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"Adolescence is frequently defined as the intermediate stage between childhood and adulthood. This definition, however, is not an entirely accurate one. It implies that childhood and adulthood are two sharply delineated periods of life, and that adolescence is a definite period that begins when childhood ends and is completed when adulthood is reached. In reality, the growth process does not occur in stages. Adulthood is the end result of gradual maturation that begins with the fusion of the ovum and sperm. Arbitrarily separating this process into periods gives the false impression that growth proceeds by "steps." Actually, the growth chart depicts a curve. In the opinion of the writer, adolescence encompasses an extensive period of accelerated physical and psychological growth. Its onset can be determined by observation of physical changes. As will be indicated in the chapter on physical development, this period of change usually begins at about the age of ten in girls and the age of twelve in boys. Clinical evidence shows that modifications of the psychological structure take place at approximately the same time as the physical change occurs. The onset of the psychological changes is not so easily determined as the physical, partially because the changes take place more gradually but also because no accurate measuring techniques exist at present for determining changes in psychological growth patterns. Adolescence terminates physically with the establishment of the mature body structure and the mature functioning of the glands of internal secretion, particularly those directly related to the reproductive system. It terminates psychologically with the establishment of relatively consistent patterns for dealing with the internal conflicts and the demands of reality experienced by the physically mature individual"--Introduction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved).

Adolescence.