★ DIFFERENCES AMONG A CHILD, AN ADOLESCENCE AND AN ADULT
Before dercating a child from an adolescent and an adult, let us try to understand the meaning of each concept in terms of some criteria. In the earlier sections, we have explained who child and adolescent are. An adult is a human being or living organism that is of relatively mature age, typically associated with sexual maturity and the attainment of reproductive age. While considering the difference among a child, an adolescent and an adult, we may consider the following criteria:
♦ Age
♦ Differences in range of domains
• Physical
• Cognition
• Social
• Emotional
♦ Perception
Let us discuss each criterion in detail
♦ Age: Most of us think that age is the main factor in deciding the difference among a child, an adolescent and an adult. We have already discussed the chronological age of a child under the title ‘age criterion’ in section 1.4 and of an adolescent in the table1.1 given under the section 1.5. The legal definition of entering adulthood usually varies between ages 16-21, depending on the region or community or country in question. Why we have not taken an age approach has already been discussed under ‘the concept of adolescence’. Age-criterion on the basis of various developmental stages consists of the following features:
Age of identity exploration: Children and adolescents are struggling to find out who they are and what they want out of schooling. In the case of adults, they have attained self–identity in terms of their responsibility to family and society.
Age of instability: Children and adolescents feel instability about their social roles and responsibility. They are guided by the adults what to do and what not to do. On the contrary adults express stableness in their social roles.
Age of self-focus: Children and adolescents lack self-focus in their decisions. They search for adult guidance especially from parents and teachers in childhood and adolescence stages. Adolescents even turn to their friends for support and self-clarification, including their peers’ opinions in their emerging self-definitions. Adults are totally self-focused in their day-to-day activities.
Age of feeling-in-between: Unlike adolescents, children and adults lack the feeling-in- between childhood and adulthood. But adolescents consider themselves as emerging adults. They assume responsibility for themselves, but still do not completely feel like an adult.
♦ Differences in range of domains: Development is described in three domainsphysical, cognitive and social/ emotional domains. Let us examine the differences among a child, an adolescent and an adult on the basis of three domains.
• Physical: Physical growth during childhood continues at a steady pace. The transition from childhood to adolescence involves a number of biological changes such as growth spurt, hormonal changes and sexual maturation that come with puberty. During adulthood, physical growth reaches at its peak.
• Cognition: Unlike adults, the cognition of a child is characterized by freshness in thought. A child always sees the world through new eyes and is interested in learning and exploring the world. Adolescents often view the world in terms of polarities- right /wrong, good/bad, whereas adults move away from this absolutist thinking as they become aware of multiple perspectives of others.
★ DIFFERENCES AMONG A CHILD, AN ADOLESCENT AND AN ADULT - 2 :-
♦ Differences in range of domains: Development is described in three domainsphysical, cognitive and social/ emotional domains. Let us examine the differences among a child, an adolescent and an adult on the basis of three domains.
• Physical: Physical growth during childhood continues at a steady pace. The transition from childhood to adolescence involves a number of biological changes such as growth spurt, hormonal changes and sexual maturation that come with puberty. During adulthood, physical growth reaches at its peak.
• Cognition: Unlike adults, the cognition of a child is characterized by freshness in thought. A child always sees the world through new eyes and is interested in learning and exploring the world. Adolescents often view the world in terms of polarities- right /wrong, good/bad, whereas adults move away from this absolutist thinking as they become aware of multiple perspectives of others.
• Social: Children and adolescents are in the path of social development by imbibing new ideas, values and learning new skills. The goal of them is to develop a positive sense of self. They receive these learning experiences from their caregivers and others in the microsystem. The social development of adults is linked with the social roles they have to perform in society. These roles are categorized into work, marriage and parenting. As suggested by Erikson’s theory of adult development, work is related with having an identity, marriage in search of intimacy and parenting children in terms of generativity
• Emotion: Unlike adults, children and adolescents are in the process of developing their ability to manage emotions. Lack of this ability sometimes leads them to risk-taking behaviours. On the contrary, adults achieve the ability of self-regulation and self-management.
★ DIFFERENCES AMONG A CHILD, AN ADOLESCENT AND AN ADULT - 3 :-
• Perception: Children, adolescents and adults differ a lot in their perception of the world. For example, by asking a question such as ‘What makes clouds move?’ you will get a series of answers from children and adults.
Look at the three responses:
Child 1: As I am walking, cloud is also walking.
Child 2: They move themselves because they are alive.
Adolescent: Because of earth’s rotation, cloud moves.
Adult: Clouds move because of the wind.
From the above responses, you can find out the differences in the perception of individuals in understanding the causality of geographical phenomenon. Children mostly perceive in terms of external reality (see the responses of Child1& Child 2).
Unlike adults, children keep information from their senses aloof and may thereforeperceive the visual world differently. Adolescents think phenomenon in abstractmanner and adults perceive it on the basis of experiences.
Check Your Progress 3
Notes: (a) Write your answer in the space given below.
(b) Compare your answer with the one given at the end of the unit.
i) On what basis do you differentiate a child from an adult?
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