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Adolescence Essay

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Adolescence is a time of rapid physical, emotional, and cognitive development. During adolescence, teenagers are exposed to a wealth of new and confusing changes that greatly impact their paths in life. The development that occurs during this time are highly influential and can create lasting effects. Changes that happen during adolescence include: physical changes, cognitive development, and new school environments.
One of the most impactful changes that an adolescent goes through is puberty; puberty refers to a period of time where many physical and emotional changes take place, and it occurs differently in males and females. For males, puberty consists of the following: change in voice, increase in size of genitals, growth of pubic, …show more content…

One such risk is that of sexually transmitted infections, or STI's. Harmful STI's such as HIV, herpes, and gonorrhea are spread at an alarming rate. And STI's occur in teenagers more commonly than one may think; in fact, over 3 million teenagers are infected with STI's each year (Santrock, 2017, 352). Another risk is teenage pregnancy, which can cause many complications for the mother and the baby. For instance, teenage mothers are more likely to have low-weight babies which is a leading cause of death in infants. Furthermore, teenage mothers are typically more prone to depression and dropping out of school (Santrock, 2017, 353).
In addition to the physical changes that occur during adolescence, teenagers also experience a wealth of cognitive growth. There are a couple of theories associated with cognitive development during adolescence.
According to Piaget's theory, adolescence is referred to as the formal operational stage, which is the final stage of his theory. The formal operational stage describes a time in which one is able to form abstract thought, and solve hypothetical situations. It's during this time that teenagers also gain the ability to analyze their own thought processes (Santrock, 2017, pg. 362).
Another theory is that of David Elkind, who emphasizes that presence of adolescent egocentrism; adolescent

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