Adolescence

Adolescence
Ans. Around the age of 12, starts a period when special hormones are secreted in the body and transition from childhood to adulthood takes place. This is known as adolescence, a period of very rapid physical growth, accompanied by a gradual development of reproductive organs and secondary sexual characteristics such as beard for men and breasts for women. The age limits of adolescence roughly extend from around 12 to about 18 years when physical growth in nearly complete. During adolescence, not only is physical growth rapid, but its sex- related character changes the social position of the individual. Cognitive development and knowledge base also reaches a point when a person is able to formulate his or her ideas, fairly clearly, about various questions in life. People are able to develop a world outlook or an ideology of their own, and hence personality. At the end, they are no more boys or girls, but they are men and women, generally able to stand on their own. The five or six years of adolescence stage are very crucial for everyone, and since they generally correspond to classes 7th or 8th to 12th or first year of college, they are important for teachers to keep in mind while dealing with their students. The transition can be clumsy and confusing, too aggressive or too timid for the young person, but it is also a wonderful experience to grow out of childhood and face the world as a confident member ready to change it.