Adolescence is that time where a young adult enters the puberty stage and spur growth. In this phase, these individuals may grow into a few inches after a few months following a slower increase like the increase in height (Jones, 2013). Adolescence comes with several changes. The significant variation that takes place in their bodies may make the teenagers develop signs of maturity at a later date (Hindley, 2013). In this essay, we will elaborate a case study where a young boy develops several changes during the adolescent stage.
Case Study
G a fourteen-year-old boy has four other brothers that are very intelligent than him. He also comes from a family of a successful father who is a businessman. All the other siblings have high achievements, but he is not a performer. One reason why G is at this stage is that he is in the adolescent stage
The developmental Milestone
In this stage, most boys undergo through social, emotional, mental and physical changes. During puberty, the hormones usually change, and boys begin growing public and facial hair as their voice also deepens (Jones, 2013). This is also the time where young boys undergo through peer pressure to use drugs, alcohol and tobacco products. They also have choices of the type of friends to have in their lives schools, studying and sports. They are even independent with their interest, and personality but still see their parent as important people (Jones, 2013). G was a likable and gregarious boy that enabled him to make friends easily also due to his kindness and generosity. While his characters also portrayed witted and funny behaviors, he was a young man that never knew how to control his temper. The emotional changes of the adolescent usually vary from child to child, but most of them are generally concerned about the looks, clothes, and image (Turner, 2014).
They also focus on themselves going back and forth which makes them to either lack confidence or have high expectations. Some of them might experiences moodiness or be interested in what their peers have to offer (Bond, 2017). In most circumstances, this age groups usually give less affection towards the parents and end up becoming short-tempered or rude (Turner, 2014). This often happens when they are exposed to any stress either from school work or home chores. In such cases, they end up being depressed or sad to the point that their grades may be affected. G is also in the same stage because of his temper. Most of the time such age groups usually feel they are right and if they get to be corrected, they get angry. The performance of G based on the information given shows that his grades are abysmal as compared to his brothers and sisters. For instance, when G reads anything aloud, he is good, but his work is inferior.
The adolescence group usually need to be motivated because of the hormonal changes they go through. When this is done, they’re traditionally encouraged, and they feel supported (Fras, 2015). But with G’s case, no one is there to take care of him because none of them has time for him. For instance, the father is a single father that takes care of five boys, so he does not have time. All the four brothers all grown up. The eldest is an officer in the RAAF, the second eldest is pursuing a degree, and the third one is younger than G but an outstanding performer. The situation around G makes him not to be motivated, and the only person who could have helped him was his mother who dies while he was eight years old.
Areas of Concern during the Development of the Adolescence
As the adolescent grow, they usually want to be independent (Ebberwein, 2010). From the ages of thirteen years, this age group rely mostly on their friends and confide more with them especially when they are spending time together (Harter, 2011). Peer pressure in this case also becomes an issue because most teen usually wants to have the experience of self-belonging. In this stage, they even switch their peer groups if their interest shifts. At this stage, they also develop a rebellious behavior that varies from a person and the phrases they encounter (Craith, 2012). They sometimes shock their parents with the kind clothes they will wear and the style of hair they will put (Harter, 2011). In the case of G, he only portrays the characters of getting angry. In most circumstances, he is also unable to control his temper. To understand the reason why teenagers cause tantrums, it is always good to recognize the aspect of their age groups such as entitlement and self-centeredness.
Teens also have desires that are strong enough to make their own choices to the point that they don’t believe that someone else can delegate anything to them. Most of the drastic decisions based on what they need and also for the people around them (Donavan, 2013). At this stage, they also want to be free that they don’t need any supervision and parental guidance. All these stressors make the teen not to be worried to the point that it also affects how they respond to other people (Harrington, 2014). As such, they are unable to regulate their moods whenever they engage themselves in any conversations (Donavan, 2013). When the habit goes beyond control, they end up slamming anything around them and sometimes use foul names. Such stressors are what parents should use to discover the things bothering them and the things they need to do to curb down such characters.
The case study also shows that G was small in stature. This means he was average in height. According to research, the average height of a boy in the U.S should be Five feet and four inches (Calhoun, 2012). Sometimes it’s never one’s choice to be short or tall especially if one is becoming an adult. When a teenager reaches a certain age, they are usually worried if they missed the opportunities of attaining the height they desired. Therefore the height and weight of a 14-year-old child are determined by the environment, genetics, and diet that surrounds them. The study also discovered that it is vital for the parents always to note the development of the adolescent to monitor how there growth spurts (Calhoun, 2012).
