Understanding Adolescents

Abstract

Adolescent development is complex; involving the interaction between fundamental biological and cognitive developmental processes, and the unique environment inhabited by the adolescent. This chapter draws on contemporary research from the social and behavioural sciences to outline the key features of the biological and cognitive changes occurring during adolescence, which serve to differentiate adolescents from both children and adults. The contextual factors that influence the developmental trajectory of adolescents will be discussed, with particular emphasis on the role of media and technology, which is becoming an increasingly prominent developmental context and is of particular interest to the readers of this book. The chapter also discusses prominent themes in adolescent development that are product of this interaction between developmental processes and the environment, including identity, sexuality, intimacy, autonomy and achievement. It ends with a discussion of how this knowledge may be utilised by researchers working in the field of Teen-CI to inform their approach to working with adolescents.