Psychology of Adolescence and Adulthood: Analytical Essay

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Adolescence is a powerfully advancing hypothetical build educated through physiologic, psychosocial, worldly, and social focal points. This basic formative period is expectedly comprehended as the years between the beginning of pubescence and the foundation of social freedom (Steinberg, 2014). The most generally utilized chronologic meaning of youthfulness incorporates the ages of 10-18, yet may consolidate a range of 9 to 26 years depending on the source (APA, 2002).

The period of human development in which full physical growth and maturity have been achieved and certain biological, cognitive, social, personality, and other changes associated with the aging process occur. Beginning after adolescence, adulthood is sometimes divided into young adulthood (roughly 20 to 35 years of age); middle adulthood (about 36 to 64 years); and later adulthood (age 65 and beyond). The last is sometimes subdivided into young-old (65 to 74), old-old (75 to 84), and oldest-old (85 and beyond). The oldest old group is the fastest-growing segment of the population in many developed countries. [ APA dictionary of psychology]

In adolescence, physical changes are significant and can be traced easily. Adolescence is the transition state in which the child is being transformed into an adult. We know that the transition has always been painful because in the transition phase many things we have to lose; the identity is being formed on the basis of experiences that are faced. in adolescence, there are physical changes as well as hormonal changes and in this stage, there is a stage known as puberty. The puberty stage has different thresholds regarding gender differences. Puberty in girls starts at 9 years and for boys, it starts at 11 years. Whereas in early adulthood there is detectable slowness in physical performance. Early adulthood starts from age 20, here the transition slows down and the fully developed person now starts growing physically, psychologically, and socially. Here in this stage, the newly growing adult seeks for potential life partner as per biological need. There are some problems related to this early stage like obesity when there is an unhealthy attitude towards diet and food. The expanding predominance of obesity and its related issues is a forthcoming test, getting more predominant in both created and agricultural nations worldwide and especially influencing the young adult age group. Around 10% of the young between the ages 5-17 a long time were accounted for to be overweight worldwide by the Global Obesity Task Force in the year 2000.5,6 It is expected that the extent of stoutness in young youngsters will practically twofold by 2010.

On the other hand, in later adulthood, the skin continues to lose elasticity, reaction time slows down, muscle strength and mobility deteriorate, hearing and vision decline and the immune system weakens.

In adolescence there occurs a stage when the child grows psychologically and socially and wants to have hisher own identity. The instinct that is found naturally in all human beings is to be known, to be respected, and to be obeyed. This instinct blasts out in adolescence because of transition, the child is developing a higher personality on the basis of knowledge that is gathered from experiences and reading, and discussion. If the boy-girl remains confused in this stage that what heshe is or what heshe should be then starts isolation. Because they don`t fit in the environment in which they live so they isolate themselves and avoid public meetings. For example, one of my class fellows doesn`t go to his home as he says he cannot fit in the environment of his home as well as in university. So he remains isolated. There can also be stated that when a person develops a personality, he knows himself very well. He knows what he is, but the personality that he has developed does not suit his environment. For example, in the very conservative environment of Baluchistan, if a person develops into an agnostic atheist or liberal nihilist, he will assume he is different from his environment. This indifference will lead him to isolate himself. Whereas in early adulthood occupational adjustments are a priority. In this stage carrier selection is the priority because the next whole life depends on this choice. The job nature decides what the personality and identity of the person would be as most of the time is spent in the job environment. The job also decides what health will be of that person, who will be friends and most importantly what will be the financial standing of the person. In Erik Erikson`s theory Ego integrity vs. Despair is the final stage of life. This involves coming to terms with one`s life. If there is a sense of integrity, people feel whole, complete, and satisfied with their life choices and achievements. Despair on the other hand occurs when seniors feel they have made wrong decisions but life is too short to remedy any life direction. They display bitterness, defeat, and anxiety about death, hopelessness. Their contempt for themselves is displayed as anger toward others. This further alienates them from the very relationships they need to put right in order to find peace.

