General Adolescent Development

Abstract

It was in 1904 when G. Stanley Hall, American psychologist and educator, labeled adolescence as a developmental period of “storm and stress.” Although adolescence may appear to be a stormy time, it’s also a period of great potential as young people engage more deeply with the world, culture, and people around them. Adolescents typically grow physically, begin to think more critically, try new opportunities, develop more varied and complex relationships, and experience identity formation, emotional variability, social influences, and risk-taking. In short, adolescence is a more than a significant period in terms of growth and development; it is a transition from childhood into adulthood.