The Journal of the Association of Physicians of Tamil Nadu Issue 3
Is Adolescence a Social Construct? A Clinician’s Perspective
Open Access
Volume 4,
Issue 3
,
September 2025
,
Pages 51-54
The journal is published as a quarterly issue.
AUTHORS
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Puvithra Thanikachalam
HISTORY
Available Online: September 2025
ABSTRACT
Adolescence, often framed as a universal stage bridging childhood and adulthood, is debated as either a physiological necessity or a cultural artifact. This perspective, derived from a dialogue between an AI researcher and me, a retired Professor of Andrology and Reproductive Sciences, posits adolescence as predominantly a social construct, shaped by post-industrial societal needs rather than biological imperatives. While puberty—marked by hormonal and physical changes—is an undeniable physiological state, the prolonged duration of adolescence and behavioral expectations reflect cultural inventions, such as extended education and delayed autonomy. Drawing on anthropological, historical, and neuroscientific evidence, we argue that the brain’s lifelong malleability and environmentally influenced emotions underscore adolescence’s constructed nature.
KEYWORDS
Adolescence, Social Construct, Puberty, Neuroplasticity, Andrology, Cultural Variability, Brain Development
OPEN ACCESS
This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY 4.0 license
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/COPYRIGHT
© 2026 Association of Physicians of India-Tamilnadu State Chapter. Published by Dr. Vijay Viswanathan