PHYSICAL GROWTH DURING ADOLESCENCE

Abstract

THERE ARE three major phases in the progress of growth from conception to full maturity. The first and the last of these phases are characterized by cycles of acceleration followed by deceleration in growth rates, both are accompanied with striking developmental changes. The middle phase, in contrast, is one of relatively steady, moderate progress in both growth and maturation. The term adolescence refers rather loosely to the last of these three major phases, to the time during which the child becomes a man or woman. The earliest and latest changes of this transformation take place insidiously and are not easily recognized or defined. They reach back well into what is usually thought of as childhood, or the stable middle period of growth, and they extend forward into what is, in most respects, adulthood. The major changes of adolescence, however, take place within a much shorter period and are recognized more