Define Adolescence and Puberty

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The Answer is Adolescence is a period of development beginning at puberty and ending at young adulthood.Puberty is a period of physical changes leading to sexual maturity.Adolescence is an artificial,arbitrary period of development that is a relatively recent phenomenon in human experience.In hunter-gatherer societies,sexual maturity at puberty signaled the young person's entry into adult roles,privileges,and expectations.Our word puberty comes from the Latin word for "adult."
Although adolescence is assumed to begin with puberty,we do not have much consensus regarding its endpoint.Legally,an 18 year old is an adult in the United States.However,we restrict legal alcohol consumption to those over 21,and rental car companies rarely rent cars to young adults under the age of 25.Lifestyle factors associated with adulthood,such as financial independence from parents,separate living arrangements,marriage,and parenthood,are far more descriptive of the end of adolescence than age.
Two factors have resulted in an extended period of adolescence in modern,industrial societies,such that it starts earlier and ends later than in the past.One is the dramatic decrease in the age at which puberty occurs.Over the last 100 years,the average age of puberty in the United States has dropped from about age 16 to around age 12.For people living 100 years ago,taking on adult roles around the age of puberty was much more realistic than it would be today.Recent evidence shows that this trend is ongoing.We do not know exactly why puberty is occurring earlier.A second factor contributing to the length of modern adolescence is the extended period of education and training needed in technological societies.Youth at puberty are simply not prepared to assume adult roles in most modern cultures.

Define Adolescence and Puberty

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