Adolescence

ADOLESCENCE

 Is a transitional stage of physical and mental human generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood ( age of majority ),  but largelycharacterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage. According to Erik Erikson 's stages of human development , for example, a young adult is generally a personbetween the ages of 20 and 40, whereas an adolescent is a person between the ages of 13 and 19. Historically, puberty has been heavily associated with teenagers andthe onset of adolescent development. However, the start of puberty has had somewhat of an increase in preadolescence (particularly females, as seen with early andprecocious puberty), and adolescence has had an occasional extension beyond the teenage years (typically males) compared to previous generations.
These changes havemade it more difficult to rigidly define the time frame in which adolescence occurs. The end of adolescence and the beginning of adulthood varies by country and byfunction, and furthermore even within a single nation-state or culture there can be different ages at which an individual is considered to be (chronologically andlegally) mature enough to be entrusted by society with certain tasks. Such milestones include, but are not limited to, driving a vehicle, having legal sexual relations,serving in the armed forces or on a jury, purchasing and drinking alcohol, voting, entering into contracts, completing certain levels of education, and marrying.Adolescence is usually accompanied by an increased independence allowed by the parents or legal guardians and less supervision, contrary to the preadolescence stage.