Developmental Characteristics During Adolescence

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Physical

• Physical changes (e.g., growth spurt and skeletal and structural changes) are rapid and visually apparent
• Considerable diversity in physical developmental rates occur due to genetics, environmental factors, and health issues
• Distinct gender differences are evident in size, strength, and age of growth spurt (e.g., girls around age 12 and boys around age 14)
• Health risks increase due to behavioral issues such as eating disorders, sexual experimentation, and drug use

Psychosocial

• Friendships form and social interactions increase, which have the potential for boosting self-esteem and reducing anxiety
• Distinct gender differences occur in socialization patterns (e.g., females tend to have smaller numbers of close friends and males tend to have larger "social networks")
• Allegiance and affiliation shifts from parents and teachers to friends and peers
• Social tasks and situations are handled without adult supervision and advice
• Self-esteem changes due to adolescents' home and school lives
• Preoccupations with the self lead to critical self-examination and, subsequently to the formation of self-perceptions
• Argumentative and aggressive behaviors become evident and often disturb parents and teachers

Cognitive

• Higher levels of cognitive functioning (e.g., reasoning and higher-level thought processes) develop
• Moral and ethical choices are now possible and often guide behavior
• Developmental diversity leads to varying abilities to think and reason
• Cognitive ability is often affected by overall socialization
• Perspectives about past, present, and future develop that allow enhanced perspectives of time
• Language and overall verbalization skills increase, allowing improved communication in both school and home situations