Final answer:
Conduct Disorder (CD) can be seen as ODD evolving into more severe behaviors during adolescence, influenced by cognitive and psychosocial changes. The struggle for identity and peer pressure may exacerbate the symptoms of ODD, leading to CD.
Step-by-step explanation:
In adolescence, Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) can evolve into Conduct Disorder (CD), representing a continuum of disruptive behaviors. ODD is characterized by a pattern of angry or irritable mood, argumentative or defiant behavior, or vindictiveness, typically evidenced before the age of 8 or in the early elementary years. As children transition into adolescence, those with unresolved ODD may escalate to more severe behaviors encapsulated by CD, which includes a broader range of behaviors such as aggression towards people and animals, destruction of property, deceitfulness or theft, and serious violations of rules or laws.
During adolescence, the rapid cognitive development and the ongoing psychosocial changes foster an environment where defiant behaviors can intensify. The struggle for identity, independence, and peer acceptance are central to this developmental stage. Such conditions might contribute to an escalation from ODD to CD if adolescents continue to confront authority and are influenced by peer groups that endorse deviant behaviors.
Therefore, CD can be viewed as an extension of ODD into late childhood and adolescence as it reflects the maturation of earlier symptoms into more sophisticated and serious behavioral problems during a period of significant developmental change.