Overview
“Adolescence” refers to a transitional stage of development between childhood and adulthood, suggesting that a process of “maturing” has started. The World Health Organization formally defines the age range for adolescence as between 10 to 19 years old, but studies show that the brain continues significant development that impacts independence and judgment into the 20s.
History and Etymology
The stage of adolescence comes with a lot of new impulses that are difficult to regulate with a brain still developing the mechanisms associated with stable judgment and long-term thinking. Many cultures have acknowledged that this liminality between childhood and adulthood is a sort of crossroads for a growing human in which their impulses can meet dangerous temptations that they struggle to resist. This can include substance use and risky behavior, though the idea of what constitutes risky behavior is of course subject to cultural influences. In 19th century Western medical institutions, masturbation was treated as a psychological problem relating to a lack of self-control that should be developed in adolescence. Repeated indulgence was thought to form unhealthy habits, similar to gambling and drinking alcohol.