Lifespan Development and Personality Paper
Adolescence, also known as teenage years is a time of dramatic change. Adolescence is a period in one’s life in which major physiological, cognitive, and behavioral changes take place. This phase of life marks a developmental period that follows childhood and comes before adulthood. Adolescence is closely associated with puberty, which is also considered as a developmental milestone, particularly in the western countries. Puberty refers to the period of adolescence when a person becomes capable of reproduction (Carpenter, S. & Huffman, K., 2010).
In this paper, I will discuss the various factors that affect the physical, cognitive, social, moral, and personality development of adolescents. Adolescence is a time of rapid physical growth which is illustrated by the drastic growth spurt in the height, weight and skeletal muscles. The actual age may vary but generally occurs somewhere between the ages of 12 through 18. This is a critical stage where a child attempts to become independent, wants to establish their identity and there are noticeable changes in their moods and behavior. During this time in the adolescent’s life, the physical development factors are genetics and nutrition. If the child has genetics that hinder on his or her physical development the child will only develop as his DNA allows. If the child does not have proper nutrition, he or she could be underweight or overweight. This is such a crucial stage for advancement and by eating non-nutritious meals can make a child so overweight that he or she will not be able to fully participate in physical activities. If the child is under-nourished, the instance is the same. Parent nurturing and focus can make a weak child strong. Just because a child is short or chubby does not mean he or she cannot develop physically. The more avenues of physical development that a child is exposed to, will help the child in his or her life. Children must be allowed to experience and explore and through physical development they can (infed, 2010).
The environment also affects the physical development of this group. If the child is exposed to violence, he or she could develop into an abuser. If he or she is exposed to drugs and alcohol at an early age, he or she could become dependent on these substances. If he or she is exposed to the arts, the mind will be expanded. As a child I was exposed to different arts at a young age. Whether it was to draw, color, create, put together, paint, any form of creativity I did. To this day, I prefer to be very creative and come up with numerous ways of art which opens up and expands the mind. The environment during these years is important, as society has shown that, in most instances, violence promotes violence. Undereducated promote under achievers, as they know nothing else.
Piaget is said to be the founder of “cognitive development” in children. His studies have shown that when exposed to different influences, children adapt. Piaget developed an interest in the intellectual development of children. Based upon his observations, he concluded that children were not less intelligent than adults, they simply think differently. Albert Einstein called Piaget’s discovery "so simple only a genius could have thought of it." Piaget's stage theory describes the cognitive development of children. Cognitive development involves changes in cognitive process and abilities. In Piaget’s view, early cognitive development involves processes based upon actions and later progresses into changes in mental operations (About.com, 2010).
In his Stages of Moral Development, Lawrence Kohlberg states that human beings progress from a Preconventional Level of moral development (in which they refer to rules imposed by others) to a Post conventional Level of moral development (in which they refer to rules imposed from within them). Just as Kohlberg states, adolescents undergo moral growth in stages. They may be easily influenced by peers or by environmental cues, but most teens grow to assert impressive measures of responsibility in their moral growth. During these years the adolescence is fearless. Parents may try to instill certain standards of behavior in their children, but children are more likely to imitate the behavior they observe in a parent than to listen to any regulations that a parent hopes to impose. As a child grows into adolescence, his role models may be as diverse as musicians, friends or even politicians. While his choice of role models may appear to be reckless or misguided, he is likely to seek role models who demonstrate behavior that is consistent with the types of behavior modeled by his parents or caregivers. He or she will stand up for what he or she believes in, as youth is strength. If the child witnessed kindness, these are the years when the child will be kind to others, as that is what he or she viewed. Peer pressure is often considered to be a negative force in the life of a teen. Indeed, most teens will not choose to engage in negative behaviors such as smoking or premarital sex unless coaxed to do so by her peers. Still, peer pressure often exerts a positive influence on the life of a teen. Impulsiveness is where teens engage in a variety of destructive behaviors simply as a result of impulsiveness. Lacking a knowledge of consequences that is reinforced by solid experience, teens may engage ill advised behaviors such as driving while intoxicated or experimenting with drugs. Since adolescence is a time of dramatic hormonal changes, teens may be heavily influenced to give into sexual urges if they are given the opportunity to do so. Assumption of Responsibility A teen is more likely to assume responsibility for his own behavior if his parents allow him to make choices instead of pressuring him to respond to mandates. The only way she will learn to take responsibility for her behavior is if she is forced to be held accountable for how she behaves (e.How.com, 2010).
During these years love will blossom and hearts will be broken. The individual’s motor skills are well developed and the child can truly converse and display and discuss his or her feelings. The child will decide to further his or her education, join the armed forces, open a business, travel for a period of time or just graduate high school and go to work. As the nurturing in the two life-cycles prior and the experiences learned during these years will help the individual make decisions. As we know, youthful decisions are not always the best decisions but they are decisions. When morals is taught and instilled, the child will learn it (eHow.com, 2010). In America, we are taught that anyone can become anything that they want to be. During the adolescence years, these influences stay with the child. The morals are stated the child absorbs. The social aspects of adolescence are witnessed and the child’s personality develops. He or she is now an adult and has witnessed much. Each day will be a new adventure and a new learning experience. Some adults stay in the same towns they were born in their entire lives, while others move from city to city every few years. Some adults reaming faithful to one partner their entire lives, while others do not. All that is learning through this lifecycle will remain with the adult for the remainder of his or her lifecycles.

Work Cited
About.com, 2010: Psychology-Background and Key Concepts of Piaget’s Theory. Retrieved June 6, 2010, from http://psychology.about.com/od/piagetstheory/a/keyconcepts.htm eHow.Com, 2010: About Moral Development in Adolescents. Retrieved June 6, 2010, from, http://www.ehow.com/about_5189183_moral-development-adolescents.html. infed, 2010: Lifespan Development and Lifelong Learning. Retrieved June 6, 2010 from, http://www.infed.org/biblio/lifecourse_development.htm. Wiley Plus: Carpenter, S. and Huffman, K. (2010). Visualizing Psychology (2nd edition). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Retrieved June 6, 2010 from, http://edugen.wiley.com/edugen/
student/main.uni.