Project Lead: Prof. Joana Salifu Yendork, Department of Psychology
The term ‘adolescence’ is derived from the Latin word ‘adolescere’, which means to grow up. In contemporary literature, adolescence is seen as a developmental phase that lies between childhood and adulthood, and its definition has long posed a dilemma for researchers in this area (Sawyer et al., 2018). Hall (1904) defines the concept as the developmental period ranging from age 14 to 24 years in his dissertation about adolescence. Nonetheless, in accordance with the United Nation Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), a child is defined as a person between the ages of 0 and 18 years, and adolescence is formally defined as the time between the ages of 10 and 19 years (WHO, 2016). Nevertheless, across different cultures and contexts, these definitions that are solely dependent on the age of the individual do not usually apply, especially on the issue of when adolescence starts and when it ends. Adolescents’ identity and sexuality can be influenced by several factors. Arrington-Sander et al. (2015) highlighted that; sexually explicit material (SEM) played a key role in the lives of black same-sex sexually active youth by serving as the only source of information for them concerning sexual development. Another factor that influences this phase is autonomy. As adolescents strive for personal autonomy, their relationship with those who hold authority over them comes increasingly into play and can often become strained (Esmond, 2000). Such turbulence is often expressed in differences in dance, dress, and sexual expression (Sharpe, 2003).
The study aimed to explore how the adolescence stage is experienced by the Ghanaian adolescent.