Adolescence?

Hi There Folks and welcome to the (mysterious...not really) blog.....
here is what you all had to say about this great period of life-- please feel free to comment on any of the definitions-- especially if you have positive or constructive additions or suggestions--


Adolescence is characterized by the physiological, neurological, emotional, and social transition from childhood to adulthood and is one of the most important developmental windows in an individual’s life perhaps second only to the perinatal period. During this time period, an adolescent forms their perceptions and interpretations of social interactions, relationships, and their place in the world, all of which are very fragile and easily influenced by peers, environment, and genetics. Neurologically, adolescence brings a great deal of rapid neurogenesis and pruning throughout various brain regions, which shape mechanisms that influence behavior and cognition for the rest of adulthood.

Adolescence: The transitional stage of human development between childhood and adulthood in which an individual progresses towards more advanced physical, emotional, cognitive, and social human states. It is often seen as a stressful and emotionally intense period of development that depends largely on cultural definitions of an individual's defined role in society.

The layout of adolescence is like Tokyo. The city, once merely a quaint fishing village, now has a population of over 13 million people and boasts some of the most dazzling enterprises in the world— an incredible feat given the city’s lack of street signs. Going through adolescence is like moving from Wisconsin to Tokyo: you have to rely heavily on others to help you read your map, and then give you directions after you throw away said map. One day you’ll acclimate, and one you’ll be able to find your apartment; but till then, you're left scrabbling to learn the language, customs, and streets.

Adolescence-- a time in which an individual emerges from a child to an adult through self-discovery; this self-discovery develops from seeking novel experiences, experimentation, and teaching others about the self.

Awkward time by definition. In humans, is the transitional state between childhood and reproductive adulthood, physically and otherwise; the social responsibilities of those two stages of life are so different, and it switches so suddenly, that the only bridge between them is hasty and vague, can afford a person only so much delicacy.

Some may think of adolescence as the transitional stage between childhood and adulthood, but it serves an important function that deserves more attention than the title of a moody transition. The biological changes that occur in puberty motivate individuals to think and feel differently than they had felt before the physical changes. They develop better cognitive and rationalization skills and learn how to use their new ways of thinking to change the ways they look at their relationships and encounters. Without this stage, the individual would not have the opportunity to experiment with his or her new knowledge and learn to deal with more adult challenges.

Adolescence is the transitional period marking the end of childhood. It begins with the initiation of puberty and completes when adulthood is achieved (early adolescence ~10-14 years and late adolescence ~15-19 years). Such a stage is coupled with psychological, biological and social adjustments, though the biological changes that occur are much more easily noted objectively and, thus, more translatable across subjects.

Adolescence begins with puberty, a little after if you're early, or a little before if you're late. Your biology gives you new tools with which to explore the landscape of your rapidly expanding emotional,physical, cognitive, and relational experience, but takes away your compass and anchor (your complete faith in and dependence on your parents, your naivety, your un-sexualized body), which leaves you more vulnerable, more malleable, and more experimental than ever before.And while this trio (vulnerability, plasticity, and experimentally-proneness) is exactly what you need to teach yourself how to be an adult, the teaching process can be very difficult, sometimes too difficult to complete right away, often depending on chance and circumstance. Adolescence ends when you have practiced using your new biological tools (e.g. a sexual mind and body, a bigger better pre-frontal cortex, a social dynamism, etc.) enough to develop a productive cohesion among them that can help you navigate the uncertainty of your own and your children's lives.

Adolescence is an undisclosed amount of time starting roughly before puberty in which an individual beings to become less dependent on the main caregiver and expresses more self-sufficient behaviors and lasts until the individual can function as an efficient self-sufficient individual, no longer dependent on another for survival.

My definition: Adolescence is a period of time in the human development that begins at puberty and ends with full physical maturation, spanning from around age 7 (in early bloomers for puberty) to 24 (for those who are late fully maturing. It is a time marked by change as the individual becomes not only physically mature but also socially and emotionally. This is typically accompanied by storm and stress in some, depending on the various psychological and genetic factors, as well as and environmental influences present during this time period.

Adolescence is a transitional period between childhood and adulthood. It starts from the production of sex hormones at the beginning of puberty, through teenage years, and through early-adulthood until around 24 years of age. Adolescence is characterized by changes in physical appearance, sex-drive and emotional changes, so basically everything. Although many people think of adolescence and puberty as one and the same, they are not as there is still much growing, physically, mentally and emotionally, that has to be done after puberty in order to gain a consistency with one's being, that is adulthood.

Adolescence is the intermediate stage between childhood and adulthood during which the body, brain, and mind develop in order to eventually function in the adult world (and, in evolutionary terms, to eventually produce healthy, functional offspring who will eventually also have healthy babies). It involves, among other things, development of complex comprehension of adult issues and behaviors, as well as the need to get to know oneself and what is required for the individual to be successful and content.

My definition of adolescence: Occurring, on average, between the ages of 10 and 24 years, adolescence is a period of dramatic physical change, social learning and psychological development. The developments that unfold over the course of this period are instrumental in preparing individuals to function successfully in the adult world. In concert with one another, substantial physical change, neural maturation, and gathered social experience equip individuals with the resources and skills required to meet the demands of adult life.

Adolescence is a time of cognitive and emotional growth marked by increased conflict with parents and authority figures (peaks at about age 15 then declines), mood volatility/variability with an increased likelihood of depressed mood, especially in girls, and an increase in risk seeking and risky behavior, which peaks in late adolescence (18- early twenties). Adolescence is a time when we gain the cognitive capacity to be (hyper)aware of the feelings and behaviors of the people around us, and of how they affect us and how our behavior will be perceived by and affect them. We additionally gain the behavioral knowledge to make decisions about who we are, what we like, and what we stand for, and to contest what we have been told about ourselves and society by parents and other authority figures. We become emotionally volatile, in part due to increased self-consciousness and thus an increased perception of threats to our personhood which may or may not exist, and we also become aware of ourselves and those around us as sexual beings.

A child's teenage years when rapidly developing into an adult. It refers more to an ongoing state of mind than to a specific physical event (puberty refers more to the physical changes occurring during this period).

Adolescence is a period of physical, emotional, social, cognitive, and neurological growth and development catalyzed by the physical changes of puberty. This time can be marked by physical awkwardness due to one's changing body, and it also can involve the storm and stress that has been hypothesized to be associated with adolescence. Necessary to becoming an adult, adolescence could be thought of as a long, rickety bridge between childhood and adulthood.

(quoted/adapted from a definition I found on Psychology Today)

A time of both disorientation and discovery, adolescence describes the teenage years between 13 and 19. However, with increasing rates of early-onset puberty, the preteen or "tween" years (9-12) may also qualify. No longer children but not yet adults, adolescents struggle with issues of independence and self-identity, and often experiment with drugs, alcohol, and sexuality. Peer groups and external appearance tend to increase in importance.

Adolescence is a transitional stage from childhood to adulthood that is characterized by rapid physical, cognitive, and emotional growth and development. This dramatic time period is also inextricably tied to social and cultural factors, which will also affect the way different adolescents will respond to and experience this period of change.

Puberty (pronounced awk-ward)
1. A period of extreme discomfort characterized by ballooning body parts, oddly placed toupe-like hair, and sexual tension aggravated by a plethora of genitala-related hallway jokes. Often accompanied by a semi-paranoid sense that everyone is looking at you and a series of embarrassing parental confrontations.
2. Period of development during which both male and females undergo drastic reproductive maturation accompanied by changes in appearance, biochemical status, and behavioral actions.