Intellectual Evolution from Adolescence to adulthood - Essay Example

The brain is the center of personality as it holds knowledge of the experiences that individuals are exposed to throughout their life. Jean Piaget contends that the major cognitive development occurs over four distinct stages throughout an individuals lifetime. While the initial stages of development are quite clear, the evolution from adolescence to adulthood is much less clear. The transition is defined by the individual becoming more concrete in her logic and aptitude. The fourth stage of Piaget’s developmental ladder is the Formal Operation stage.

In this stage, the individual reaches the final form of cognition (Smith, 2001). Specifically because the have grown pass the need for concrete objects to make rational decisions allowing the to engage in abstract mental modeling. They are capable of conceiving the hypothetical and engaging in deductive reasoning (Smith, 2001). This is a more mature method of thinking because they are able to see both sides of an issue which is key to problem solving skills possessed by adults. The evolution to adulthood occurs when they begin to specialize in the professional careers.

Such an evolution indicates that the adult has found a niche objective where all other mental formations are a direct extension of the initial knowledge foundations (Smith, 2001). The mark of an adolescent is indeed his ability to conceptualize the abstract, while the mark of the adult is the ability to turn those abstract conceptions into executed objectives. Adulthood is defined by more than the individuals ability to engage in cognition, rather it is based on their ability to focus those cognitive skills and apply it towards a specialized interest.

Works Cited Smith, L. (2001). Jean Piaget. In J. A. Palmer (Ed.), 50 modern thinkers on education: From Piaget to the present. London: Routledge.