With puberty, adolescents begin profound changes in their development. Beside the physical changes, there are major changes in a teen’s intellect and thinking processes.
Adolescence is the period when the concrete thinking child develops into the abstract thinking adult.
The noted Swiss psychologist Piaget felt that each individual passes through four stages of cognitive development. Stage 3, or concrete thinking, according to Piaget occurs in the seven- to twelve-year-old individuals; at approximately twelve years, stage 4 of cognitive development termed formal operational thinking begins to develop. Piaget felt that adolescents around age twelve could develop abstract thinking, and this ability developed faster in some teens especially those who were more intelligent. Most adolescents, Piaget felt, could achieve complete abstract thinking by age sixteen years, but even some adults have not developed completely the ability for abstraction.
The following are some of the characteristics of formal operational thinking:
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Ability to develop abstractions
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Ability to develop hypotheses
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Ability to analyze and understand a problem in a systematic way
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Ability to understand all possibilities from a certain situation
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Ability to develop conceptual thinking
There are many practical aspects for the younger adolescent who has not developed operational thinking. For example, it may be more difficult for a clinician to obtain an appropriate history from a teen who thinks in concrete terms. He or she may answer questions in a “yes” or “no” manner. Or the teen may not understand that unprotected intercourse may not only lead to pregnancy, but also to life long problems with sexually transmitted disease. And no one would expect a concrete thinking teen to understand the implications of an informed consent for surgery. Most young teens accused of a crime will be tried in juvenile rather than adult court.
Toward the end of middle adolescence, that is age sixteen to seventeen years, many clinicians feel that teens have achieved mature minor status. That is, they are able to understand the implications of diagnostic medical tests, illnesses and medical treatments. Many specialists in adolescent medicine will conduct virtually the entire history and physical examination without the parent in the room once the teen is judged to have achieved the mature minor status.
With the profound changes in thinking during the first four years of adolescent development, there are also changes in how the adolescent thinks and sees him or herself in relation to others including his or her parents, peers and society. During the early stage of adolescence between age twelve and fifteen years, teens seek independence from parents and privacy. Teens try to separate from their families and maintain they can “do it themselves” or they may refuse to go with their parents to a relative’s home. Their room is their sanctuary as they try to understand and explore their developing bodies. The computer and telephone become ever more important in communicating with peers; all items including email messages, mail, diaries and conversations are classified as highly secret.
As thinking becomes more operational in middle adolescence, the influence of the peer group becomes more important. The peer group undoubtedly has more influence on teen’s behavior, dress, language and outlook than do his or her parents. During this period from age fifteen to eighteen years, association with the peer group may acquire risky behaviors including substance abuse. Although one tends to stereotype peer groups as having negative influences on its members, in fact, some are very positive and help adolescents acquire the skills and understanding to be competent and successful adults. The peer group allows the individual members to test out behaviors, styles, dress and talk in a comfortable setting, a setting that is perceived to be more accepting than the one at home.
As abstract thinking develops during middle adolescence, the teen with these newly acquired thought processes intellectually challenge his or her parents. Long felt parental and societal beliefs about religion, politics, work, dress, ethics and family are likely to be disputed by the teen. It is through this intellectual confrontation that the adolescent can begin to develop his or her opinion and place in society.
By the time most adolescents enter college or the workforce after graduation from high school, they should have achieved full operational thinking. At the same time, the adolescent has an increasing sense of how he or she wants to act as an adult. Future orientation is in place, and the need for feedback from the peer group is much less important.
Adolescence usually ends with graduation from college. During the four years of higher education, the adolescent sets his or her goals, does develop a real sense of independence, and understands his or her sexuality and he or she emerges at graduation as a responsible adult member of society.
During early adolescence, teens “think” their parents know little. During middle adolescence, adolescents “know” their parents know nothing. But at the end of late adolescence, adolescents are amazed how brilliant their parents have become. Remember Mark Twain commenting about leaving home at seventeen years of age and returning when he was twenty-one. He was very happy to see how much his parents had learned during his four-year absence.
Recent studies have shown that the brain does continue to evolve in function and perhaps form into the mid twenties. There appears to be some evidence that judgment continues to develop especially in males well into the middle of the third decade. More studies are currently in progress.
Related topics:
Future orientation, growth and development, peer pressure, privacy, puberty, sexuality
