The dramatic changes that characterize puberty present the adolescent (an individual between puberty and adulthood, a teenager) with serious psychosocial (psychological and social) challenges. A person who has lived for 12 years has developed a certain sense of self. In adolescence, however, this knowledge of self is challenged. As has been discussed, the rather sudden bodily changes in this period are accompanied by equally dramatic changes in thoughts and feelings. Thus, not all of the assumptions (beliefs taken for granted or assumed) adolescents held about the self in earlier stages may still be relevant to the new individuals they find themselves to be. Because a coherent (connected) sense of self is necessary for functioning productively in society, adolescents ask a crucial psychosocial question: Who am I? According to this paragraph, what often causes an individual to question her identity?