Integrating field developmental psychology: a literature review

There are multiple stages of development that all children go through. The depth and breadth of these developmental changes ebb and flow greatly as growing children move from one stage of development to the next. Overall, there are several major developmental stages in the life of a child. There are the toddler years, the prepubescent years and the adolescent/teenage years. The brief literature review that follows in this report shall focus on the last of those. To be complete with this analysis, adolescence is not the end of human development given that many suggest that development extends into the 20's and 30's. Even so, the adolescent years of development are hailed by many as being the most pivotal, at least in some regards. While many would debate the above, it is clear that the adolescent years are among the most important.

Analysis

Regardless of the development or life stage that is in question, there are many developments and changes that occur during the adolescent years and they come in many forms. These forms include physical, cognitive, emotional, social and beyond. There are environmental factors that play a part including social situations, parentage and so forth. Indeed, there is very much both a nature and nurture effect in play for every teenager as they develop. While biological happenings and changes are important, what the environment of a teenager does to influence and shape those changes is important as well. One very interesting facet that perhaps people, including scholars, do not focus enough of their attention on is how the different facets of development influence each other. For example, it may not sound intuitive to many that physical activity and development would influence mental or personality development (or vice versa) but there are some that suggest that this is absolutely a factor. For example, there was a study done earlier in 2016 that focused on how tennis training has a marked and definite effect on the development of personality. This held true in younger children as well as adolescents. Of course, the manner and method of the training would dictate what those precise effects happen to be. Even so, it is clear that the physical and mental/social paradigms of development are interconnected in very vast and complex ways (Demir et al., 2016).

Something else to be cognizant of when it comes to development is that every child and adolescent grows and blossoms in an individual way. While it is preferable to act on general trends and patterns when it comes to the topic, every teenager manifests and grows in their own way. Beyond that, just because two teenagers (even siblings) are in the same general environment and situation does not mean that their development will come off or result in the same outcomes. They will likely be similar but there will surely be differences as well. One mental facet where this clearly happens a lot is when it comes to creativity. There are terms that get thrown around like "peaks," "slumps" and "bumps." This refers to the hills, valleys and challenges that are encountered by all adolescents as they try to foster and grow their creativity. Some adolescents encounter a fairly docile path while others have more challenges. It all depends on the adolescent involved, their personal path of development and their environment. As noted above in part, the arc that a child takes in terms of creativity may not be the same as others and could in fact be entirely different. The main point to derive from the above is that using a one-size-fits-all approach to react to and assess developing adolescents is not always the wisest thing to do. There needs to be some modicum of customization and tailoring to the needs and progress of the adolescent in question. That all being said, general trends and similarities are what they are and should not be ignored (Barbot, Lubart & Besancon, 2016).

When it comes to the development and teaching of adolescents, sexual education is a very controversial and complicated topic. Indeed, the topics of love, sex, romance and so forth have huge implications and the proper approach to use is very much debated and discussed. One manifestation of this paradigm is the use and discussion of abstinence-only education. There are indeed religious and moral implications when it comes to sex. However, many hold that partitioning off talk about contraception and the reality that many teens have sex even when the adults around them try to keep them from doing so is less than wise in terms of teen pregnancy, the spread of sexually-transmitted disease and so on. Just as with the other topics mentioned in this brief literature review, there is not a single way that seems to be entirely effective and that addresses the concerns of everyone involved (Ballanoff, Johnson, Shirtcliff & Galvan, 2015).

One might ask why there is such discord when it comes to the right way to foster development and social behaviors, up to and including romantic relationships. Ideology and personal morality are obviously factors. However, there are others that clearly exist. For example, there are many that assert that there is a "divide" that exists between what researchers and scholars are saying and what really happens when it comes to real-world practice and execution. For example, what a researcher might say about proper teaching methods and such for adolescents might come off as unrealistic or uninformed to a teacher or professor that actually teaches adolescents as part of their daily job. Passions and arguments can get heated, and for obvious reasons. Indeed, the implications of social/emotional development and academic learning with adolescents, just to name two major things, are substantial. Earlier stages of development set the tone for the teen years and beyond. Even so, the progress that is seen and gained from the prior stages cannot be lost in the teen years lest the teens in question stumble upon reaching adulthood due to not being brought up and developed in the right ways, for whatever reason (Hamre & Cappella, 2015).

