Adolescence is a Latin word which translates to “growing up”. It is therefore the transitional stage of physical and mental human development. This generally occurs between puberty and the legal age of adulthood, which runs from the age of 13 to 19.

Historically, puberty has been associated with teenagers and the onset of adolescent development, which ordinarily is the transition period from the age of innocence to the age of intuitive and intrinsic knowledge. But the start of puberty has, to a very large extent, witnessed increased pre-adolescent evolution, particularly in the female sex. Consequently, the adolescent phase, in recent times, has had occasional extension beyond the teenage years, thus creating a sharp contrast with previous adolescent development processes, especially in males.

Indeed, to properly situate the issues and processes that take place during the transition phase from the age of innocence to the era of cognitive understanding and knowledge development, it is imperative to highlight the obvious indicators of progress from the stage of adolescence towards adulthood. Interestingly, is characterised by a number of cognitive, emotional, physical and attitudinal changes which could cause conflict in negative or positive character and or personality development.

Simply put, with the hormonal fields which ebb and flow before and after the menarche, blending increasing knowledge development with parallel snap in information penetration and assimilation, including the orgy of misinformation inundated by peer group influence, the adolescent mind is perhaps, the most vulnerable and volatile parch of the human development process. It is even more so with the young tender female folks.

At this stage of transition, the adolescent emerges from the family-oriented, dependent figure with the tranquil, tabular rasa mind of childhood. The genuine sense of innocence of that phase naturally enters the era of knowledge, which is laced with frustration, competitiveness, and the trauma of adult life. A successful emergence of this unique aura demands the nurturing of that piquant period of maturity, which blends biologically, emotionally and socially to form the perfect adult.

To fuse this anatomy into a complete human being capable of understanding the intricate interplays which determine the direction towards order, peace, and development may not be easily appreciated until the various forces which play active roles in this process are acknowledged. The social institutions which wittingly and or unwittingly configure the perfect adolescent being are the family, church, school, peer group, work environment, and perhaps, the government. But most importantly, the family and academic institutions, which participate in the early development of the child, are key in the transition from the age of innocence to the era of self-realisation and identity.

First, let me take the formative role of the family, for instance. The friendly home environment and morally sound parents are very necessary factors which ultimately inculcate positive behaviours and attitudes in the adolescent. It is not in doubt that adolescents who have parents with acceptable moral values, more often than not, end up developing near-perfect behaviours, values that are generally permissible, and robust cognitive and resilient knowledge base, which help to propel development across the board.

Besides, the parents take advantage of their intimacy to impart certain skills and knowledge into their adolescent children by giving them exemplary life-sustaining characters and qualities that would endear them positively to others. In the same manner, they teach their wards necessary and basic rudiments of life which should help build an adult whose contribution to national development would be a reference point for others. By this, basic knowledge concerning the do’s and don’ts of the adolescent as well as the right moments for bringing the critical factors into play are explained in details before they start learning or hearing them from other intervening forces.

Conversely, harsh, insecure, violent and or volatile home environment coupled with lack of positive values, humane behaviours and moral bankruptcy in parents largely promote adolescents with mostly negative risk factors. These include repulsive lifestyles such as early smoking, drinking, fighting and or violent habits, unprotected sex, and disrespect for elders and human lives generally leading to stealing, armed robbery, and other social vices.

These formative character impulses are naturally embedded and carried along in the development process. However, the church and school environment also play moderating roles in translating these influences into sustainable manifest human behaviours. The church, for example helps to encourage swift and positive changes that could assist in remoulding the character and inner reasoning of the adolescents, if such negative values are discovered early enough. But this becomes difficult to manage if the parents are animists or atheists and therefore, abhor nominal Christian values.

Interestingly, the school institution and peer groups also influence the adolescent’s upbringing greatly. This is because these intervening factors play sustained roles during the transitional phase of the adolescent to adulthood, and may continue to influence choices and decisions made for the rest of his or her life. The school, on its part, play critical role at the formative stage and promotes life-changing values, whether positive or negative in the adolescent. Most of the good and bad behaviours and attitudes learnt at this period are assimilated and internalised so much so that it becomes gravely difficult for parents and other superior reasoning to effect any changes in future. Once the adolescent is convinced of the import of any teaching at this point, it becomes part of the adult life.

On the other hand, the peer group elements, who could be intimate friends, share things in common with each other: they read together, eat together, go out together to class and any other place they may choose to go, and do many things together that their parents and teachers may not be privy to. The only moderating force at this stage is their instinct, which could positively or negatively mould their reasoning, actions or inactions. You can imagine the degree of influence this level of freedom can have on the development, and indeed, the future of the innocent, whose cognitive and intrinsic reasoning is open to all manner of assimilation and knowledge development.

Now for me, whatever orientation is achieved at this stage, whether positive or negative, obviously affects the development of the society. If positive values and characters are imparted, the adolescent brings that wealth to bear on the overall development of the nation through progressive contributions to the general social, economic and political development process. Such positive inputs into the development process ultimately trigger change in many ways and help to move society forward.

But if the adolescent is an epitome of negative values, characters and behaviours, the result of this is negative influence, retrogression or stagnation of society. This could come in various forms: being a complete dependant on others, especially parents because of unwillingness to go to school and acquire formal education which should serve of basic foundation for the future. For those whose attempt to acquire formal education through the social institutions had failed, they may continue to be dependent on others, even after graduation because of poor grades or failure to even graduate; thus constituting a nuisance to society. The majority of these may have ended up being rusticated or expelled from such academic environments. Some find it difficult to secure employment over a significant period of time, and in an effort to force themselves into the ring of society, transfer aggression to family and others they may come in contact with.

I think that this has created an army of vagrants, miscreants, disgruntled youths and elements who take up arms against their families and those virtues and ideals which further the development of the nation. In fact, the bulk of economic saboteurs, criminal elements and gangs, cultists and some forced militants, pick-pockets, social deviants, corrupt persons whether in the private or public sector of the economy, looters of the national treasury, kidnappers and armed robbers, including those who carry arms against the state, such as members of Boko Haram, are offshoots of this divide.

It is perhaps necessary to point out that apart from the family, two key institutions which naturally should play moderating, reformatory and reintegrating roles in this melodrama are the work environment or labour institutions and governments at all levels. Indeed, it is noteworthy that the family bears the first brunt of the negative impact of the deviant adolescent-turned-adult. This is because the first enemy who feels the aggression is the immediate family before the entire nation.

I think, therefore, that the family must begin the job of mending the already bad case of a vagrant adolescent by intensifying the administration of corrective measures to encourage positive re-orientation, attitudinal and behavioural change. The family can as well co-opt the power of the church in ensuring the inculcation of positive moral and social values that collectively would help drive the course of society towards sustainable development.

In the same vein, private corporate institutions, non-governmental organisations, civil society groups, rights activists, public institutions, government agencies, departments and ministries can also play intervening roles in remoulding the character of the lost sheep, and reintegrating them into productive engines of growth for the nation. Methinks that if this clear synergy is achieved, the league of social miscreants and disgruntled elements who whittle down the impact of the ordered minds in securing social, economic and political development of Nigeria would be greatly reduced, if not clearly eliminated.

Tamunodiepiriye, a Mass Communication student of RSUST, writes from Port Harcourt.

Gift Odikibiebuma Tamunodiepiriye