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Adolescence

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The changes in young adulthood build on changes that have taken place in adolescence, particularly the following:

Abstract Thinking
One of the most exciting changes in adolescence is the development of a much greater capacity for abstract thought. By early adolescence, one's mental visor can hold not only concrete objects and experiences, but also concepts for organizing them into categories and patterns—abstract concepts such as friendship or fairness. One can think about addition and subtraction as "opposite" operations, for example, rather than simply carrying out these functions.

Right/wrong Framework
This abstract thinking, however, still has limitations, including a tendency to be able to hold on one's mental screen only one concept of what is "right" at a time. Ideas are either right or wrong; you are either right or wrong; they are either right or wrong. Knowledge is held by authorities, such as teachers, and the student's job is to learn the right answers and give them back to the teacher. This has been called "dualistic" thinking by William Perry and others. (See References.)

Instrumental Relationships
Teens also are limited in their ability to hold more than one point of view. They can put themselves in another person's shoes, but they have more difficulty holding another point of view and theirs at the same time. When their needs become pressing, the needs of others fall off the mental visor. Given these limitations, relationships tend to be about alternating reciprocity, "You scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours." This has been called "instrumental" thinking by Robert Kegan and others. (See References.)

Intensity of Emotion
Triggered by hormones at puberty, teens are more aroused, and aroused more easily, whether by something that makes them happy, angry, or excited. It is not clear, for example, whether they actually argue more often with parents, but it is clear that, when they argue, they express more anger.

Sensation Seeking
Teens also show a heightened desire for emotional intensity, and for the thrills, excitement, adventures, and risk-taking that are likely to generate high emotion. The ability to regulate such emotions effectively does not typically come until young adulthood, so there is often a gap of several years between the onset of the "accelerator" and the development of effective "brakes." Or, as Pittsburgh researcher Ronald Dahl puts it, "We have a supercharged car with an unskilled driver." (See References.)

Adolescence also brings, as a result of hormonal changes at puberty, increased sensitivity to alcohol and other drugs, alterations in the sleep cycle, and changes in the hormones associated with mood. All of these changes interact, contributing to adolescents' heightened vulnerability to mood disorders and other types of mental illness.

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