Youth biological stage VS social construct

Youth biological stage VS social construct

1. Biological stage

   • All youth go through hormonal changes at puberty
   • At this time, young people experience changes in their behaviour and attitude
   • Many young people go through times of being irritable and unsure of themselves

2. Social construct

   • The Law
     • In each society the rights and responsibility of young people differ greatly. Laws are very different in various societies
       • e.g. In England you must be 17 to drive whereas in America you can drive at 16
   • Social norms
     • Customs also vary
       • e.g. In England the average age for a female to marry is just over 29 in Niger it is 17
   • Emotional/Behavioural norms
     • It is often believed that for all youth life is confusing and emotional
       • Margaret Mead (1927) argued that this is not the case in every society. Mead claimed that Samoan young people did not have this period of turmoil

3. 'Social construct' - decided by society