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| Sources:Internet |
Children must
pass through several stages in their lives to become adults. For most people,
there are four or five such stages of growth where they learn certain things:
infancy (birth to age 2), early childhood (3 to 8 years), later childhood (9 to
12 years) and adolescence (13 to 18 years). Persons 18 and over are considered
adults in our society. Of course, there are some who will try to act older than
their years. But, for the most part, most individuals have to go through these
stages irrespective of their economic or social status.
World Health Organization
(WHO) identifies adolescence as the period in human growth and development that
occurs after childhood and before adulthood. This phase represents one of the
critical transitions in one's life span and is characterized by fast paced
growth and change which are second only to those at infancy. Biological
processes drive many aspects of this growth and development with the onset of
puberty marking the passage from childhood to adolescence. The biological
determinants of adolescence are fairly universal; however, the duration and
defining characteristics of this period may vary across time, cultures, and
socio-economic situations. This period has seen many changes over the past
century- puberty for example, comes earlier than before, people marry late, and
their sexual attitudes and behaviors are different from their grandparents, or
even parents. Among the factors responsible for the change are education,
urbanization and spread of global communication. The time of adolescence is a
period of preparation for adulthood during which one experiences several key
developments. Besides physical and sexual maturation, these experiences include
movement toward social and economic independence, development of identity, the
acquisition of skills needed to carry out adult relationships and roles and the
capacity for abstract reasoning. While adolescence is a time of tremendous
growth and potential, it is also a time of considerable risks during which social
contexts exert powerful influences.
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