Adolescence
The period of Adolescence is most clearly defined by Jean Piaget and his definition, the formal-Operations stage. One of Piaget's four stages of Cognitive Development, it involves characteristics of advanced reasoning, creativity, grasping of external concepts and thinking more extensively. Criticisms of this theory, are it's lack of flexibility in a child's ability to attain Formal-Operations stage, and that children can attain these characteristics earlier or later than Piaget's pre-determined age bracket. It is the expressing of these new found abilities in adolescence that puts children in conflict with parents. Argumentative behaviour, Self-Centredness and Hypocrisy are just some of the flaws within this group of characteristics that can lead to potential conflict. Children develop differently, and many factors are associated with this development, and as long as that is understood, adolescence may not prove so turbulent for both children and parents.Adolescence is a period within the lifespan, that is turbulent for some and inanimate for others. Considering the approach of Jean Piaget, the period of adolescence can range between the ages of ten or eleven spanning up to the later teen years of seventeen or
As already mentioned, the Formal-Operations stage of Cognitive Development, allows the child to reason with others logically, creatively and in abstract formats. This ability gives the child the chance to improve knowledge and understanding of problems and situations by asking more direct rather than general questions ( eg: The game "20 Questions" a funnelling of questions asked, Walker et al, 1994 p410) and solving problems at a more advanced level, such as mathematic narratives. The inconsistency here is that not everything an adolescent decides to do is right, and their attempt to logically justify it, proves a clear level of self centredness with no consideration for others. (Durkin, 1995, p128) Thus creating conflict with parents and unknowingly promoting the adolescent stereotype of rebellion. Other potential flaws of note include; Indecisiveness, Hypocrisy, finding fault with authority figures and drawing self-serving conclusions while maintaining the illusion of rationality. (Durkin, 1995, p21) These characteristics also contribute to the conflict parents endure from adolescents in the Formal-Operations stage of development. Similarly to reasoning, children attain widening abilities to think intuitively, abstractly and hypothetically. Some of the characteristics of this are: The ability to delve into probabilities and improbabilities and imagining other worlds. This is where a great deal of achievement and creativity can come from, which expands the cognitive boundaries and limitations of developing children. (Jaffe, 1998, p125)
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1399
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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