Adolescence begins with the end of childhood and ends before adulthood. The beginning and end of adolescence are not exactly clear. The length of the period may vary depending on gender and from person to person. Just as the beginning and end of puberty differ between boys and girls, the characteristics of the period may also differ. Adolescence is the process of preparation for adulthood, and a person's development is affected in many ways during this period.
Changes occur in the appearance of adolescents during this period. In addition, it is a period of psychological changes, and this period also brings about changes in relationships with the environment. This is the period when the individual begins to become free. The person must decide for himself what he wants. In fact, during this period, the adolescent asks "Who am I?" Trying to find the answer to the question. During this period, answers are sought to many questions such as what I like to do, what I do not like, what I want to be, who I want to be. According to Erikson's developmental theory, answers to such questions must be found in this period. If the questions are not answered, adolescents may not only not be able to determine who they are, but may also fall into role confusion.
According to social learning theory, behaviors can be shaped through observation. This is a very common situation during adolescence. During this period, the adolescent looks for people he can take as role models, and these people are usually the people in his close circle, mothers and fathers. During this period, the adolescent shapes the kind of person he will be in the future by looking at his mother's and father's behavior and his life within the family. At the same time, according to Piaget's cognitive development, adolescents are also able to think abstractly during this period. They can develop ideas and internalize their beliefs and values. During this period, they can consider an event from different aspects and make sense of even things they cannot see.
Adolescence is one of the most difficult periods of development. During this period, the adolescent faces many difficulties. During the period, the adolescent's acceptance of his physical change and getting used to his changing body He needs to grow up, and he also needs to deal with emotional turmoil.
Personality Development
The person in adolescence needs to start getting to know himself. According to Erikson's theory, the most important feature of this period is having an identity. The adolescent constantly asks himself "who am I?", "what do I want to be?", "what do I want to do in the future?" He asks many questions such as, and begins to determine in which field he wants to work in the future. It is a period when the adolescent becomes aware of himself and has criticisms towards himself.
In this period, the adolescent uses the trial method to create his identity. He is constantly trying different things and trying to find which of the things he tries is more suitable for him. They can play football one day and basketball the next and constantly change their clothing style.
While the wishes of the family are generally taken into account and acted upon until adolescence, after entering this period, the person begins to strive for liberation. The adolescent begins to make his own decisions. He asks less about ideas from those around him and avoids implementing other people's ideas. The adolescent is trying to reveal his own self. This period is also a period in which the adolescent's sense of responsibility develops. The adolescent takes on some responsibilities and can fulfill them. In response to the adolescent's efforts to assert himself, the family must also be supportive during this period. In this way, it will contribute to the adolescent having a healthy development period.
Adolescence is also a period in which adolescents form their sexual identities. Each of us is born with a specific gender, male or female. However, this does not mean that we will internalize the gender we have. Even though our body looks like a woman, we can feel like a man and be attracted to our own gender. This situation begins to develop from childhood and ends towards the end of adolescence.
In this period, if the adolescent is able to reveal his individuality and find the answers to all the questions he is looking for, this identity will be reflected in his identity. This means that it can be created successfully.
Emotional Development
During this period, there are many changes in the emotions of the adolescent. The emotional states he experiences are full of contradictions. Adolescents can show excessive anger and anger towards an event, but they can also approach this event very moderately and positively.
Negative emotions generally come to the fore during adolescence. Adolescents may show anger towards their oppressive families and restrictions. In addition, they may become angry when they think that they may be harmed or when they feel a threat. Anger emerges with aggressive behavior. Harming the other person's body, insulting the other person, or making hurtful words are some of the ways anger is expressed during this period. When anger is not expressed, adolescents may use methods such as moving away from things that could cause harm or adopting a cold and angry face. Adolescents can often feel angry with themselves. Not being able to do a job despite constantly trying or failing at something can cause adolescents to become very angry with themselves.
If the feeling of anger in this period occurs constantly towards a person and when the adolescent has to constantly see the person with whom he is angry, he becomes angry. , can turn into hatred.
In addition to anger, the feeling of fear also manifests itself during adolescence. Since children have been able to make sense of concrete things in their developmental periods so far, they have often felt fear of concrete things. However, abstract concepts that gain meaning with adolescence cause the adolescent's fears in the following periods to turn towards abstract concepts. People in adolescence are generally afraid of being scolded, of not being able to achieve anything, of thinking that they may be ridiculed by people, and of people around them having a negative attitude towards them. These fears during adolescence also cause the adolescent to be anxious. People in adolescence have some They may feel anxious even when they think their dreams will come true. They are often worried about the possibility of embarrassing things happening. Thinking that they will be humiliated or disgraced in public is only a part of their anxiety. During this period, the environments in which the adolescent will be found have an impact on the level of anxiety. If the adolescent is in a bad, negative environment, his anxiety is expected to increase, and if he is in a positive and harmonious environment, his anxiety is expected to decrease.
Physical Development
Adolescence One of the changes in the period is physical changes. Changes during adolescence occur very quickly. Physical change is also a part of these. Physical changes during this period may also vary depending on the genes inherited from the family and the foods consumed. The adolescent's hormones work harder in this period compared to other periods, and this causes changes to occur faster. During this period, the body begins to prepare itself for the appearance of adulthood. During this period, a rapid increase in height and an accompanying weight gain are observed. Changes in girls begin 2-3 years before the changes in boys, which causes girls to become taller and heavier than boys in a certain period. As boys enter puberty, boys surpass girls in terms of height and weight gain. This is a period when sexual organs also develop. A visible growth and development is observed in the sexual organs of both boys and girls, and there is also an increase in weight in the sexual organs. During this period, a significant body hair growth begins, and it is concentrated mainly in the armpits and genitals. The growth of beards in boys and the beginning of menstruation in girls are also during puberty. Menstruation in girls, also known as menstrual bleeding, may occur irregularly at first, but then it becomes regular. At the same time, ovulation may not occur at the beginning of menstrual bleeding. Another distinctive feature of adolescence is the changes in the voice. in childhood The high-pitched tone of the suffix begins to thicken during this period and forms its adult form. Generally distinct lines of the body are also formed in this period. The childish and curveless body before puberty begins to take on curves and shapes during this period. In girls, changes such as widening of the hips, a clear appearance of the curve of the waist and enlargement of the breasts occur, while in boys, changes such as the thickening of the neck and widening of the shoulders occur. In other words, during this period, bodies that were indistinguishable in childhood gain a clear distinction. The changes in this period are not only about appearance; adolescence is a period when internal organs also develop and their weight increases. In terms of physical changes, adolescence is the period that allows boys and girls to differentiate from each other most clearly. While some individuals in adolescence have trouble getting used to these changes, others are quite happy with the changes and can easily accept them.
Cognitive Development
Cognitive development is a process that begins from the moment we are born. is development. According to Piaget, our interactions and experiences with the people around us can affect cognitive development. The aim of the adolescent during this period is to achieve a balance in his thoughts.
Our thoughts during adolescence differ from those during childhood. In this period, abstract operational thinking comes to the fore. This thought enables the ability to solve problems, make predictions about an event, and think abstractly. Adolescents can also make predictions about things they do not see and visualize them in their minds. During this period, the adolescent thinks a lot about the people around him and himself. He can visualize in his thoughts the characteristics that he and the people around him do not have, as if they had those characteristics. This enables him to compare himself and those around him with the characteristics he imagines. During this period, the adolescent's social life and perspective on the events, and how they make sense of the experiences are also a matter of cognitive development.
One of the important issues of cognitive development in adolescence.
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