
Adolescent development – 5 characteristics of the social and emotional development of adolescents
- Labile emotions. Teens can change their moods quickly, vacillating between happiness and heartbreak and self-confidence and worry .
- Personal identity. Adolescence is a time when adolescents begin to explore and affirm their personal identities. ...
- Relationships with friends. ...
- Independence and limits. ...
- Self-centered attitudes. ...
What are some developmental milestones for teenagers?
Developmental milestones for teenagers include the following: socialization. rapidly changing body image. need for privacy. increasing independence and responsibility. struggle to develop self identity. use of deductive reasoning and abstract thought.
What are cognitive skills develop in adolescents?
Cognitive development means the development of the ability to think and reason. Children ages 6 to 12, usually think in concrete ways (concrete operations). This can include things like how to combine, separate, order, and transform objects and actions. Adolescence marks the beginning development of more complex thinking processes (also called ...
What are the motor development of adolescents?
Motor development, or the ability to control physical movement, changes from infancy to childhood to adolescence. Gross motor development is the ability to control movement in the large muscle groups.
What are the mental characteristics of adolescence?
[PDF Notes] Characteristics of mental development during adolescence
- Height, weight and body proportions. ...
- Sex organs and endocrine system. ...
- Socio-cultural Development. ...
- 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.
- Sex organs and endocrine system : Both female and male sex organs reach their mature size in late adolescence. ...

What are the developmental characteristics of adolescence?
Social/BehaviouralSearching for identity, influenced by gender, peer group, cultural background and family expectations.Seeking more independence.Looking for new experiences. ... Thinking more about 'right' and 'wrong'.Influenced more by friends' behaviour- sense of self and self-esteem.More items...
What are 10 characteristics of adolescence?
The physical signs of adolescence occur between the ages of 12 and 18 in India....Physical Characteristics of the StageRapid growth.Growth not uniform and proportionate.Different rate of growth of boys and girls.Increase in modern activities.Sense of clumsiness.More significant growth of reproductive organs.
Which words best describe adolescent characteristics?
boyish,girlish,juvenescent,kiddish,young,youngish,youthful.
What are the 5 characteristics of adolescence?
Leading characteristics of adolescence are – increased decision-making, biological growth and development, search for self, increased pressures and an undefined status.
What are the 5 types of adolescent development?
The fundamental purpose of these tasks is to form one's own identity and to prepare for adulthood.Physical Development. Puberty is defined as the biological changes of adolescence. ... Intellectual Development. ... Emotional Development. ... Social Development.
What are the emotional characteristics of adolescence?
Adolescents may show signs of stress, anxiety, or depression such as increased irritability or anger, changing sleeping and eating habits, dropping favorite activities, or feelings of loneliness. Resources are available to those experiencing an emotional crisis.
What are the characteristics of adolescence Class 11?
Physical changes in adolescence include the development of secondary sex characteristics, hormonal changes, and spurt in growth. The major developmental tasks for the adolescent include identity formation and coming to terms with biological changes taking place.
Which is not a characteristic of adolescence?
From the above, we can conclude that a high decrease in friendly relationships is not a characteristic of adolescence.
What are the 8 behavioral traits of teenager?
Typical Teen BehaviorStruggle with their identity – for instance, obsessing over their appearance.Feel awkward about their changing bodies.Switch between being overconfident and having poor self-esteem.Follow friends' examples in clothing and activities.Find fault with their parents.More items...•
What are the characteristics of adolescence Class 11?
Physical changes in adolescence include the development of secondary sex characteristics, hormonal changes, and spurt in growth. The major developmental tasks for the adolescent include identity formation and coming to terms with biological changes taking place.
What are the emotional characteristics of adolescence?
Adolescents may show signs of stress, anxiety, or depression such as increased irritability or anger, changing sleeping and eating habits, dropping favorite activities, or feelings of loneliness. Resources are available to those experiencing an emotional crisis.
What Are The Physical Changes of Adolescence?
There are three main physical changes that come with adolescence: 1. The growth spurt (an early sign of maturation); 2. Primary sex characteristics...
What Are The Intellectual Changes of Adolescence?
Adolescent thinking is on a higher level than that of children. Children are only able to think logically about the concrete, the here and now. Ado...
What Are The Social and Emotional Changes of Adolescence?
Adolescents are also developing socially and emotionally during this time. The most important task of adolescence is the search for identity. (This...
How Can Parents Support Healthy Adolescent Development?
