Adolescence - a Transition to Adulthood Proceedings of the 24th Aschauer Soiree, held at Jurata, Poland, November 5th 2016

摘要

The transition to adulthood is a delicate period facing complex interactions between the adolescent and the social group he or she belongs to. Social identity, group identification and identity signalling are only a few issues characterizing this time when individuals may not only interact as individuals, on the basis of their individual characteristics or interpersonal relationships, but also as members of their group. Within-group favouritism and out-group derogation, shaping common goals and establishing social norms all belong to this process of maturation (1). Recent evidence has accumulated to support that also physical growth may be part of this developmental process with strategic growth adjustment towards goals in height that are not only the result of genes, nutrition and health, but express social function and shape social interactions of the emerging adult (2). Starting with recent evidence for competitive growth in cooperative mammals (3) - meerkats when acquiring dominant status within the group, show a secondary period of accelerated growth - Hermanussen and Scheffler (2) presented historic evidence suggesting competitive growth strategies also in the human species.