ADOLESCENCE

transitional phase of growth and development between childhood and adulthood. "Adolescence" is a convenient label for the period in the life span between ages 12 and 20 and is roughly equivalent to the term "teens." In many societies adolescence is narrowly equated with puberty (q.v.) and the cycle of physical changes culminating in reproductive maturity. Western societies understand adolescence in terms of a broader sense of development-that is, it encompasses psychological, social, and moral terrain as well as the strictly physical aspects of maturation. Adolescence is the period during which the individual experiences an upsurge of sexual feelings following the latency period of childhood. During this time the individual learns to control and direct his sex urges. Another issue that usually arises in adolescence is that of emotional (if not physical) separation from parents as a necessary step in the establishment of personal values. This new responsibility for self-determination and self-sufficiency forces an array of adjustments upon many adolescents. Furthermore, teenagers often have no defined role of their own in society but are caught in the ambiguous overlap between the reasonably clearly defined roles of childhood and adulthood. In a sense these issues define adolescence in Western cultures, and the response to them partly determines the nature of an individual's adult years. Some specialists consider adolescence to be an intense and often stressful period of development that is characterized by a variety of special types of behaviour. Others find that the difficulties of adolescence have been exaggerated and that for many adolescents the process of maturation is usually peaceful and untroubled.