ABSTRACT
Adolescence is a complex stage of human development, for the years twelve to eighteen involve a wide range of major life changes. In fact it is unlikely that the individual undergoes greater changes at any other stage in the life-cycle apart from infancy. During the teenage years the young person experiences puberty, which has an impact on physical, physiological and psychological systems. Of all the theories of adolescence it is evident that the psychoanalytic and sociological approaches have had the widest impact. However the two are clearly different from each other. The psychoanalytic view takes as its starting point the upsurge of instincts which is said to occur as a result of puberty. Puberty, and the physical growth that accompanies it, is important to those involved in education for a number of reasons. Changes in intellectual functioning during the teenage years have implications for a wide range of behaviours and attitudes.