While adolescence can be a trying period for both youth and their parents, the home does not have to become a battleground if both parents and youn...
What Can Adolescents Do During This time?
1. Avoid looking at your parents as the enemy. Chances are that they love you and have your best interests in mind, even if you don't necessarily a...
What is the most common type of adolescent behavior?
Psychosocial Development. Abstract reasoning and adolescent rebellion are typical types of adolescent behavior. Although these behaviors can create challenges for youth, their family, and other adults who work with them, they are a normal part of psychosocial development.
What is the developmental transition to adulthood?
Adolescence is the developmental transition to adulthood that includes rapid changes in the brain and body, often at different rates and is a time for healthy exploration of identity and learning independence. It can also be a stressful or challenging for teens because of these rapid changes. Although every adult has gone through puberty ...
Why is sleep important for adolescents?
Getting enough sleep during adolescence is crucial for optimal physical and cognitive development. In general, adolescents need an average of nine hours of sleep every night to feel rested. This is also when adolescents’ internal clocks shift making them want to go to bed later and sleep in later in the morning. On top of this, increasing academic and social demands (e.g., constant availability of social media through smart phones) can cause teens to go to bed later and not be able to meet these demands. Combined, this can lead to sleep deprivation, which can result in lower grades, depressive symptoms, and difficulty with mood regulation. 5 The most dangerous consequence is car accidents due to drowsy driving, making driver safety an important youth topic. 6
What is the promise of adolescence?
The Promise of Adolescence: Realizing Opportunity for All Youth#N#(link is external )#N#This report examines the neurobiological and socio-behavioral science of adolescent development and outlines how this knowledge can be applied, both to promote adolescent well-being, resilience, and development, and to rectify structural barriers and inequalities in opportunity, enabling all adolescents to flourish. The report focuses on leveraging the developmental opportunities to harness the promise of adolescence—rather than focusing myopically on containing its risks. In addition to discussing adolescent development and the impact of inequality and injustice, accompanying resources#N#(link is external)#N#include a communication toolkit, commissioned papers, and a video series in English and Spanish with recommendations for the education, justice, child welfare, and health care systems.
Why is it important to sleep during adolescence?
4. Getting enough sleep during adolescence is crucial for optimal physical and cognitive development.
What are the health issues of adolescence?
Two extreme nutritional issues during adolescence are obesity and eating disorders, both of which can have negative physical and psychological effects on youth. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends that children and adolescents ages six to 17 years do 60 minutes or more of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity daily. ...
What is the need for schools, families, support staff, and communities to work together to develop targeted, coordinated, and?
Statistics reflecting the number of youth suffering from mental health, substance abuse, and co-occurring disorders highlight the necessity for schools, families, support staff, and communities to work together to develop targeted, coordinated, and comprehensive transition plans for young people with a history of mental health needs and/or substance abuse.
What is adolescence?
Adolescence is the period of transition between childhood and adulthood. Children who are entering adolescence are going through many changes (physical, intellectual, personality and social developmental). Adolescence begins at puberty, which now occurs earlier, on average, than in the past. The end of adolescence is tied to social and emotional factors and can be somewhat ambiguous.
What are the intellectual changes of adolescence?
Adolescents move beyond these limits and can think in terms of what might be true, rather than just what they see is true. They are able to deal with abstractions, test hypotheses and see infinite possibilities. Yet adolescents still often display egocentric behaviors and attitudes.
How can parents support healthy adolescent development?
While adolescence can be a trying period for both youth and their parents, the home does not have to become a battleground if both parents and young people make special efforts to understand one another . The following guidelines may help parents:
How to help your parents?
What can adolescents do during this time? 1 Avoid looking at your parents as the enemy. Chances are that they love you and have your best interests in mind, even if you don't necessarily agree with their way of showing that. 2 Try to understand that your parents are human beings, with their own insecurities, needs and feelings. 3 Listen to your parents with an open mind, and try to see situations from their point of view. 4 Share your feelings with your parents so that they can understand you better. 5 Live up to your responsibilities at home and in school so that your parents will be more inclined to grant you the kind of independence you want and need. 6 Bolster your criticisms of family, school and government with suggestions for practical improvements. 7 Be as courteous and considerate to your own parents as you would be to the parents of your friends.
What is the most important task of adolescence?
Adolescents are also developing socially and emotionally during this time. The most important task of adolescence is the search for identity. (This is often a lifelong voyage, launched in adolescence.) Along with the search for identity comes the struggle for independence.
