Teenagers Development: Psychosocial, Cognitive and Physical

Since I start this major, I study about psychosocial, cognitive and physical developments in all the stages of human life, specially childs and teenagers. In the following entry, I will explain a little bit about the psychosocial, cognitive and pshysical development in teenagers.

• Psychosocial Development

The psychosocial development of a person refers on how he or she develops itself into the society and try fit it in. According to Erik Erikson (1950-1963) the psychosocial development of a person has eight stages. However, I will focus this part in the stage number five: Ego identity vs, Role confusion,that occurs into the adolescence,

Ego Identity vs. Role Confusion

During the adolescence (12-18 years), the children starts to become more independent, they start to try new things, sports, movies, girls in the case of boys and boys in the case of girls, etc. However, there is another struggle in this period "This is a major stage in development where the child has to learn the roles he will occupy as an adult." It is during this stage that the adolescent re-examine itself trying to find out who exactly he or she is. 

During this period, they explore many possibilities in order to fit into the society. It occurs a failure to stablish a sense of identity (I don't know what I want to be when I grow up). Can lead the role confusion, it means, that they are no sure about their place on the society. 

A strategy that I can be used as teacher in order to help the students with their psychosocial development is “group work”.  When they are working in groups, they share ideas with others, and find people that have the same ideas of them, it makes feel comfortable and gives them a feel of confidence about interact with others.

McLeod, S. A. (2013). Erik Erikson. Retrieved from www.simplypsychology.org/Erik-Erikson.html

• Cognitive Development

The cognitive development refers to the internal changes that happen into the brain of the people. However, in this section what really matters are the internal changes that happen into the brain of adolescents. Piaget (1896-1980), identified four stages of the cognitive development, but we are going to take into account only two of them: Concrete operational stage (elementary and early adolescence) and Formal operational stage (adolescence and adulthood). In both stages, the adolescents develop their logical thinking and used symbols related to abstract concepts.

Develop a logical thinking is crucial in adolescents because they are trying to figure out what is her or his role into the society, it helps to them to think beyond the society (What they need and how to achieve every goal). Discover learning and support the devoloping interest in adolescents are the keys for encourage the students to do their best in all the aspects of their life.

As teachers, a good strategy to develop a critical thinking in adolescents is make little debates into the classroom, nut not using boring topic for them like: history of the country, politics, etc, because we know that the adolescents no are interest in that topics; we need to find a way to make their critical thinking work in order to encourage to give constructive opinions about certain topics of their interest like sport. which brand of mobile devices is better?, etc. 

Huitt, W., & Hummel, J. (2003). Piaget's theory of cognitive development.Educational psychology interactive, 3(2), 1-5.

• Physical Development

Adolescence, is the critical period of life when many internal and external changes take place (Puberty). Despite the internal changes are not obvious for adolescents, the external changes are more notorious not only for them, they are obvious for everybody in their environment, and this is the fact that maybe makes adolescents feel uncomfortable with their own bodies.

"Puberty is the period of several years in which rapid physical growth and psychological changes occur, culminating in sexual maturity." The average of age when this changes take place for females is around 10 to 11 years, while for males is usually around 11 to 12 years. In this stage, the physical changes are obvious, females and males growth up, their bodies experiments some changes.

Nowadays, thanks to school, children are more concious about some of the changes that occurs in their bodies. However, some of them, are afraid about that changes, and they do not want to speak about it, neither with their parents, is here when schools and teacher take place in order to explain what happen with this changes and make the students feel less afraid about it.

Boundless. “Physical Development in Adolescence.” Boundless Psychology. Boundless, 26 May. 2016. Retrieved 17 Aug. 2016 from https://www.boundless.com/psychology/textbooks/boundless-psychology-textbook/human-development-14/adolescence-73/physical-development-in-adolescence-282-12817/

• Conclusion

To conclude, adolescence is a critical stage in adolescents' life where so many changes take place,not only physical, there are cognitive stages that has to deal with the maduration of the brain, and also adolescents need to explore the possibilities that they have to find their role into the society.

Whereas the adolescents, has their own fight against those changes, we as teachers deel to it too. As future teachers, our deal is to help them with their struggles and try to make them feel comfortable into the classes. We need to find the way to integrate them in all of the activities by making group works and prepare participations about topics that are related with the adolescence in order to clarify the doubts that they may have aboput it. Moreover, we need to be open about this topics because we do not know when a student will ask us for an advice about the struggles of this critical stage.