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SubjectFree lesson

ADOLESCENCE

ClassNotes Team 6 MIN READUPDATED 5 JUL 2026

HOME ECONOMICS JSS1 FIRST TERM

WEEK 5

THEME: FAMILY LIVING AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT/CLOTHING AND TEXTILE FOOD AND FOODS AND NUTRITION.

ADOLESCENCE

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES

Students should be able to:

Explain the meaning of Adolescence

CONTENT

Adolescence is the period of transition between childhood and adulthood. It includes some big changes—to the body, and to the way a young person relates to the world. People in this phase are called Adolescent.

The many physical, sexual, cognitive, social, and emotional changes that happen during this time can bring anticipation and anxiety for both children and their families. Understanding what to expect at different stages can promote healthy development throughout adolescence and into early adulthood. 

 Children who are entering adolescence are going through many changes (physical, intellectual, personality and social developmental). Adolescence begins at puberty, which now occurs earlier, on average, than in the past. The end of adolescence is tied to social and emotional factors and can be somewhat ambiguous.

What are the physical changes of adolescence?

There are three main physical changes that come with adolescence:

  1. The growth spurt (an early sign of maturation);
  2. Primary sex characteristics (changes in the organs directly related to reproduction);
  3. Secondary sex characteristics (bodily signs of sexual maturity that do not directly involve reproductive organs)

What are the intellectual changes of adolescence?

Adolescent thinking is on a higher level than that of children. Children are only able to think logically about the concrete, the here and now. Adolescents move beyond these limits and can think in terms of what might be true, rather than just what they see is true. They are able to deal with abstractions, test hypotheses and see infinite possibilities. Yet adolescents still often display egocentric behaviours and attitudes

What are the social and emotional changes of adolescence?

Adolescents are also developing socially and emotionally during this time. The most important task of adolescence is the search for identity. (This is often a lifelong voyage, launched in adolescence.) Along with the search for identity comes the struggle for independence.

 CHALLENGES OF AN ADOLESCENTS

  1. Biological Challenges

Adolescence begins with the first well-defined maturation event called puberty. Included in the biological challenges are the changes that occur due to the release of the sexual hormones that affect emotions. Mood changes can increase, which can impact on relationships both at home with parents and siblings and socially or at school.

  1. Cognitive Challenges

It is believed that adolescence is the time when young people develop cognitively from “concrete operations” to “formal operations”. So they are able to deal with ideas, concepts and abstract theories. However, it takes time for confidence to build with using these newly acquired skills, and they may make mistakes in judgement. Learning through success and failure is part of the challenge of the learning process for the adolescent.

Adolescents are egocentric, they can become self-conscious; thinking they are being watched by others, and at other times want to behave as if they were on a centre stage and perform for a non-existent audience. For example, acting as a music idol, singing their favourites songs in their room, with all the accompanying dance steps. Adolescents live in their private world where they may think they are invincible and cannot be hurt. However, this could also be because at their age, they have not had to deal with many deaths and the mortality of the human spirit is not a reality yet. This is all a part of the complex process of becoming a separate and unique individual.

Unfortunately, these beliefs can lead them to believe that no-one is capable of understanding them, or know how they are feeling. This aspect could have important implications for counsellors. The psychological challenges that the adolescent must cope with are moving from childhood to adulthood. A new person is emerging, where rules will change, maybe more responsibilities will be placed on him/her so that a certain standard of behaviour is now required to be maintained. Accountability is becoming an expectation from both a parental and legal concept.

During adolescence, the process of individuation occurs, which involves the development of relative independence from family relationships, with the weakening ties to objects and people who were previously important to the young person, coupled by increased capacity and societal expectation to assume a functional role as a member of adult society.

As adolescents continue their journey of self-discovery, they continually have to adjust to new experiences as well as the other changes happening to them biologically and socially. This can be both stressful and anxiety-provoking. It, therefore, is not surprising that adolescents can have a decreased tolerance for change; hence it becomes increasingly more difficult for them to modulate their behaviours which are sometimes displayed by inappropriate mood swings and angry outbursts.

NEEDS OF AN ADOLESCENT

An individual’s needs and problems influence his development to a great extent. Adolescence is a crucial period in the life of an individual with its characteristic needs and problems of adjustment.   Every adolescent has certain needs, the satisfaction of which is essential to his continued physical and other aspects.  

1.Intellectual needs

There are rapid changes in adolescence’s mind as well as their bodies. It is a time when they learn to think in different ways.
Sometimes the new ability to think for themselves may lead to arguments between them and their parents, and may also lead to them disagreeing with others. Adolescence can solve problems in the same 

2.Emotional needs

The hormone changes that are responsible for targeting puberty also have an effect on emotions, they can have mood swings, be excited one minute and depressed the next. They may show strong feelings and emotions at certain times; this is because the hormone in their body causes moods to change. They may also be more sensitive on certain matters and may get very defensive and aggressive towards the person that is making the remark. They will be more self-conscience of their body because of the physical changes that are happening, this is because their self-esteem is affected by puberty also.

3.Social needs

Independence from parents, early adolescence teenagers like to do things together in groups. Adolescence begins to look for a partner as the start to reach sexual maturity and they may start to experience sexual relationships. Adolescences think more about what is ‘right and wrong’ they learn that they are responsible for their own actions and that there are consequences for the actions that are bad, they begin to question things that are going to affect them. Adolescence will also be affected by friends this is when peer pressure affects teenagers, their friends may think it's ok to pressure them into drinking.