Late adolescence: what it is and physical and psychological characteristics

Adolescence is one of the most complex and difficult periods that we go through throughout our vital development. It is a growth stage in which we stop being children to be adults, we begin to acquire more and more responsibilities and be more independent and the moment we forge our identity.

The final stage of adolescence, the years before properly entering adulthood, is what some authors call late adolescence. It is about this evolutionary moment that we are going to talk about throughout this article.

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Adolescence: a time of change

The transition between childhood and adulthood It is a stage of development characterized by the presence of a large number of changes, both physically, mentally and socially. This stage is completed by late adolescence, but before the latter occur, many phenomena occur that allow us to better understand it.

In the first place, the onset of puberty stands out as the moment that will mark the beginning of adolescence and in which

different changes begin to be generated due to the action of the neuroendocrine system (especially before the activation of the hypothalamus and pituitary gland) and the stimulation of the production and action of the sex hormones derived from it in both men and women.

The body grows in size (unevenly) and bones and muscles become stronger and develop, primary sexual characters develop (basically the internal and external genitalia and the appearance of the first menstruation / pollution) and secondary (hair on the face, body and pubis, voice changes, growth of the breasts). This growth occurs in an accelerated way at the beginning, although little by little it slows down as the years go by.

At a cognitive level and according to prefrontal cortex develops, little by little the adolescent will acquire capacity for self-control and self-management, mental flexibility, ability to inhibit and select their behavior and seek and organize their own goals and motivations, plan and anticipate results.

The self-centeredness typical of childhood gives way to a different self-centeredness, characterized by the presence of thoughts of omnipotence in the form personal fable and the creation of the imaginary audience (consider that others are observing and giving importance to our behaviour). As the subject matures, this egocentricity will diminish in most cases.

The creation of one's own identity

But undoubtedly one of the most important psychological milestones of this vital stage is the acquisition of an identity of its own and separate from the rest of the world. The adolescent ceases to see himself solely based on what the rest of the world considers of him and is constructed a self-concept, beginning to appreciate his own complexity and to want to experiment to find himself. It is at this time that the subject begins to seek to become socially involved and to seek greater independence.

There is certain separation from family and they tend to focus more on the group of friends, these being essential elements when developing identity aspects and a sense of social belonging. Likewise, society begins to assign them more and more responsibilities and to demand more of them.

All this means that the set of changes that adolescents must face can become highly stressful and difficult to assume for them, being a particularly sensitive stage of the developing.

Late Adolescence: What is it?

Adolescence can be divided into several stages: early adolescence between the ages of eleven and thirteen (when puberty usually occurs), the middle adolescence between fourteen and sixteen / seventeen years and late, which we will see continuation.

Late adolescence is considered to be the evolutionary moment immediately before adulthood, after most of adolescence. Specifically, late adolescence is identified with the second half of the second decade of life, in a period that can vary between 15 and 21 years (Some authors consider that it occurs from 15 to 19, others propose between 17 and 21).

In this vital stage, it is considered that most of the most important maturational changes on a physical level have already taken place. produced (being more typical of early and middle adolescence), although this does not imply that the body does not continue in developing.

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Cognitive and maturational domain

With regard to cognitive and social aspects, it is considered that in late adolescence, more abstract thinking and the ability to assess the repercussions of its acts.

It is a much more stable stage than those that precede it, characterized by a thinking much more adult and focused not so much on the present and immediacy but future-oriented. The identity is largely consolidated and already have established values (although they may vary over time). The presence of a strong idealism and illusion is common, although also uncertainty and anxiety and psychological and health problems may appear.

Occasionally a small crisis may appear (the so-called crisis of 21, despite the fact that it is increasingly delayed in society current), in which the still adolescent begins to face the demands of the adult at the level of work, partner and participation Social.

In spite of everything, we must bear in mind that we are still in adolescence and There are still aspects to be completed, even at a biological level (For example, the prefrontal cortex is not fully developed until at least 25 years of age in most people, or even beyond thirty).

Psychosocial aspects

Regarding personal relationships, there is greater stability and less experimentation than in other moments of adolescence, and at the relational level contact with the large group is no longer sought so much If not, there is usually more attention to person-to-person relationships and intimacy (both romantic and friendship relationships).

They are much more independent both the family sphere and the peer group (although both are still very important) and their values ​​and actions no longer depend so much on what others consider. Regarding the family, the separation carried out during the initial moments of adolescence is reduced and the link with the family environment of origin is rebuilt. Their involvement in the community is much greater and it is usually the time when they want to “take over the world”.