Late Adolescence: Physical and Psychological Characteristics

At this stage of life there are still immature Biological and psychological functions.

Adolescence is one of the most complex and difficult periods we go through in our life development. It is a stage of growth in which we cease to be children and become adults, we begin to acquire more and more responsibilities and become more independent, and it is the time when we forge our identity.

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

Adolescence: a time of change

The transition between childhood and adulthood is a stage of development characterized by the presence of a large number of changes, both physical, mental and social. This stage is completed by late adolescence, but before the latter occurs, many phenomena occur that allow a better understanding of it.

In the first place, puberty is the moment that marks the beginning of adolescence and in which different changes begin to take place due to different changes begin to occur due to the action of the neuroendocrine system (especially the activation of the (especially due to the activation of the hypothalamus and pituitary gland) and the stimulation of the production and action of the sex hormones that derive from it in both men and women.

The body grows in size (unevenly) and bones and muscles are strengthened and developed, primary sexual characteristics develop (basically the internal and external genitalia and the appearance of the first menstruation/pollution) and secondary (facial, body and pubic hair, voice changes, breast growth). This growth is accelerated at the beginning, but gradually slows down as the years go by.

At the cognitive level, as the prefrontal cortex develops, the adolescent will gradually acquire the following skills capacity for self-control and self-management, mental flexibility, the ability to inhibit and select his or her behavior, and to seek and organize his or her own goals. and organize their own goals and motivations, plan and anticipate results.

The egocentrism of childhood gives way to a different egocentrism, characterized by the presence of thoughts of omnipotence in the form of personal fable and the creation of the imaginary audience (considering that others are observing and giving importance to our behavior). As the subject matures, this egocentrism 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 a separate identity of one's own. the acquisition of an identity of one's own, separate from the rest of the world.. The adolescent ceases to see himself solely in terms of what the rest of the world considers of him and builds a self-concept, beginning to value his own complexity and to want to experiment in order to find himself. It is at this time that the subject begins to seek social involvement and greater independence.

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

All this means that the set of changes that adolescents have to face can be highly stressful and difficult for them to cope with, being a particularly sensitive stage of development.

Late adolescence: what is it?

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

Late adolescence is considered to be the evolutionary moment immediately prior to adulthood, when most of adolescence has already passed. Specifically, late adolescence is identified with the second half of the second decade of life, in a period that can vary from 15 to 21 years of age. a period that can vary between the ages of 15 and 21 years (some authors (some authors consider it to be from 15 to 19, others propose between 17 and 21).

At this vital stage it is considered that most of the most important physical maturational changes have already occurred (being more typical of early and middle adolescence), although this does not imply that the body is not still developing.

Cognitive and maturational sphere

In terms of cognitive and social aspects, it is considered that in late adolescence, more abstract thinking and the ability to assess the repercussions of their actions are already established.

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

Occasionally a small crisis may appear (the so-called mid-life crisis, although it is increasingly delayed in today's society), in which the still adolescent begins to face the demands of adulthood in terms of work, partnership and social participation.

Nevertheless, we must bear in mind that we are still in adolescence and that there are still and there are still aspects that have yet to finish developing, even at the biological level (e.g., the prefrontal cortex, the prefrontal cortex (for example, the prefrontal cortex is not fully developed until at least 25 years of age in most people, or even beyond the thirties).

Psychosocial aspects

In terms of personal relationships there is greater stability and less experimentation than at other times during adolescence, and at the relational level, contact with the large group is no longer so much sought after. Rather, there tends to be a greater focus on person-to-person relationships and intimacy (both in romantic relationships and friendships).

They are much more independent from both the family and the peer group (although both are still very important) and their values and actions no longer depend so much on what others consider. With respect to the family, the separation carried out during the initial stages of adolescence is reduced and the link with the family environment of origin is reconstructed. Their involvement in the community is much greater and this is usually the time when they want to "eat the world".