Integrating the field of developmental psychology

This stage also involves facing storms and anxiety as a result of the multiple cognitive, social, emotional, and physical changes that occur. During this period a person finds his/her identity, and this involves having a clear picture of who one is and the goals one wants to achieve. Also at this stage, a person desires to support and encouragement from mentors and peers. The way an individual goes through this stage determines whether they foster a sense of identity or they suffer from identity confusion (Rathus, 2013). This paper will discuss physical, social, emotional as well as cognitive changes associated with adolescence development stage and it will also discuss developmental changes and effects of the related changes as well as integrate developmental and environmental factors in assessing developmental needs.

Also, boys will start experiencing erections, and they will start ejaculating when sleeping. These developments will stop around the age of eighteen to twenty years, but this age depends on the hormones of an individual. Also, other organs will enlarge and get stronger such as lungs, heart and also the brain which will cause changes in behavior and emotions. Cognitive changes in adolescence. In the adolescence development stage, a lot of changes occur in the brain in different periods of adolescence. In late adolescence, stage individuals shift from thinking personal and self-centered concerns and their thinking now graduates to global matters such as politics, history, and justice. They also concentrate on their professional choices and their duties as adults in society.

At this developmental stage, an individual can solve problems through the use of deductive reasoning and abstract concepts. Also during this stage, their brain undergoes through structural and connectivity alterations. The mental growth in this stage is very critical as the ideas, thoughts, and concepts generated at this stage have a great influence on an individual’s future. Individuals in this stage are very sensitive to emotions, and they are high chances that they misread body language and facial expression (Boyd, 2015). This is because they are developing the reading and processing ability of people’s feelings as well as reactions which is not an easy thing. Individuals in this stage are more self-conscious about their physical changes. This affects their self-esteem depending on how their fellow teenagers and friends look at them regarding their appearance.

They also possess an attitude where they think that they are invisible and they worry less about the consequences of their action and they have a notion that nothing bad can happen to them. This is because their brain is developing and there is an urge to seek out new experiences and adventures. The concept of right and wrong emerge, and this shapes their morals and values, and they question things more, and this stage is very critical because it determines the kind of behavior one develops even in the future. An individual’s behavior is highly influenced by friends. Also, individuals in this stage begin to discover their sexual identity, and they start having romantic relationships. The way young people in this stage also communicate changes because they start using cell phones, the internet, and social media to interact with different people.

Developmental and Environmental Factors In the adolescence stage of development, several environmental and development factors determine the developmental needs of an individual. Adolescents develop socially, emotionally and cognitively depending on the environmental factors they are exposed to and the culture that one grows can either have negative or positive impacts on an individual’s cognitive development. The belief systems in society influence the cognition of an individual on lifestyle, politics, sexuality, and spirituality. Also, the attitudes that a certain culture embrace affect how an adolescent will develop their perceptions, lifestyle, and beliefs (Leaper, 2015). In some communities, people discriminated people who depict unnatural sexuality like being gay or lesbian and this may affect the development of queer adolescents. In adolescence development stage research it is important for one to avoid fabricating or falsifying data.