Psychoanalysis.  2015 Apr;26(1):3-17. 10.0000/pa.2015.26.1.3.

When Is the Endpoint of the Adolescence?

• Bahn GH
• Ryu JE
• Lee YJ
• Han J
• Lee A
• Hong M

• KMID: 1791679
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.0000/pa.2015.26.1.3

Abstract

In the past, the human life span has been divided into childhood and adulthood. The importance of education has been evident since the Industrial Revolution, thus, a transitional stage called "adolescence" has emerged. Although adolescence was once consistent with puberty, when the release of hormones increases sharply, the definition of adolescence has been changing with socio-cultural changes. In Korea, social problems related to adolescence, such as suicide, internet gaming, juvenile delinquency, violence, and dropping out of school, are increasing. Apart from external problems, internal problems such as Japanese Hikkikomori are also increasing. With these changes, there is an important need to discuss the nature of adolescence. Whereas childhood is the stage that requires care-giving, adolescence is the stage when duty and responsibility emerge. In late adolescence, there is a transition period into adulthood and participation in society. Currently, as the importance of adolescence has been highlighted from various sectors, "the endpoint of the adolescence" is a stimulating theme in the psychiatric field. From a neuro-biological perspective, a greater understanding of adolescence becomes more important to solve adolescents' emotional problems and for the legal demarcation of adolescence related to school violence and juvenile delinquency. If adolescence is not just the transition stage between childhood and adulthood, the exact endpoint for adolescence should be determined. Therefore, in this article we try to define the stage of adolescence in modern society from various approaches, including the historical background, the process of changes in the definition, and psycho-socio-bio-cultural aspects.

Keyword

Adolescence; Endpoint; Cultural; Spiritual; Biological; Puberty; Psychoanalytic psychotherapy

MeSH Terms

Adolescent*
Asian Continental Ancestry Group
Education
Humans
Internet
Juvenile Delinquency
Korea
Puberty
Social Problems
Suicide
Violence