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 stop being children to become adults, we begin to acquire more and more responsibilities and to be more independent and the moment in which we forge our identity.

The final stage of adolescence, the years before actually entering adulthood, is what some authors call late adolescence . It is about this evolutionary moment that we are going to talk about 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 and 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, the appearance of puberty stands out as the moment that will mark the beginning of adolescence and in which different changes begin to be generated due to the action of the neuroendocrine system (especially in the face of the activation of the hypothalamus and pituitary) and the stimulation of the production and action of the sexual hormones derived from it in both men and women.

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

At a cognitive level and as the prefrontal cortex develops, the adolescent will gradually acquire the capacity for self-control and self-management, mental flexibility, the ability to inhibit and select their behaviour and to seek and organise 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 a 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 without a doubt one of the most important psychological milestones of this vital stage is the acquisition of an own identity and separated from the rest of the world . The adolescent no longer sees himself solely in terms of what the rest of the world considers him to be and builds up a self-concept, beginning to value his own complexity and to desire to experiment in order to find himself. It is at this time that the subject begins to seek social involvement and to seek greater independence.

There is a certain separation with respect to the family and they tend to focus more on the group of friends, these being essential elements when developing identity aspects and the 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 assume, being a particularly sensitive stage of development.

Late adolescence: what is it?

Adolescence can be divided into several stages : early adolescence between eleven and thirteen years old (when puberty usually occurs), middle adolescence between fourteen and sixteen/ seventeen years old and late adolescence, which we will see below.

Late adolescence is considered as the evolutionary moment immediately before adulthood, when most of the 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 between 15 and 21 years of age (some authors consider that it occurs from 15 to 19, others propose between 17 and 21).

At this stage of life it is considered that most of the most important physical maturity changes have already taken place (being more typical of early and middle adolescence), although this does not imply that the body does not continue to develop.

Cognitive and Maturation Domain

As far as cognitive and social aspects are concerned, it is considered that in late adolescence the most abstract thinking and the ability to assess the impact of their actions is already established.

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

Occasionally a small crisis may appear (the so-called crisis of 21, despite the fact that it is increasingly delayed in today’s society), in which the still adolescent begins to face the demands of the adult at the level of work, partner and social participation.

In spite of everything, we must take into account that we are still in our adolescence and there are still aspects to be completed even at the biological level (for example, the prefrontal cortex is not fully developed until at least 25 years of age in most people, or even beyond thirty).

Psychosocial aspects

In terms of personal relationships, there is greater stability and less experimentation than in other moments of adolescence, and at the relational level, contact with the large group is no longer so much sought after but rather there is usually greater attention paid to person-to-person relationships and intimacy (both in romantic relationships and in friendships).

They are much more independent of 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 think. With respect to the family, the separation carried out during the initial moments of adolescence is reduced and the link with the original family environment is reconstructed. Their involvement in the community is much greater and this is usually the time when they want to “eat the world”.

Bibliographic references:

  • Casas Rivero, J.J. and Ceñal González Fierro, M.J. (2005). Adolescent development. Physical, psychological and social aspects. Pediatrics, 9 (1): 20-24. Adolescent Medicine Unit. Pediatrics Service. Hospital de Móstoles, Madrid.
  • Castillero Mimenza, O. (2016). Ciberbullying: harassment on the net. Analysis and proposal for intervention. [Online]. University of Barcelona. Available at: http://hdl.handle.net/2445/103343.
  • Parker, J.G.& Asher, S.R. (1993). Friendship and Friendship Quality in Middle Childhood: Links with Peer Group Acceptance and Feelings of Loneliness and Social Dissatisfaction. Developmental Psychology. 29, 6-11.
  • Siegel, D. (2014). Tormenta cerebral. Barcelona: Alba.
  • Youniss, J. y Smollar, J. (1985): Relaciones de los adolescentes con madres, padres y amigos. Chicago: University of Chicago Press