How to speak to your children?
Speak to your children as courteously and pleasantly as you would to a stranger. Your tone of voice can set the tone of a conversation.
How to talk to your kids?
Don't read, watch television or busy yourself with other tasks. Listen calmly and concentrate on hearing and understanding your children's point of view. Speak to your children as courteously and pleasantly as you would to a stranger.
What is the adolescence period?
Adolescence is also a period when one is inclined to a number of hobbies, or at least to one or the other of the hobbies. He may join some gym, or a club of table-tennis or lawn-tennis. Some may like to compose poems or write stories. Music or dance may attract a few. Others may opt to be cricketers or hockey-players.
What is the role of boys and girls in adolescence?
During adolescence, both boys and girls try to acquire a set of behaviour patterns, acceptable, and liked by the society for a particular gender only . For example, an aggressive and boisterous boy may be liked at times but a girl is expected to be quiet, and even bashful.
What is the period of imagination that helps adolescents?
The adolescent often rises high and above the limitations of realities into the unbridled sky of imagination, seeking the fulfillment of a lot many of his desires which stand no chances of being fulfilled otherwise. Adolescence is also a period when imagination can help him in visualizing likely consequences, and enable him think persistently.
What is the apex period of growth?
Endocrines play an important role in the process of physical growth, and adolescence is the apex period for growth; these very endocrines through physiological processes, affect the behaviour of the person concerned, and the whole of his personality is also affected.
What is the stage of cognitive development?
Cognitive Development: Adolescence is the stage when a person attains maturity in physical development, in respect of sexual behaviour, and also cognitively. From year eleven onward, Jean Piaget considers it to be the stage of formal operations when the growing adolescent starts thinking logically and persistently.
Why is hyperthyroidism more common in adolescents?
Hyperthyroidism is characterised by emotional instability and excessive movements. Because of emotional instability, an adolescent has no patience to think over the pros and cons of a step that he is going to take —though cognitively he or she is developed enough to do it.
What is the shift in adolescence from parent to peer?
As the adolescent seeks independence from his parents, he spends more time with peers, and turn to them for identity and social support; he is shifting from a period of “parent-orientation” to “peer-orientation”.
What are the characteristics of a young adolescent?
Research suggests distinctive characteristics of young adolescents with regard to their physical, cognitive, moral, psychological, and social-emotional development , as well as spiritual development (Scales, 2010).
What is the developmental stage of adolescence?
Early adolescence is a distinct period of human growth and development situated between childhood and adolescence. During this remarkable stage of the life cycle, young adolescents, 10- to 15-year-olds, experience rapid and significant developmental change. Understanding and responding to the unique developmental characteristics of young adolescents is central among the tenets of middle level education.
What is physical development?
Physical development refers to bodily changes including growth, improved gross and fine motor skills, and biological maturity. In early adolescence, the young adolescent body undergoes more developmental change than at any other time except from birth to two years old. Young adolescents’ growth is accelerated and uneven (California State Department of Education, 1987; Kellough & Kellough, 2008; Manning, 2002; Scales, 1991, 2010; Wiles, Bondi, & Wiles, 2006). Developmental growth includes significant increases in height, weight, and internal organ size as well as changes in skeletal and muscular systems (Kellough & Kellough, 2008) with growth spurts occurring about two years earlier in girls than boys (Brighton, 2007; Tanner, 1973). Because bones are growing faster than muscles, young adolescents often experience coordination issues. Actual growing pains result when muscles and tendons do not adequately protect bones (Kellough & Kellough, 2008; Wiles et al., 2006). Fluctuations in basal metabolism cause these youth to experience periods of restlessness and lassitude (Kellough & Kellough, 2008). Young adolescents, particularly European-American youth, are often physically vulnerable due to improper nutrition, poor physical fitness, and health habits (Scales, 2010) as well as high-risk behaviors such as alcohol or drug use (Johnston, O’Malley, Bachman, & Schulenberg, 2011) and sexual activity.
Why do young adolescents need to be educated?
Young adolescents warrant educational experiences and schools that are organized to address their physical, intellectual, emotional/psychological, moral/ethical, spiritual, and social developmental characteristics. Practitioners, parents, and others who work with young adolescents need to be aware of both subtle and obvious changes in developmental characteristics. Such changes can give adults insights into the challenges facing young adolescents and illuminate possible reasons for shifts in their abilities and behaviors.
Why are adolescents important to the brain?