Bridging the divide just mentioned is important because there are some things that can leave a teen's life in tatters if they are not handled properly. Sex and relationships are good examples. However, there are other mental and social aspects that need to be taken seriously such as impulsivity, risk-taking and the externalization of problems. The science behind these topics has advanced significantly as brain imaging and other medical methods have started to supplant and supplement prior methods that were less precise (Nigg & Nagel, 2016). Technology has a place in the discussion for reasons other than medical screening and testing. Indeed, technology has emerged in many forms in the life of teenagers. Some are positive and upbeat about the improvement of technology but there are clearly some effects and outcomes that are at least related to the use of this technology that are not nearly as encouraging. There are clear patterns that show that technology is creating or aggravating feelings and developmental issues. Just a few examples include relationship anxiety, identity distress, bullying, peer aggression and the increasing shallowness of communications. The point is that technology can do great things when harnessed and used well. However, there are also some very bad patterns that emerge when technology is used in the wrong way (Cyr, Berman & Smith, 2015).

One lucrative way to keep tabs on teen development and what they glom onto would be the movies and other entertainment forms that they tend to watch. A more modern example of this would be the Twilight movie series. While there are even many adults that watch and enjoy those movies, the teenage age bracket is obviously among the core of the people that love the movies. This attraction is so advanced that some psychology classes and the scholars associated with the same have used that movie to study things and subjects like English, sociology and history. Indeed, there are many that are actively using the series and the fan base of the same as a teaching tool (Tagsold, Decuir-Gunby, 2012).

Finally, there should be a mention of the medical decision-making that has to occur during a child's teenage years. Newer research has shown that there are rather important considerations and factors to consider and that both parents and physicians need to be in the loop and attentive when it comes to the same. Just one reason for this being the case is the morbidity rates of teenagers. While it is not normal for teenagers to die or have brushes with death in general, it absolutely happens. Reasons for this include disease, developmental disorders, the use of alcohol or other drugs and so forth. A specific example would be marijuana. While many people hail the drug as a good alternative to "harder" drugs, there is also a lot of concern about any drug use within the teenager age bracket due to the fact that many social, mental and physical changes are still fully in progress within the teenage mind. Given that, using anything that affects or influences the brain or any other major part of the body is something that should receive scrutiny. There are more general and common topics that should matter as well including nutrition, genetic control and other things. The impact that all of these things have to the frontal lobe and cerebellum need to be taken very seriously. Even if the science behind brain development in teens is still in its infancy in many regards, there are still some things that are widely known and agreed upon (Anderson, 2015).

Conclusion

The medical and psychology/psychiatry fields will surely continue to advance and progress in the years and decades to come. As that occurs and manifests, what is optimal and best for a developing teenage/adolescence mind will become more and more clear. In the meantime, the best and most advanced evidence-based practices should be employed until or unless something else comes along that shows more promise and/or more proof. Allowing ideology and other things to cloud and pollute the paradigm is not all that helpful.

References

Anderson, J. E. (2015). Brain Development in Adolescents: New Research - Implications for Physicians and Parents in Regard to Medical Decision-Making. Issues In Law &

Medicine, 30(2), 193-196.

Ballonoff-Suleiman, A., Johnson, M., Shirtcliff, E. A., & Galvan, A. (2015). School-Based Sex

Education and Neuroscience: What We Know about Sex, Romance, Marriage, and Adolescent Brain Development. Journal of School Health, 85(8), 567-574.

Barbot, B., Lubart, T. I., & Besancon, M. (2016). "Peaks, Slumps, and Bumps": Individual

Differences in the Development of Creativity in Children and Adolescents. New

Directions For Child And Adolescent Development, (151), 33-45.

Cyr, B., Berman, S. L., & Smith, M. L. (2015). The Role of Communication Technology in Adolescent Relationships and Identity Development. Child & Youth Care Forum, 44(1),

79-92.

Demir, E., Sahin, G., Senturk, U., Aydin, H., & Altinkok, M. (2016). Effects of Tennis Training

on Personality Development in Children and Early Adolescents. Journal Of Education

And Training Studies, 4(6), 28-34.

Hamre, B. K., & Cappella, E. (2015). Measures of Early Adolescent Development and School

Contexts: Narrowing the Research to Practice Divide. Journal Of Early

Adolescence, 35(5-6), 586-596.

Nigg, J. T., & Nagel, B. J. (2016). Commentary: Risk taking, impulsivity, and externalizing problems in adolescent development -- commentary on Crone et al. 2016. Journal Of

Child Psychology And Psychiatry, And Allied Disciplines, 57(3), 369-370.

doi:10.1111/jcpp.12539

Tagsold, J. T., & Decuir-Gunby, J. (2012). Film in the College Classroom: Using "Twilight" to Examine Adolescent Development. Journal Of Effective Teaching, 12(3), 87-93.