How do you define adolescence? Is adolescence both a biological fact and a social intention? Is it better to view adolescence as a stage instead of a less well-defined period of life? In your response, indicate what you believe about when adolescence begins and ends (give ages); what, besides age, indicates that adolescence is beginning or ending, and what are the "signs" that mark the boundaries of this time of life? Explain what, if anything, makes adolescence a particular time of life.

Expand the Discussion: Which description - yours or the other student's - best captures the essence of adolescence most fully and why?