Adolescence

Kathryn G. Herr

Adolescence, in industrialized countries, is viewed as the transition stage between childhood and emerging adulthood. In the United States, because of physical and social shifts, adolescence can currently be said to span ages 10 or 11 to 18. But the actual life stage of adolescence is socially and historically variable, dependent on the coming to adulthood within the context of current economic circumstances, social norms, and policies. In the United States, G. Stanley Hall established adolescence as an area of study, publishing the first textbooks on adolescence in the early 1900s. At that time, he defined the age range of adolescence as beginning at age 14 and continuing into young adulthood, capped at age 24. His influential theory of adolescence as a time of “storm and stress” is still widely touted. According to Hall, this stage ...

Users without subscription are not able to see the full content on this title. Please, subscribe or login to access all content on this website.