Understanding Adolescence from a Biological and a Social Perspective

On average, puberty now occurs earlier than in the past. The end of the developmental period is more socially tied and emotional factors in some instances are considered ambiguous. During puberty, there is a growth spurt. Fertility is achieved, secondary sexual characteristics appear, and psychological changes take place. Cognitive Development in Adolescence Identifying the brain region that continues to mature in adolescents and the cognitive processes that take place during the adolescence is very important in understanding the teenagers. The adolescents during puberty began to develop formal operation thinking; they can engage in scientific thinking and think systematically. They can reason concepts unlike when they were children. This is different for some teenagers but the majority develops enhanced the ability to reason better.

The new cognitive ability gives rise to new feelings that they did not experience before, a feeling of egocentrism (Hogue 631). They believe they know all and they are better than everybody else. The period of adolescence is accompanied by a specific health needs. It’s a time that they are supposed to develop knowledge, manage emotions, relationships and acquire attributes important for their adult years. if these health needs are taken care of they can have a very fruitful adult life. Age is an important aspect in consideration of assessing the biological changes (Rice, Philip, and Kim 631). It's an easy way of determining the adolescents that are in need of advice and close care when they head to the dangerous cycle of impulse, irresponsible behavior s.

Peer pressure is one of the key issues of social focus. Children spend more time with their friends as they grow, so they spend lesser time with their parents. Hence, the end result of such socialization is that the child's thinking and overall behavior are manipulated and influenced by the friends, this brings out the essence of peer pressure. Peer pressure can cause a positive impact on child's thinking and behavior as well as it can negatively influence. For example, it has a positive influence when it motivates a teen or a child to do well in school or involved in sporting activities. Therefore social perspective on adolescent development is basically on the interactions and environments within which the children and teenagers are subjected to or live in.

Looking at social issues influencing growth and development in the adolescent stage is of great importance because it creates a concrete understanding to parents on how to bring up their children from the tender age to adulthood. It also gives parents a chance to communicate to their children, establish good relationships, and be careful on their own character so as not to influence the children. Conclusion Adolescent’s development comprises of emotional, physical and biological changes which would eventually result in behavior change. Strict biological and social focus on understanding adolescents development even though it’s hard to perceive, its significantly crucial because parents are able to ensure that teen's interactions with each other, parents and other adults are restricted to avoid negative influence.