Meaning Of Adolescence (1953)

[Music] GL [Music] the word adolescent comes from the Latin adesara to grow to maturity the years between childhood and manhood or Womanhood are years of growth socially emotionally mentally and physically physical maturing is called puberty the Latin puas means age of manhood because in ancient days the physically mature youth was considered a man even today in the more primitive cultures of the world as in this tware tribe of North Africa Customs developed through centuries of experience prepare the child for manhood his parents know what is expected of their son and so even in childhood he sits silent at the tribal council eagerly awaiting the day of his initiation into tware manhood when the boy reaches puberty at the age of 14 his father confers upon him first a veil and then a sword symbols of nobility and maturity there is a new master in the desert ready to take his place in the AAL the center of tuare social life he pays tribute to the lady of his choice seeking her favors with songs and verses and thus to win his reward her hand in marriage now entrusted to each other they they will remain one Carefree year in her father's Camp a time to be remembered then one day his friends sweeped down to take them back to his father's camp where the young couple still no older than 16 will make a new home in the desert contrast the achievement of manhood in our 20th century culture the word puberty now has only a physical meaning responsibilities and privilege are withheld in spite of physical maturity here are Alec and Joan typical teenagers of today for them adolescence will extend over six or seven years in between years when they have no definite place in society Alec is not a child and yet he is not an adult adult the years of adolescence can be unhappy years frustrating years sometimes a time of striving for things that seem impossible to achieve a time of insecurity and worry over the future of making decisions for Keeps what kind of job does he really want there may seem to be very little real progress toward the goal of maturity and Independence if the teenage is considered a problem age it is mainly because youth is judged by adult standards ignoring the difficulty of this long period of adolescence and the real preparation for manhood because Alex's mother knows that her child has many years in which to grow up She neglects his training for manhood like too many mothers of today she fails to make him responsible for even the smallest matters because the modern American home is comparatively easy to manage the family has ceased to be a working unit Alex's mother runs the whole house alone before the mechanical age transformed the home the daughter of the house could make a real contribution to family living and the sons too had vital responsibilities like carrying wood and water nowadays father has his [Music] interests has different one and son doesn't share in either see you later where are you going dear auto show I can't see what interest they have in looking at a lot of cars all exactly the same especially when they can't buy one anyway because Alec looks more like a man than a child his mother expects him to make all kinds of difficult adjustments without the help that she lavished on him as a child For Heaven's Sake go to bed and stop mooning over those cars what if the brones are getting a convertible we can't afford one and that's all there is to it let's take a look at some of the adjustments that Alec and have to make first of all there is the physical adjustment here is Joan with an almost new body and new feelings she may like what she sees but it takes time to get used to it now for the first time she must face the fact that this is what she will look like for the rest of her life this is her face from now on her childhood dreams of herself as a glamorous princess may have to be revised for Alec there are other physical problems like his bad skin then there's his clumsiness it's just the normal lack of muscular coordination that goes with this rapid growth these physical adjustments have a truly overwhelming effect on Alex's feelings just when he's striving so hard to be grown up then there's social adjustment getting along with other people begins in babyhood at first you're only interested in yourself and how mother feels about you then a few more people come into the picture children make friends easily quarrel often and make it up just as quickly in adolescence the group of friends is wider and the young people are expected to be less emotional and better adjusted to one another Alec is unconsciously making this adjustment he's not quite sure of his relationship with his friends and in his un certainty he wants to do exactly as the rest of the crowd does in dress and behavior he is completely conventional not by the standards of his parents but by the standards of his Pals his friends are now the most important influence in his life he wants to go where they go eat what they eat read what they read Alex's father fails to see the importance of this Association do you want me yeah sit down aleec this hanging around the corner store till all ours has got to stop it isn't doing you any good and your school work suffering if you don't get down to business at school you'll never amount to anything so what in his effort to assert his independence Alec resists The Authority which his father is unwilling to relinquish in this seemingly useless hanging around he is finding his own way of solving the important problems of social adjustment sex adjustment perhaps the most important and difficult part of the adjustment to people is learning to get along with members of the opposite sex they have a terrific new urge to get along with each other but they don't yet know how what kind of boys do girls really like what kind of girls do boys like how will the others react to what they do there is a deep need for experience in association with members of the opposite sex only by informal social contact can they learn to get along together reading about sex and talks with understanding parents may help but without getting to know the other sex under normal healthy conditions it's almost impossible to make this most difficult of all adjustments religious adjustment the child accepts the religious beliefs of her parents as she accepts their other habits and rules without question a sound basis was laid during childhood for Jones religious experience during adolescence but with increased knowledge and intelligence comes a questioning a desire to understand for herself the teenager re-evaluates her whole world she feels religious doubts that she must work out for herself it may be as it is for Joan a gradual process of putting childhood beliefs into a more mature form for some girls it may be a sudden religious Awakening accompanied by emotional instability and feelings of guilt and fear talk with others in the same stage of questioning will help to relieve the tension and work out the problem discussions with an understanding clergyman or teacher will help to clarify confused ideas Jan parents have a tolerant attitude toward her criticism of their beliefs and by their willing to discuss her beliefs they are helping her to find a faith that will be satisfactory for Life moral adjustment again the child as he grows is faced with the problem of right and wrong no longer can Alec rely on his parents Authority as the Beall and end all of morality he has to decide for himself and he is likely at this age to accept the opin of his friends rather than that of adults he sees nothing wrong with any Behavior as long as it conforms to the standards of his classmates with the solving of such small moral issues comes conscious or unconscious self-evaluation because Alec fell below his own moral standards he has an undefined feeling of inadequacy about himself and is resentful against the rest of the world if this happened too often his disturbance might cause still more undesirable Behavior such as truancy or even destruction of property it might be the cause of withdrawal and daydreaming but with good home training based on affection and reasonable discipline and with intelligent teaching at school and at church and high standards among his own group he can set up a moral code that will be reflected in sound personal adjustment and a healthy social attitude thus we see that the teenager of today has to make five major adjustments adjustment to physical changes social adjustment or getting along with other people getting along with members of the opposite sex the settlement of religious doubts and the setting up of a moral code that he feels is acceptable to himself and to the rest of the world it's the stress of making these five adjustments that causes much of the extreme behavior of our teenagers if we recognize that this is only a stage of preparation for adult living we will better understand our adolescence there they go Restless Moody worried hilarious yet striving toward maturity are we helping them to achieve this maturity [Music]