By : Zack Good

 Granville Stanley Hall was born February 1884 in Ashfield Massachusetts.  He graduated from Williams college in 1867 and studied at the Union Theological Seminary.  He mainly focused on childhood development and the evolutionary theory.

 Hall was one of the first psychologist to look more into the psychology of adolescence and to use scientific methods to study them.  He defined the adolescence stage to begin at puberty around years of age.  Hall Said that this period of time was a period of “ Storm and Stress”.

 Hall used Darwin’s idea of “evolution” into a psychological theory.  This theory was that adolescence corresponds to the time whenever humans were in a transitional stage.  Hall believed that the experiential history of humans became the genetic structure of each individual person.  The overall idea is that the person relives the development of the human race from a animal type behavior, savagery and then to a more civilized manor of maturity.

 He saw that the emotional life of the adolescent had contradicting tendencies.  Energy and supernatural activity are followed by indifference, laziness and loathing.  Laugher and happiness would go to being depressed and gloom.  Hall described adolescence as wanting solitude and seclusion.

 Believed that the adolescent switches between several traits like sensitivity, tenderness emotionally and cruelty.  There is a display of enthusiastic curiosity and also a urge to discover and explore.  During this stage of the adolescent development they also have a need or want for idols and authority.

 According to Hall during the late stage of adolescence the individual person begins the state of being ready for modern civilization.  During late adolescence this is the end of the developmental process, which is the adolescent maturing being ready to enter society as an adult.

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