Essay #1

Newsletter: Adolescence development stages

Darius Washington Comment by Adams-Green, Shirl D.: See Comments below

Grand Canyon University: SEC 505

August 13, 2018

Newsletter: Adolescence development stages

The developmental period of adolescence, including the sub-periods of early adolescence, middle adolescence, and emerging adulthood

Adolescence is a stage that is between puberty and adulthood. There are three main stages of adolescence, which include the early adolescence, the middle adolescence and the late adolescence. The first stage is between eleven to fourteen years, while the middle stage is between the age of fifteen, and seventeen while the late adolescence stage is between the age of eighteen and twenty one.

One of the stages of adolescence is physical development which involves the biological changes during adolescence. By mid-adolescence, most of the physical development in adolescents is usually almost complete. During the physical development stage, there is a rapid growth of muscles and bones and the adolescents also start tend to develop an oilier skin and also some acne (Adolescence, 2009). There is also an increased sweating on the arms; there are also some changes in the proportions of the body and also growth of the underarm, pubic, chest and facial hair. In girls, there is the beginning of the menstrual cycle, breast enlargement and also an increased vaginal lubrication. In boys, there is the beginning of erections, first ejaculation, wet dreams and also the deepening of the voice.

Another stage of development is the intellectual development whereby they get to differentiate between what is right and wrong and also between what is awful and that which is pleasing. In early adolescent stage, the adolescents rarely assess the consequences of their actions and only look at the present. In the late adolescent however, most of the adolescents are able to assess the consequences of their actions and in so doing do not only look into the present but also the future.

The next stage of development is emotional development whereby they start learning to be self-independent. They stop spending most of their times at home and spend most of their time with friends and also develop some rebellious behaviors. That however occurs during the middle adolescent stages but in the late adolescent stages, they start developing empathy, developing a cooperative spirit, managing and identifying emotions and finally learning how to solve conflicts in a constructive way.

The other stage of adolescence is social development whereby the adolescents develop the capacity to enter into romantic relationships as well as fall in love. Nonetheless, this does not mean that they have the reasoning capabilities of an adult since a teenage girl for instance may physically resemble an adult but may act as a child since most of the intellectual, social and emotional development occurs at the late adolescence.

The last stage is behavioral development whereby the development changes that are experienced by the adolescents make them to experiment with new behaviors some that are risky (Muuss, 2016). In so doing, the adolescents are beginning to assess how they make decisions, to shape their identities and to further gain respect and acceptance from their peers. Some of the risky behaviors may lead to pregnancy and drug and substance abuse.

Theories of adolescence development

One of the most renowned theorists on adolescent development is Stanley Hall with his theory on biogenetic psychology of adolescent. He asserted that the period of poverty begins at ages 12 and 13 and the late adolescent is between the age of 21 and 25. He referred the adolescence stage as a stage of storm and stress.

The other theory is the psychoanalytical theory of adolescent development by Sigmund Freud. He termed the stage of adolescence as phylogenetic whereby a human being goes through the earlier experiences of human kind in the psychosexual development that are determined genetically and are not largely influenced by environmental factors. According to this theory, adolescence is a universal phenomenon that includes emotional, social and behavioral changes. He also stated that the physiological changes influence the emotional changes. Another major theorist who has contributed to the adolescent development is Anna Freud in her theory on adolescent defense mechanism. Her theory insinuates that puberty plays a critical role in the formation of the adolescents’’ character. She also assessed the relationship between the ego, the id and also the superego.

Another theory on adolescent development was crafted by Otto Rank in his theory in the need by the adolescents for independence. According to him the nature of human beings was productive and creative and not neurotic or repressed. Rank did not also give large emphasis on the instinctual behavior as well as forces.

The other theorist on adolescence development is Eric Erikson in his theory of identity development where he asserted that the identity crisis is the most critical characteristic of adolescence (Garbarino, 2015). According to him, the identity of a child or adolescent is achieved through the recognition of their accomplishments or achievements.

The role of nature and nature on the effect of adolescent development is that nature affects adolescents through biological means while nurture affects adolescent development through environmental factors. Continuity and early experience on the other hand affects adolescence development by enabling them to develop their self identity much earlier while on the other hand discontinuity and late experience affect them by developing their self identity late.

Darius

I was getting ready to grade your paper, but I am a little concerned with the format. It does not have a logical conceptual framework. You do have some of the information, but I want to be sure you are clear about what is expected in this newsletter before I grade it. I am glad that you reached out to me for feedback earlier today. I would like for you to revise and resubmit this assignment. Please look at the rubric and make sure that you have all of the components that are required. I have provided you with an outline.

I. Introduction to the Newsletter. What is the purpose of it?

II. Well researched description of the (3) developmental periods of adolescence. Give school-related behaviors for each period. (write a paragraph for each)

III. Comprehensive overview of the four theories related to adolescence and the theorists.

IV. Define the roles of nature/nurture, continuity/discontinuity, early/later experience theoretical perspectives. Be sure to have a topic sentence so the reader is aware why you are explaining them. What’s their effect on adolescent development and classroom learning?

Be sure to:

· Give parents suggestions and tips

· Include research that is supportive

· Proofread.

References

Adolescence, F. O. (2009). Adolescent Development and the Biology of Puberty: Summary of a Workshop on New Research. New York, NY: National Academies Press.

Garbarino, J. (2015). Adolescent development: An ecological perspective. New York, NY: Merrill Publication Company.

Muuss, R. E. (2016). Theories of Adolescence. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Companies.