Development refers to the process of moving to an advanced state from a latent state. The process of human development refers to the pattern of change that begins with conception and stretches throughout the lifespan of an individual. Human development is in stages. The first stage that occurs immediately after birth is infancy, which is followed by childhood. The child matures into adolescence, then young adulthood and afterward the individual gets through different stages of adulthood before being an elderly person. There are different factors that influence development. Both genetics and environmental factors are responsible for the different development outcomes that are witnessed in human beings. Development elements such as phenotype, genetic disorders, and hormones are dictated by genes whereas environmental aspects such as prenatal environment, postnatal environment, family relation, culture, and society influence the overall development outcome. Development is witnessed socially, cognitively and physically. This paper explores development during adolescence in the social, cognitive and physical aspect.
Adolescence refers to the period that separates childhood from adulthood. Normally, it is viewed as a period of transition between childhood and adulthood. Adolescence is characterized by significant physical, social, emotional and cognitive changes. Often, developmentalists and parents report that high-stress levels are witnessed at this stage because the individual is dealing with urges to become an adult before he or she actually becomes one. However, adolescence can be looked at as a stage of growth whereby the individual has a chance to experience a significant change in the body and mind and also become a better person.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Physical Development
Physical development at puberty is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Physical growth in terms of weight and height is determined by both hereditary factors and environmental factors. The genes for height and weight are inherited from the parental organism. During puberty, both boys and girls record a growth spurt characterized by a rapid increased in body weight and in how tall they are. Environment comes into play in terms of nutrition. Proper nutrition results in the proper development of a child. When a child is malnourished or over-nourished, their growth may be affected by low weight or obesity. A child may have inherited the genes responsible for tallness but if the nutritional conditions surrounding the child are not favorable, these genes may not manifest physically. Knowledge of nutrition is dependent on the education and income of the family that the child belongs to. Therefore, factors such as income and education play a role in the physical development of a child. Adolescents from well to do families may be exposed to junk food and high-fat foods thereby leading to obesity which impairs the physical development of the individual. On the other hand, adolescents from low-income families may not have access to proper nutrition hence may end up having low weight or being under-developed because the body cannot access proper nutrients for growth.
The pituitary gland in the body starts releasing hormones that trigger the growth of physical characteristics that reflect sexual maturity. The release of hormones is majorly dependent on the genetic make-up of an individual even though physical characteristics such as exercise have a critical role to play. Physical development in girls is evidenced by the development of breasts, widening of hips and growth of pubic hair while physical development in boys is evidenced by the growth of pubic hair, increase in height, enlargement of the Adam's apple and descending of the testes and scrotum. Factors within the environment such as high physical activity and low-fat diets may make a girl experience late development of secondary sexual characteristics. Girls who have high-fat nutrition and lead a sedentary lifestyle are more likely to experience physical growth in puberty earlier.
Cognitive Development
Cognitive development among adolescents is not uniform and varies from one adolescent to another. During this phase of development, the individual begins to have an understanding of the complex functioning of the world and can think methodically when presented with a problem. Abstract thinking is developed as well as the use of logic. According to Jean Piaget, cognitive development at this stage is referred to as the formal operations stage. Under this stage, decision making among adolescents gets more complex because their decisions are influenced not only by their primary desires and needs but also by their understanding of the world. The individual begins to imagine possibilities that are not limited to their reality as well as to see things relatively rather than absolutely.
Cognitive development in terms of intellectual abilities are defined largely by hereditary factors but are also influenced by the environment. Studies report that during adolescence, there is significant growth in multiple regions of the prefrontal cortex which increases the efficiency with which information is processed (Choudhury, Blakemore & Charman, 2006). Hereditary factors are complemented by positive learning environment hence the output is healthy cognitive development. In the event that an adolescent was born with high academic intelligence, he or she needs proper schooling and a supportive environment so that the intelligence can be made manifest. However, if the environment is not supportive, such as if the individual is being tortured or denied access to education, it shall be difficult to realize their intelligence. When adolescents are allowed to interact with other persons with whom they can constructively share ideas with, their cognitive development is encouraged.
Social, Moral and Personality Development
Robert Havighurst is a popular psychologist whose theory on social and moral development during adolescence is based on B.F.Skinner theory of social learning. According to Harvighurst, there is a teachable moment for all developmental tasks. When the developmental task is achieved, there is progress and happiness. Failure to achieve the task leads to social disapproval and a lack of adjustment. Personality and social development rely on the successful accomplishment of development tasks. These tasks include; development of intellectual skills, selecting a career or academic path, new relations with peers of both sexes and building values that are in harmony with societal recommendations. All these tasks are taught by the various socialization agents such as family, school, religion, and media hence social learning. Through punishment and reinforcement, the elements learned become part of the social and moral concept of an individual and they form part of personality as well. Therefore, environmental factors determine the social, moral and personality development of an individual.
Erik Erickson identifies adolescence as the stage whereby the individual undergoes an identity crisis in an attempt to curate an identity for themselves. In the theory of identity development, Erickson notes that there is ego-identity and role confusion during adolescence (Erikson, 1968). Whereas cultures create what an individual’s identity should be, the adolescent forms a sense of identity from their sex roles, occupation, politics and religion. The individual analyzes their present, future and past experiences to form an identity. Social and moral development is heavily reliant on social interaction which is an environmental factor. During adolescence, peer pressure has an immense impact on the moral concept and personality of an individual. Most of the individual’s actions are geared towards seeking the approval of peers. Identity is formed around the actions that receive a positive feedback from peers.
In summary, both hereditary and environmental factors come into play in human development. Adolescence is a crucial stage whereby a child transitions into young adulthood. The stage is accompanied by significant changes physically, cognitively and socially. Whereas social and moral development is heavily influenced by environmental factors, physical and cognitive development rely on the interplay between heredity and the environment.
References
Choudhury, S., Blakemore, S., & Charman, T. (2006). Social cognitive development during adolescence. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience 1(3): 165-174. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2555426/
Erickson, E. (1968). Identity: Youth and Crisis . New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Norton Company Inc.
