Human Development and Life Transition Issue Adolescence

Question: Discuss about theHuman Development and Life Transition Issuefor Adolescence. Answer: Introduction Humans undergo a lot of development during their lifetime. They experience various stages such as the childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and the old age. It is during the adolescence that a person undergoes some necessary changes in the body. The essay would focus on the adolescence developmental stage of human beings. It will talk about the development of self, self-identity, and self-esteem of individuals during this juncture. There are many aspects of viewing a life stage. The article would discuss the normative, non-normative, physical, socio-cultural, and cognitive aspects of this stage. Ericksons theory of social development and Jean Piagets cognitive theory shall be utilized to explain the issues. Adolescence is the period of human life span during which a person undergoes a drastic transition both physically and mentally. This stage comprises the age group between twelve and eighteen years that is, from puberty to adulthood. Adolescence is associated with teenage and is in fact, the transitional stage between childhood and adulthood. However, the cognitive and physical adolescence growth may extend up to twenty years, particularly in males. It is during this period that humans experience a multitude of changes involving physical, mental, educational, employment, and training. Thus, an individual undergoes biological, cognitive, and social changes during this life stage (Csikszentmihalyi and Rathunde 2014). The biological transition is marked by the termination of growth and onset of puberty. Cognitively, the child begins to develop mentally and grows the power to think and reason in a concrete and complex way. The adolescence is the stage where a child develops his identity. Relationship with family, social sphere, and peers play a vital role in the development of adolescents. This is the stage when children tend to rebel from their parents and give importance to their peer group. In such a situation, it is paramount for parents to keep track of the child and his/her peers. A conflict may also arise at this stage. Peer groups may have a positive as well as negative impact on the child. Children develop their learning skills from peer groups. However, peer pressure may be detrimental (Kail and Cavanaugh 2015). Culture also plays a pivotal role in shaping the behavior, belief system, social responsibilities, and sexual expression. Adolescents develop a unique system of belief through their interaction with the society. Norms enforced on a child may pose a negative effect on the psychology of the child. The physical transition of body organs in both males and females and the ability to reproduce in the future are normative changes during adulthood. However, reproducing at the age of 15 or 16 is not a normative event during adolescence. In the present scenario, stepping out of home to work and develop a self-financial support may be normative. However, dropping school, getting married and reproducing children at this critical life stage is strictly non-normative (Barrouillet 2015). Jean Piaget explains that adolescence is the stage in which egocentric thoughts of an individual decreases and takes an abstract form. Children develop their view and perception of the world at this stage. The decision making process becomes personalized, and they start performing logical operations. The cognitive development is comparatively drastic and sudden. Children at this stage give more importance to their peers, and often a conflict arises between the parents and the child. Parents must not impose their decisions but instead, explain the child the consequences that he/she may face as a result of a wrong step (Siegler 2013). According to Erik Erikson, a person must resolve two crises during the adolescence. First is the identity confusion versus the identity crisis in which the adolescent tries to develop a unique identity while seeking to fit in the societal norms. Youths at this stage face a crisis as they must choose their identity, how they want to be perceived, and what they want to be. Once they can resolve this crisis, they would have a clear understanding of their identity. They would gain confidence and would be able to lead a well-adjusted, healthy life. Failing to cope up with the crisis may result in a lack of understanding of the self. They may get disconnected socially and develop a sense of self-importance and adopt extremist mentality. Secondly, children may experience a state of crisis between their early adulthood and late adolescence. This is called the crisis of isolation versus intimacy. This crisis is the struggle to achieve a balance between giving and receiving love and support. T he child tries to achieve the complementary nature of love and intimacy. Ability to resolve this crisis would make the person honest, and inculcate within him/her the capability to bond with others. Inability to address the crisis may make the person dependent, needy, self-contained, and vulnerable. The child may become lonely and isolated (Barrouillet 2015). Several factors may affect the self-concept and self-esteem of adolescents. Some of them are social support, problematic behavior, family harmony, parental support, peers, school adjustment, and body image. The development of the self concept is crucial for self-esteem determines the level of satisfaction in one's life. It is during the sensitive stage of adolescence that the personality of an individual develops. The adolescence is a challenging period for the self-concept and self-esteem of a person are the most susceptible at this juncture. They are most liable to be damaged due to the physical, social, and mental transitions. There arises tension between how they perceive themselves and the ideal self (Baumeister 2013). Mass-mediated social influences may lower the self-esteem. Children tend to follow mass media and celebrities. Practicing stunts and idolizing celebrities may prove to have a harmful effect on the young minds. Intense celebrity worship may increase self-esteem reg arding the reconstruction of the self. However, borderline pathological worship of celebrities may decrease the self-esteem because of the inability to become similar to the idolized star. Materialistic possessions may enhance the self-esteem (Baumeister 2013). Possession of materialistic things would be a benchmark of self-worth. However, material properties must not be the foundation of self-image and self-esteem as it might be dangerous. The child may take incorrect steps such as theft to gain materialistic pleasure. Adolescents are also highly influenced by peers as they are prone to experimentation of activities through which they might gain attention. They try to shape themselves by their peers so that they are accepted in the peer groups. For instance, children during their adolescence try to gain social recognition and acceptance by smoking and drinking (Birkeland et al. 2014). Since adolescents undergo a lot of developmental changes, it is essential to understand the physical, cognitive, and social aspects. Among so many children, there would be many who would act in a nonnormative manner. Understanding the psychological dimensions of a child would help nurses and midwives to take proper steps to cure them. The behavior and practice of midwives and nurses are defined by professional standards such as competency or practice standards, codes of conduct, ethics, and professional boundaries. Since nurses are accountable for the care and decision making of a person, it is of utmost importance that nurses understand the various aspects of the behavior of a teenager. They must strive to secure the best care possible (Nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au, 2016). They are the ones accountable for providing counseling and health care and also be responsive socially. It is thus essential to understand the behavioral patterns of adolescents as they are more prone to damage an d destruction. Parental attention and affection may be very helpful for psychologically disturbed children. As this is the phase where a person undergoes most transition mentally, physically as well as socially, it is imperative that they are well-taken care. References Barrouillet, P., 2015. Theories of cognitive development: From Piaget to today.Developmental Review,38, pp.1-12. Baumeister, R.F. ed., 2013.Self-esteem: The puzzle of low self-regard. Springer Science Business Media. 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