<P> The formal study of adolescent psychology began with the publication of G. Stanley Hall 's `` Adolescence in 1904 . '' Hall , who was the first president of the American Psychological Association , viewed adolescence primarily as a time of internal turmoil and upheaval ( sturm und drang ) . This understanding of youth was based on two then new ways of understanding human behavior : Darwin 's evolutionary theory and Freud 's psychodynamic theory . He believed that adolescence was a representation of our human ancestors ' phylogenetic shift from being primitive to being civilized . Hall 's assertions stood relatively uncontested until the 1950s when psychologists such as Erik Erikson and Anna Freud started to formulate their theories about adolescence . Freud believed that the psychological disturbances associated with youth were biologically based and culturally universal while Erikson focused on the dichotomy between identity formation and role fulfillment . Even with their different theories , these three psychologists agreed that adolescence was inherently a time of disturbance and psychological confusion . The less turbulent aspects of adolescence , such as peer relations and cultural influence , were left largely ignored until the 1980s . From the ' 50s until the ' 80s , the focus of the field was mainly on describing patterns of behavior as opposed to explaining them . </P>
<P> The formal study of adolescent psychology began with the publication of G. Stanley Hall 's `` Adolescence in 1904 . '' Hall , who was the first president of the American Psychological Association , viewed adolescence primarily as a time of internal turmoil and upheaval ( sturm und drang ) . This understanding of youth was based on two then new ways of understanding human behavior : Darwin 's evolutionary theory and Freud 's psychodynamic theory . He believed that adolescence was a representation of our human ancestors ' phylogenetic shift from being primitive to being civilized . Hall 's assertions stood relatively uncontested until the 1950s when psychologists such as Erik Erikson and Anna Freud started to formulate their theories about adolescence . Freud believed that the psychological disturbances associated with youth were biologically based and culturally universal while Erikson focused on the dichotomy between identity formation and role fulfillment . Even with their different theories , these three psychologists agreed that adolescence was inherently a time of disturbance and psychological confusion . The less turbulent aspects of adolescence , such as peer relations and cultural influence , were left largely ignored until the 1980s . From the ' 50s until the ' 80s , the focus of the field was mainly on describing patterns of behavior as opposed to explaining them . </P>
when was adolescence first considered a period of development
when was adolescence first considered a period of development
1904
1904