Studying Adolescence
Linda M. Richter
Young people in their teens constitute the largest age group
in the world, in a special stage recognized across the globe
as the link in the life cycle between childhood and adulthood.
Longitudinal studies in both developed and developing countries
and better measurements of adolescent behavior are producing
new insights. The physical and psychosocial changes that occur
during puberty make manifest generational and early-childhood
risks to development, in the form of individual differences
in aspects such as growth, educational attainment, self-esteem,
peer influences, and closeness to family. They also anticipate
threats to adult health and well-being. Multidisciplinary approaches,
especially links between the biological and the social sciences,
as well as studies of socioeconomic and cultural diversity and
determinants of positive outcomes, are needed to advance knowledge
about this stage of development.
E-mail: lrichter{at}hsrc.ac.za