During early adolescence, youth are more interested in real life experiences and authentic learning opportunities; they are less interested in traditional academic subjects (Kellough & Kellough, 2008). Intellectually, young adolescents seek opportunities to explore the varied facets of their environment (Brighton, 2007). They also tend to be inquisitive about adults and are often keen observers of adult behavior (Scales, 2010). Moreover, they have an enhanced ability to think about the future, anticipate their own needs, and develop personal goals (Kellough & Kellough, 2008).
How does physical development affect adolescents?
Physical development often affects young adolescents’ emotional/ psychological and social development . Practitioners (e.g., teachers or guidance counselors) and parents can alleviate young adolescents’ concerns about physical development by explaining that these changes are natural and common (Strahan, L’Esperance, & Van Hoose, 2009; Wiles et al., 2006). Adults can provide accurate information, respond to questions, and encourage young adolescents to consult credible resources (Scales, 2010).
How can schools support physical development?
Schools can support physical development by offering responsive educational opportunities for young adolescents. Among these opportunities are health and science curricula that describe and explain physical changes (Kellough & Kellough, 2008). Schools also need to provide (a) programs that encourage adequate exercise and healthy lifestyles, (b) access to plenty of water and nutritious food during the school day, (c) appropriate instruction concerning the risks of alcohol and drug use, teenage pregnancy, and sexually transmitted diseases. Young adolescents must be afforded opportunities for physical movement and periods of rest (George & Alexander, 1993). When young adolescents avoid physical activity due to concerns about body image (Milgram, 1992), teachers can incorporate movement in classroom activities, minimize peer competition, and interrupt comparisons between early and late maturing youth.
Sexual maturation
In adolescence, the reproductive system is activated and libido awakens.
Emotionality
Adolescence is a key stage in the formation of a mature emotionality , but in the meantime it is often a difficult and tumultuous stage.
Media and social influences
The adolescent’s behavior is strongly influenced by the socialization mechanisms to which they have access, such as the family, formal education and social groups , from which they acquire their way of relating to society and with themselves.
Adolescence in art
The adolescent has traditionally been the subject of numerous artistic and literary representations .
How to help a teenager with eating healthy?
Encourage your teen to have meals with the family. Eating together will help your teen make better choices about the foods she eats, promote healthy weight, and give family members time to talk with each other. In addition, a teen who eats meals with the family is more likely to get better grades and less likely to smoke, drink, or use drugs, and also less likely to get into fights, think about suicide, or engage in sexual activity.
How to help a teenager with driving?
Talk with your teen about the dangers of driving and how to be safe on the road. You can steer your teen in the right direction . “ Parents Are the Key” has steps that can help. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death from unintentional injury among teens, yet few teens take measures to reduce their risk of injury.
What is the developmental milestone?
Developmental Milestones. This is a time of changes for how teenagers think, feel, and interact with others, and how their bodies grow. Most girls will be physically mature by now, and most will have completed puberty. Boys might still be maturing physically during this time. Your teen might have concerns about her body size, shape, or weight.
What to do when your teen works?
If your teen works, use the opportunity to talk about expectations, responsibilities, and other ways of behaving respectfully in a public setting.
How to get a teenager to be more active?
Make sure your teen gets 1 hour or more of physical activity each day. Keep television sets out of your teen’s bedroom. Set limits for screen time, including cell phones, computers, video games, and other devices and develop a family media plan. external icon. Encourage your teen to have meals with the family.
How to talk to a teenager about drugs?
Talk with your teen about the dangers of drugs, drinking, smoking, and risky sexual activity. Ask him what he knows and thinks about these issues, and share your feelings with him. Listen to what he says and answer his questions honestly and directly.
What to do when a teenager is under pressure?
Respect your teen’s need for privacy. Encourage your teen to get enough sleep and exercise, and to eat healthy, balanced meals. Positive Parenting Tip Sheet.

Characteristic # 1.
Characteristic # 2.
- Appearance-Consciousness: During adolescence, both the girl and the boy, grow very much conscious about their appearance. As physical changes are very rapidly taking place, affecting the appearance of the adolescent, “how do I appear?” becomes his or her haunting concern. An adolescent would do all that he or she can to develop and maintain an attractive look. One grow…
Characteristic # 3.
- Attraction Towards the Opposite Sex: The pubic changes in the girl, and in the boy, make one feel a strong attraction towards the other. The physical growth during the period of adolescence, makes one attractive for the opposite sex. Nevertheless, it entails the problem of adaptability to peers of the same sex, and to those of the opposite sex. The adolescents who fail to adjust the…
Characteristic # 4.