In adolescence there occurs cognitive development and these cognitive developments are significant. Adolescents develop hypotheses and have the cognitive capability of solving problems in unexpected ways. Adolescents develop hypothetical deductive reasoning and try to implicate those hypothetical results. The formal operational considering trademark youth empowers adolescents to consider thinking or meta-cognition. This trademark permits youth to foster the ability to consider what they are feeling and how others see them. This perspective, joined with fast enthusiastic, and actual changes during adolescence, makes most youths feel that everybody is thinking about their thought process as well as about the actual young (imaginary audience).

While in early adulthood familial adjustments are being considered. In this stage, the adults are attracted to the opposite gender who are similar to them. At this stage, the adults work on matching hypotheses. This hypothesis states that adults prefer more attractive people in the abstract and end up choosing a partner equal to their level. They may fall in love, the love could be one of the three i.e. a) Romantic love, b) Affectionate love, c) Consummate love. During early adulthood, insight starts to settle, arriving at the top around the age of 35. Early adulthood is a period of relativistic deduction, wherein youngsters start to get mindful of more than shortsighted perspectives on right versus wrong. They start to take a gander at thoughts and ideas from numerous points and comprehend that an inquiry can have more than one right (or wrong) answer. The requirement for specialization brings about the commonsense reasoning-utilizing rationale to tackle certifiable issues while tolerating logical inconsistency, flaws, and different issues. At long last, youthful grown-ups foster a kind of aptitude in one or the other schooling or profession, which further upgrades critical thinking abilities and the limit with respect to innovativeness. In late adulthood, there are drastic physical as well as cognitive changes that are problematic. The respiratory and circulatory systems are less efficient, and changes in the gastrointestinal tract may lead to increased constipation. Bone mass diminishes, especially among women, leading to bone density disorders such as osteoporosis. In this late adulthood, their cognitive problems arise drastically. intellectual changes in late adulthood don’t generally bring about a decrease in capacity. While fluid intelligence (the capacity to see and utilize examples and connections to tackle issues) decreases in later years, solidified insight (the capacity to utilize gathered data to take care of issues and decide) has appeared to rise marginally over the whole life expectancy. K. Warner Schaie and Sherry Willis detailed that a decrease in psychological execution could be turned around in 40% to 60% of older individuals who were given medicinal preparation.

Dementias are typically liable for psychological deformities seen in more seasoned individuals. These problems, in any case, happen just in about 15% of individuals more than 65. The main source of dementia in the United States is Alzheimer’s illness, a reformist, in the long run, deadly sickness that starts with disarray and memory passes and finishes with the deficiency of capacity to really focus on oneself.

When there is parent-adolescent conflict there are negative changes that affect the adolescents badly. The adolescents develop juvenile delinquency as a result of this conflict. There are other factors i.e. peer groups and friends that force these vulnerable adolescents toward illegal conduct. Water pipe smoking, commonly known as Shisha, (pipe smoking) is another emerging problem for adolescents. Consumption of cigarette smoking, alcohol, and drug abuse is also increasing among young boys and girls throughout the world. It is perceived as a status symbol and considered fashionable by the school and college students. Initially, youngsters indulge in these activities to achieve excitement and ecstasy. The youth of today is far more exposed and vulnerable to health-related problems with far-reaching adverse consequences for present as well as their future life.

In late adulthood, the lethal process starts that cannot be stopped and that is aging. This process deteriorates memory and other brain functions. The maturing cycle(aging) by and large outcomes in changes and lower working in the mind, prompting issues like cognitive decline and diminished scholarly capacity. Age is a significant danger factor for most normal neurodegenerative sicknesses, including gentle intellectual impedance, Alzheimer’s infection, cerebrovascular illness, Parkinson’s illness, and Lou Gehrig’s illness.

References

  1. Renata Arrington Sanders Adolescent Psychosocial, Social, and Cognitive Development Pediatrics in Review August 2013, 34 (8) 354-359; DOI: https:doi.org10.1542pir.34-8-354
  2. Qidwai, W., Ashfaq, T. (2010). Emerging issues in adolescent healthcare: an urgent call for action. Journal of the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan, 20(3), 143-145. Available at: http: commons. aku.edupakistan_fhs_mc_fam_med58 [1]

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