The development stage is also where the adolescents gain or lose weight alongside their height. During this time many teenagers go through numerous changes that sometimes that establish how they will be when they become adults. It is therefore during puberty when such changes are seen (Rosen, 2011). However, boys tend to be shorter than girls, and this makes their social lives a bit stressful because of their height. This is another reason why G had anger issues because of his height. Due to this plus the family members that surrounded G, he then became frustrated, and that’s why he always got angry.
G was a teenager that was never managed to concentrate on his work but lost attention faster. According to research, it was discovered that the brain of teenagers develop far than what an adult’s mind would do. As much as they look like adults, their brain structures still portray that of young children. The study conducted by Katherine Berg (2018) also discovered that it is usually challenging for the adolescent to pay attention in class because their minds always wander everywhere due to distractions that pop in their minds. For instance when this age group is given a math problem to solve they may not answer because they cannot concentrate on one area (Berg, 2018). Another study conducted by Patrick West (2016) also discovered that it is never the fault of the adolescence for lack of concentration, but it’s because of their physical structure. Through the use of the MRI scans, the author discovered that the brains of teenagers experience a high level of unexpected activity particularly in the prefrontal cortex (the largest front region of the brain) since it’s the only part that is involved in multitasking and decision making (West, 2016). This showed that the ability of the mind to work was less useful as compared to that of an adult.
The prefrontal cortex of teenagers, in other words, was found to be chaotic because of how it functioned. That part of the brain also undergoes a small process of development when children get to the puberty stage (Fuster, 2015). The mind tends to be engaged more in needless works instead of activities that will assist them. Another study conducted also discovered that most teenager’s brain contains too much grey matter (Crone, 2017). This means that the cell connections and bodies that transfer information from the mind undergo various changes. The study also showed that the brain of the teenagers suffer through too many changes that make the brain to lack the energy and wasted thus the process of making choices becomes difficult. The study also did the same survey on adults and discovered that they have less grey matter in their brains thus making them more efficient in making decisions (Crone, 2017).
The case of G also showed that while he never concentrated in class, he was even never bothered with his grades at school. When a child reaches the adolescent stage, it means that they begin to develop a more complicated thinking process known as the formal logical process. Usually, this type of situation usually abstracts the thinking of the teenager, their ability to reason out, and their ability to consider the results that come into their life because of the process of thinking. The adolescence stage also enables the teenager to acquire the capacity to develop systematic thinking (Smith, 2016). In this stage, the transition to formal logical thinking from concrete thinking occurs several times. Every teenager, in this case, undergoes various changes at different rates thus affecting the development of their ability of thought. They also develop their way of viewing the things of the world. The adolescent usually manages to apply the logical operation thinking in class before using them to their personal lives (Inhelder, 2013). Since the emotional issues typically arise, most adolescence cannot think instead apply the facts and possibilities while making decisions which end up being detrimental.
How to help teen develop concentration with their studies
There are several ways which can help the adolescence group concentrate in their studies. In most circumstances, such habits are usually not easy to develop especially when they do not develop naturally (Adams, 2010). It is also hard to know whether they will appreciate the new ideas given to them due to the age they are. One way parents can do this is by creating a calendar and set time for your child to allow them to share the problems they have. In the case of G, for instance, the father should set time and spend time with the boy just to understand why he has different traits from the rest of the children. By doing so, the other siblings will also engage to assist G since they’re also far from him. This will make G to have a sense of belonging since he will feel that people care about him. G also has a problem with writing that needs to be taken care of. Based on a study done by Richard Taylor (2009), it was discovered that when the teen knows what to study than a learning checklist should be created to facilitate understanding.
By doing so, the location of where this will be embraced matters. For instance, the parent should discuss with their child whether they feel comfortable studying in class or at the library. The choice of the teen will allow the parent to assist him, especially in homework assignments. The parent should then establish rewards just to motivate the child and also show appreciation for the job well done (Evans, 2013). Even though the child will understand how to reward himself, the idea will also make him become interested in learning. The same method should also be applied to G. Since he has older brothers that have good grades they should assist him in the house every time he has given homework. G is also seen to have challenges concentrating in class and whenever he gets bad grades, he is never worried. One way this can be curbed is by creating a worry pad. According to research, a worry pad assists the teen to write down things that disturb them instead of questioning them. This will assist the parent to deal with the situation in a professional manner without affecting the child. Such moves will also make G lower his level of anger because the assistance was given by the whole family
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