Adolescence: Social Construction of Emotional & Physical Development - Research Paper

Introduction

Adolescence is the phase where a child develops emotionally and physically to a young adult. It is largely known as the onset of puberty. Puberty is derived from pubertas, a Latin word which means manhood. Puberty is the period where the reproduction systems of both boys and girls experience maturity. Adolescence starts from children with the age of 11 or 12 years to early teens which are around 20. This is characterized as moment of social construction owing to the many emotional and physical changes that take place. (Papalia, 2004)

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This is a special time for growing children because there are a series of changes which take place. The way the feel, think and even interact with those of a similar age matters to them. There are emotional, physical and social changes that take place during this time.

Teenagers feel a sense of belonging when they are with their friends and age mates. In addition, they feel normal when they compare themselves with their friends. If they find that they are different from their friends; then they feel abnormal and out of place.

Teenagers feel secure when they are close to their friends because they understand each other more. In other words, one's peer group acts as his or her support system (Rowe, 2004). This is where they identify who they are through fashion, the type of music they listen to and even the type of food they eat.

It is possible for parents to conflict with their teenagers at this crucial time. Parents should not compete with the peer group because their teenagers might reject them when things are at worst. They should develop a mode of communication whereby they understand them and leave them to make and evaluate their own judgment irrespective of their age. (Rowe, 2004)

Emotional Changes

• Developing great interest in opposite-sex relationships. Boys develop an interest in having friendships with girls and vice versa.
• Demonstrating independence from their parents (trying to make their own decisions without help)
• Depression due to lack of transparency
• Spending less time from their parents.

Physical changes

Changes in Girls

• Girls commence menstrual cycle during this period. "Periods" as they are popularly referred by women, are a symbol of sexual maturity. Teenagers experience this change with a lot of mixed feelings. Some teenagers feel embarrassed, dirty and shameful when on their menses.
• Enlargement of breasts. The appearance of a breast bud is the first signal of breast development in young girls graduating to puberty. The nipple is surrounded by a fatty tissue which forms a small mound on their chest.
• Growth of hair around the pubic and armpit areas. Not all girls experience this when they become teens, there those who take time to show signs of this.

Changes in Boys

• Increase in the length of the penis and the testicles. The act of releasing sperms is a sign of fertility (Beark, 2003). Its commonly referred to as nocturnal emissions. According to Rowe men release sperms because this is the only way of releasing stored semen. Young adults should therefore not feel embarrassed because its not abnormal. These emissions are followed by wet dreams.
• Breaking of voice.
• Growth of hair around the pubic, chest, legs and armpits areas. it's also another change which exhibit their sexual maturity.

Rhetorical Situation

The main objective of this essay is to explore the causes of anxiety and depression among teens. The trio; low support systems, genetics and school pressure in their own capacities have caused teen depression in different ways.

This essay is directed to both parents and teachers of teens. Parents, because they are the primary support system that teens have. In addition, teachers are special part of the audience because they offer secondary support to the teenagers.

The motive behind this essay is to convince parents to understand their teens broadly because anxiety and depression is on the rise in our world today. Parents and guardians require knowledge on how to react when faced with teens who exhibit signs of depression.

This essay is in written in MLA format, Times New Romans and font size twelve.

Causes of Anxiety and Depression Among the Teens

1. Genetics
2. school pressure
3. Low support system

Depression is a mental problem among the teens which results to loss of interests in a myriad of activities (Sharma and Sanchita, 2019)). It can lead to emotional and physical disturbance. The changes can be behavioral and emotional. Anxiety on the other hand is normal but it becomes abnormal when it's done out of proportion. This is outright when a teen overreacts to a simple situation which was not the case before. (Smith and Melinda, 2007)

The symptoms of depression among the teens include:

Signs of Anxiety and Depression

Emotional Changes

• Low self esteem
• Feeling worthless
• Irritable and irregular moods.
• Suicidal thoughts
• Sensitive to rejection, therefore, keeps pushing for reassurance

Behavioral changes

• Insomnia
• Use of drugs
• A poor performance especially in schools
• Restlessness
• Harming themselves, for example, cutting their fingers and even burning their body parts as part of seeking attention.
• Increased or reduced appetite.
• Poor hygiene

Genetics

This is one cause of anxiety and depression not only among the teens but also among the senior adults. It is widely accepted that genetic factors are significant in the core development process such as myelination and apoptosis. Genetic factors are assumed to have similar influence on emotional and behavioral changes of the teens but this is more relative because it varies depending on the age of the child. It is established that as children grow older, family influence or effect, gradually reduces but genetic factors increase (Bartels, 2002)

It is not abnormal for parents to pass down physical features because they share the same DNA and genes. It is worth mentioning that parents do not only pass physical features to their children but also diseases. Such diseases include cancer and even mental disorders. According to Sarks, most mental disorders among teens are inheritable from their parents. For example, if a parent has some prevalent disorder, the likelihood of the parent passing down the disorder to his kin is very high.

