size of the building
.	-Desire recognition for their efforts and achievements.
-	Often overreact to ridicule, embarrassment, and rejection.
	-Are socially vulnerable because, as they develop their beliefs, attitudes, and values, the influence of media and negative experiences with adults and peers may compromise their ideals and values. They usually exhibits these social problems: .Anticipated unemployment and insecurity due to unemployment. Unwarranted and inexplicable hatred towards brother / sisters, friends. Intense closeness with brothers / sisters, friends. Unpredictable and volatile relationships with friends. Unrealistic social perceptions about violence, love, sex as influenced by media. Unusually vulnerable and volatile relations with relatives. Fear / imagination about married life, life partners

Because adolescents are much more independent and mobile than they were as children, they are often out of the direct physical control of adults. In these circumstances, adolescents’ behavior is determined by their own moral and behavioral code. Substance abuse is a common trigger of behavioral problems and often requires specific therapy. Behavioral problems may be the first sign of depression or other mental health disorders. Such disorders typically require treatment with drugs as well as counseling. In extreme cases, some adolescents may also need legal intervention in the form of probation which is not so common in Nigeria.

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