Chapter Outline
What Does Psychology Say?
Fourteen-year-old Miguel jumps down the stairs with just minutes to go before the morning school bus. He overslept again and didn’t lay out his baseball practice uniform the previous night. He grunts an empty apology to his mother whom he now towers over as he packs his backpack. Later that day, his French teacher says he can’t use the restroom because of the school policy limiting restroom use to one student at a time; he finds himself arguing with the teacher that the policy doesn’t make any sense. At lunch, he and his friends trade jokes and have good laughs. After honors algebra class ends, Miguel is off to a two-hour baseball practice. He comes home exhausted, eager to listen to music, play video games, and relax before doing his homework. Later that night, his mother checks on him, finds him asleep but still in his clothes, and straightens the books and papers on his desk.
Miguel’s behaviors and interactions firmly situate him within adolescence—a transition period leading him from childhood toward adulthood in many dimensions. Miguel and those in his life will likely have many questions as he moves through this stage, including the following:
- Is arguing with authority figures a typical part of adolescence?
- Are the changes in sleep needs and habits coming from a lack of motivation, a need for more sleep, or something else?
- How do adolescents think through risky decisions?
- Is academic achievement just a matter of ability, or do other factors influence educational outcomes for adolescents?
In this chapter you will explore these questions and others about the significant leaps in physical and cognitive development that occur during adolescence.