license, they have more opportunity to be independent. They may date often and have
regular sex.
Late adolescence is the age when the prefrontal lobe of the cortex of most brains
matures. This allows impulses to be controlled. It permits empathy, increased problem
solving, planning for the future, and allows for a higher reflective capacity. Not all brains
complete this process.
These teens watch sitcoms, reality shows, soap operas, and game shows in addition to
MTV. They may be interested in news shows, educational material, and social and political
issues. They like action/adventure, teen humor and slapstick, romantic comedies, and social
drama. The late adolescent’s sense of humor is probably mature. Television cartoon watch-
ing has dropped off. Thirteen- to nineteen-year-olds are the largest demographic for motion
pictures. Electronic games (especially role-playing games and sports games) and some classic
games (chess and poker) remain popular. Sports activities also remain of interest.
Ages Seventeen to Twenty-One
The transition into adulthood starts here. Adolescents leave their parents and venture into
the adult world. Most healthy brains have matured by late adolescence. Men, especially, might
still be immature. Women may be vulnerable. Both find their own values, their own sexual
identities. A vocation becomes important. This age group is searching for a temporary or life
mate. Intimacy becomes important: If I give myself, will I lose myself? A shift away from the
old rules allows this age group to be unusually receptive to new people, new ideas, and new
ways of doing things. Studies have found that males eighteen to thirty-four want surprises.
With the brain capable of advanced abstract reasoning, many in the transition stage especially
appreciate sci-fi and stories with a distant and exotic locale. By seventeen some teens have
already shifted away from teen music and have more adult or mature tastes.
Young Adulthood (Ages Eighteen to Forty-Five)
Young adults are establishing new life patterns. They might make peace with their parents
and accept advice. Young adults begin to see their parents’ lives in all their complexity. They
may move back home until they’re financially able to make it on their own. They begin to
have a strong confidence in making their own decisions and doing things their own way.
They’re apt to feel that there are no limits on the future. They’re still experimenting with
lifestyles and finding new friends. There is a great interest in careers, and young adults may
enthusiastically put in long hours at a job. They could establish a family, adding new respon-
sibility and a change in focus and relationships. Major changes are made in this period:
leaving home, establishing a career, marriage, having children, establishing a new home and
a lifestyle. During this period life experience grows. Relationships change as a marriage
matures and children get older. This is the greatest point of financial responsibility for most.
Home and career stresses can be great. Somewhere between age thirty and forty-five there
may be a midlife crisis, spinning events and lifestyles around. The catalyst can include a
career crisis, a divorce, children leaving the home, and so on. Am I fulfilling my potential?
How successful have I been in parenting, in my career, in my relationships?
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