- Cognitive Development: Adolescence is the stage when a person attains maturity in physical development, in respect of sexual behaviour, and also cognitively. From year eleven onward, Jean Piaget considers it to be the stage of formal operations when the growing adolescent starts thinking logically and persistently. It is the adult stage of cognitiv...
Characteristic # 5.
- Career-Consciousness: A mention, by the way, has already been made that an adolescent starts thinking about his career at this stage. Now, one happens to be mature enough to think of the importance of a good job in life. Looking to his own parents and to others, he can very well realise the importance of a good job for a respectable and comfortable life. He also knows that a good j…
Characteristic # 6.
- Emotional Conditions: Wilkins writes that hyperthyroidism is more common in adolescence. Hyperthyroidism is caused because of excessive secretion of thyroid gland. Hyperthyroidism is characterised by emotional instability and excessive movements. Because of emotional instability, an adolescent has no patience to think over the pros and cons of a step that he is goi…
Characteristic # 7.
- Flight on Imagination: The adolescent often rises high and above the limitations of realities into the unbridled sky of imagination, seeking the fulfillment of a lot many of his desires which stand no chances of being fulfilled otherwise. Adolescence is also a period when imagination can help him in visualizing likely consequences, and enable him think persistently. Thus, imagination ma…
Characteristic # 8.
- Hero Worship: Some living character, maybe, some hero of the screen, a member of his peer-group, or someone among the acquaintances, or of the family, may have caught the imagination of the adolescent, and he starts emulating him keenly. What attracts him, may be the physique—good height and well body-build plus good appearance; may be the skill in games or s…
Characteristic # 9.
- Hobbies: Adolescence is also a period when one is inclined to a number of hobbies, or at least to one or the other of the hobbies. He may join some gym, or a club of table-tennis or lawn-tennis. Some may like to compose poems or write stories. Music or dance may attract a few. Others may opt to be cricketers or hockey-players. Girls, especially, may choose knitting, sewing, embroider…
Characteristic # 10.
- Sex-Role Identity: Girls have their identity in the choice of play, in the choice of their companions; and also in the way they behave. A distinct identity of the sex may be marked in the selection of dresses and other items to wear. Some hobbies are there for which girls have preference; for example, fine needle or embroidery work is, generally, liked by girls only; and, hard gymnastic ex…
Physical Developmental Characteristics
- Physical development refers to bodily changes including growth, improved gross and fine motor skills, and biological maturity. In early adolescence, the young adolescent body undergoes more developmental change than at any other time except from birth to two years old. Young adolescents’ growth is accelerated and uneven (California State Department...
Intellectual Development
- Intellectual development refers to the increased ability of people to understand and reason. In young adolescents, intellectual development is not as visible as physical development, but it is just as intense (Stevenson, 2002; Strahan et al., 2009). During early adolescence, youth exhibit a wide range of individual intellectual development (California State Department of Education, 198…
Moral Development
- Moral development is defined as an individuals’ ability to make principled choices and how to treat one another. During early adolescence, many of the attitudes, beliefs, and values that young adolescents develop remain with them for life (Brighton, 2007). They move away from blanket acceptance of adult moral judgment to the development of their own personal values; however, t…
Spiritual Development
- Spiritual development is defined as a developmental process for making meaning of one’s life (Lingley, 2013). Acknowledged as a legitimate domain of human development, spiritual development is rarely referenced in education. Understandably, concerns about the separation of church and state and First Amendment rights prompts educators to avoid this aspect of human …
Psychological Development
- During early adolescence, psychological development is characterized by identity formation and the quest for independence. Young adolescents experience two stages of identity formation: (a) industry versus inferiority when 10- to 11-year-olds identify themselves by the tasks and skills they perform well, and (b) identity versus identity when 12- to 15-year-olds explore and experiment wi…
Social-Emotional Development
- Social-emotional development concerns a person’s capacity for mature interactions with individuals and groups. In early adolescence, social-emotional maturity often lags behind physical and intellectual development. Young adolescents have a strong need to belong to a group—with peer approval becoming more important and adult approval decreasing in importance (Scales, 2…
Conclusion
- Young adolescents warrant educational experiences and schools that are organized to address their physical, intellectual, emotional/psychological, moral/ethical, spiritual, and social developmental characteristics. Practitioners, parents, and others who work with young adolescents need to be aware of both subtle and obvious changes in developmental characteris…