There exists a natural concept that we face in our lives, where we cannot help but wonder why we take certain paths, one after the other, as each decision opens up new routes for experiences. And as we set forward onto these different paths, our bodies and minds start to develop into something more that we may not initially realize. While one of the biggest changes to our body comes from puberty, the development of our mind may come from what surrounds us, yet this concept is still not entirely thought out. We notice this as change. Our inevitable nature is littered with biological milestones that force us to adapt for the better or, the worse. The arc of human life is one of the precise reasons that humans rarely resemble their former childhood, or 10-year-old, selves. 

Perhaps one of the most significant biological changes occurs during the end of our adolescent state (8-14 years old). During puberty, our minds and bodies start to mature, and is a period of both discovery and disorientation; one in which we face difficult choices that affect how the rest of our lives will be shaped. Shortly after the body begins to develop is when our brain starts its way to total growth. There are multiple factors that are subject to how our brains mature, which can be influenced by mothers having appropriate nutrition during pregnancy, exposure to toxins or viruses, different experiences growing up, or most commonly known, genes. 

Before puberty hits, our brain undergoes significant changes in the prefrontal cortex, the part of our brain that is involved in decision-making and higher cognitive functions. As scientists studied the different roles our brain has to offer, they see that “during adolescence, myelination and synaptic pruning in the prefrontal cortex increase, improving the efficiency of information processing, and neural connections between the prefrontal cortex and other regions of the brain are strengthened” (Brain Development). Our thinking process is the essence of how people change over time because we come to have different opinions and thoughts as time moves on. As a result of these early changes within the brain, there is “an imbalance during adolescence between the more mature subcortical areas and less mature prefrontal areas. This may account for typical adolescent behavior patterns, including risk-taking” (PMC).

While the brain continues to flourish, our age also continues to grow, meaning that by our 40s or 50s, we begin to feel a decrease in physical strength. Our muscles tend to weaken and our mind slows down the older we get. The most common change in our body is our cardiovascular system where our blood vessels and arteries stiffen. As experts mention, this change “causes your heart to work harder to pump blood through them. The heart muscles change to adjust to the increased workload” (Aging). Age is an inevitable fact of life that constantly changes how our lives progress which is why we are always vulnerable to change; our biological factors naturally affect how our lives grow into something we are not used to and how we are able to adapt. 

Beyond the obvious biological changes present during this adolescent stage, we are in large, vastly different to our 10-year-old selves due to factors outside of our own biology. As we grow up, we are pushed by external forces to adjust our perspectives and attitudes, sometimes even subconsciously. The Greek philosopher Heracleitus believed that all natural things are constantly changing, this includes the environment around us. Our surrounding environment plays an influential role in shaping and altering our opinions and critical thinking. In my youth, most of my earliest ideas were rooted in the most influential factors around me: my parents.  

This personal change is not different from what millions of other 10-year-olds experience. Studies have shown that life experiences are related to children’s relationships with parents and are associated differently with various identity styles. In a student survey with a sampled population of achieved identities, people have experienced a period of exploration, and foreclosed identities, not having experienced exploration but demonstrating strong ideological commitments, have demonstrated this concept: “both Achieved and Foreclosed college students described their relationships with parents in a positive way, but the Achieved group had a more balanced view, describing both positive and negative feelings, while the Foreclosed group, as might be expected, stressed conformity with parents' views” (Identity). From my childhood experiences, I tend to lead more toward the foreclosed identity because I am comfortable with my current lifestyle. Though the impact of my parents has stayed constant over time, I am challenged by other individuals outside of the comfort of my home that exert change from myself. From then to now, I had gone from my last year in elementary school to my second year in high school. With the change in academics, difficulties, and environment, I was also surrounded by different people who I met within these periods of time. It is quite common for people to change right after they have met a person, and their new personality most likely be centralized around that new person in their lives. The friends I have met and now have a strong bond with have influenced some of my behaviors to be more like them. 

It is no bad thing to be vastly different than I was at ten. We need change. Without it, humans would not have advanced many of the beneficial aspects of our society. As we encounter physical and environmental factors, we are thrust into situations that force us to mature. Our experiences from childhood to adulthood allow us to gain perspective on the world around us. In order to be a successful members of society, we are also challenged to learn new skills, which pushes us forward to the next chapter of our lives. All of this discomfort and growth ultimately is what allows seeds of confidence to grow within us. Through life’s twists and turns, we change, which is why many of us don’t recognize the 10-year-olds we used to be. Yet, it’s the reminisce of those young souls that is what our identity is based on.

Works Cited

courses.lumenlearning.com/wm-lifespandevelopment/chapter/brain-development-during-adolescence/#:~:text=During%20adolescence%2C%20myelination%20and%20synaptic,and%20the%20growth%20is%20uneven

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3705203/

mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/healthy-aging/in-depth/aging/art-20046070

sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0092656603000709