There are teens with close family members who have mental disorders. They are faced with uncertainty daily. Therefore, they develop anxiety which later leads to depression. (Madeline, 2015)

School Pressure

Schools are important for any child who has attained the necessary age. Schools mold students into a whole human being. Further, they play a significant role in shaping the child's character and how they interact with the environment in which they live. Schools enable children to gain multiple skills in daily life issues. It's in this environment that teens get to learn how to interact with their peers.

Due to academic competition in schools, most teens get anxious if they do not perform according to their parent's expectation. They do not want to embarrass their parents. They feel losers if they fail to graduate from a lower grade to another. Some teens are aware of the temperament of their parents. They get anxious about their performance. They, therefore, develop anxiety slowly without their knowledge. (Sharma and Sanchita,2019)

Bullying in schools especially in high schools leads to depression among the victims. Most research show that bullying in schools is correlated with depression. Depressed victims develop suicidal thoughts and plans which eventually make them commit suicide.

According to Dr. Sourander, a university professor in Finland, bullied victims are at a risk of developing depression during adult life if they do not seek treatment at the early stages. The United States of America National Institutes of Health finds that bullies get depressed later in life. Bullies have reasons why they commit the act. When teens feel isolated or bullied by their parents, they find age mates whom they can also bully.

Teenagers face peer pressure, especially during high school. Romantic relationships are prevalent at this stage. To feel loved is an important aspect but at this age, its characterized as infatuation. Some teenagers feel out of place if they are not seen to be in a relationship just like their peers. (Bolte, 2007)

Adolescents are at a greater risk of getting depression in high schools and colleges. There is a social stigma which depressed students face. Due to stigma, teens refuse to seek necessary help either from the administration or their parents. They keep denying which later becomes harmful. For example, there are those who become suicidal if they are not assisted. (Mantel and Barbara, 2014)

According to Dr. William Bor, the primary reason for stress among teens is school. Learning to cope with new environment presents stress and depression to teens.

Low Support Systems

Low support systems in the society today have led to depression and anxiety among teens. A support system is a network of people or institutions which offer services to a person. These services can be physical or emotional. There are various institutions which are supposed to serve as support systems to teens. They are; families, schools, churches and even the government. Due to the absence of these systems, teens do not get the right moral support.

Families form the most basic and primary support system to the teenagers. A family is considered to provide primary support because of its closeness with the individual. Families are the source of emotional support to their teenagers. During this age of discovery, conflict arises between parents and teens because they cannot understand each other. If the family isolates their teen, he can seek solace in friends. We all know that friends are great, but family is important. (Rowe, 2004)

Sometimes since they act as absentee parents, their children get stressed and finally sink into depression. For example, if parents do not attend significant school dates, the teens feel alone and suffer. (Razorbill, 2007)

Broken families lead to depression among teens. Separation and divorce of teen parents can be devastating among teens. Teens become anxious, if for example, their parents are going through divorce or separation. They keep asking themselves if they are the main reason behind the breakup. They feel unwanted by both parents. They fail to understand the new regulations and rules that come with divorce. They find it hard to understand why their united family breaks. Most of the time they are at the center of the family divorce because they do not know whom to choose and who to reject (Berk, 2003)

The act of divorce and the final termination of the family serves as a big blow to teens. Coping with these situations happens differently. There are those teens who will adapt to the situation easily, whereas there are those who might find it hard. Others might result to drugs as solace thus leading to depression and even alcoholism.

The church is another support system which nurtures children right from early childhood to late childhood. The church instills values on young people on how to live. A weak church system can lead to teen depression. Churches that do not create programs which are aligned to the youth of that church, end up stressing them because they will face identity crisis.

Lack of youth programs which are essential in sensitizing the teens cannot be left out when it comes to depression among the youth. Charity work may include visiting children homes and rehabilitation centers. It will bring them together and spend much time doing important things rather than being idle. The Bible says, that an idle mind is the devil's workshop.

The church has also not recognized depression victims in their congregations. Many ch...