Aspect
of
Development |
Early
Adolescence
Ages 10-13 |
Middle
Adolescence
Ages 14-16 |
Late
Adolescence
Ages 17-19 |
| Physical
|
- Significant physical/ sexual maturation
- Intense concern with body image
|
- Continuing physical/ sexual changes
- Less concern with body image
|
- Physical/ sexual changes complete
- Greater acceptance of physical appearance
|
| Cognitive |
|
- Growth of capacity to think abstractly
|
- Capacity for abstract thought in place
|
| Emotional |
- Growing independence in decision-making
|
- Development pf sense of identity
- Exploration of ability to attract partners begins
|
- Sense of identity established
|
| Social |
- Increasing influence of peers
- Feeling attracted to others begins
|
- Enormous influence of peers/school environment
- Increase in sexual interest
|
- Family influence more in balance with peer influence
- Serious intimate relationships begin to develop
- Transition to work, college, independent living
|
| Behavioral |
- Experimenting with new ways of behaving begins
|
|
- Capacity for realistic risk assessment
|
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Adolescents
face the major task of creating stable identities and becoming complete
and productive adults (Perkins, Adolescence: Developmental Tasks, 2001).
They take on this task in small steps along the way as they adapt to the
changes they experience. These steps are themselves significant challenges
and are listed in Table 2, adapted from Perkins (2001), Stroufe (1988),
and american Psychological Association (2002):
Table
2: Reaching Adolescent Developmental Goals
| Developmental
Goal |
Reaching
the Goal: Facts and Tips |
| Achieve
new level of closeness and trust with peers.
| Adolescents
learn through experimentation to interact with others in more adult
ways.
|
Gain
independence from parents and develop new status within the family.
|
Change
is smoother if adolescents and their parents agree on some level
of independence that increases over time. Example: Setting curfew
times that increase as the adolescent matures and demonstrates responsible
behavior.
|
| Develop
a sense of personal identity. |
New
cognitive abilities give adolescents the chance to reflect on who
they are and what makes them unique. Adults can help adolescents
in this quest by:
- Engaging them with non-threatening questions, such as: Who do
you admire? What do you like to do in your free time? What do
you consider to be your strenghts? What have you done in your
life that you feel proud of?
- Casually showing rational decision-making strategies, such as
discussing how someone you know defined a problem, generated options,
anticipated outcomes, and made a decision.
- Discussing ethical and moral problems that are in the news.
|
| Move
toward autonomy in the larger world. |
Adolescents
need to begin to explore what will be their place in the world.
Adults can help them to gain insightful experience by encouraging
them to:
- Take on more responsibility in schoolwork and school-related
activities.
- Get involved in community activities.
- Hold part-time or summer jobs.
- Develop future goals.
- Examine career/educational options.
|
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| Four
Major Questions Facing Adolescents |
The growth
of one's intellect from concrete to abstract thinking makes adolescence
an intense time of self-discovery. In their quest to define themselves
and their relationship to the world, adolescents begin to ask themselves
four basic abstract questions (Perkins, "Adolescence: The Four Questions,"
2001):
- Who am I? (pertaining to his or her sexuality and
social roles)
- Am I normal? (Do I fit in with a certain crowd?)
- Am I competent? (Am I good at something that is valued
by peers and parents?)
- Am I lovable and loving? (can someone besides Mom
and Dad love me?)
Adults who
work with adolescents need to recognize that these questions are quite
central to the concerns of adolescents and should give them a chance to
explore their own beliefs and find their own answers to these questions.
Guidelines for assisting adolescents in their quest to answer each of
these questions follow in Table 3 (Perkins, 2001).
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Table
3: Four Major Questions Facing Adolescents — Guidelines for Adults
| Question |
Guidelines
for Adults |
| Who
am I?
|
- Give
them the freedom to explore their world. Only then can adolescents
begin to answer this question.
|
Am
I normal?
|
- Give them room to be like their peers. Fitting in with peers
helps adolescents feel "normal."
- Monitor youth activities by using the four "W" questions:
- Where are you going?
- With whom are you going?
- What are you doing?
- When will you be home?
|
| Am
I competent? |
- Assist adolescents with their problems and challenges but do
not solve them.
- Ask questions instead of telling, such "What are some things
you could do?"
- Guide but do not direct.
|
| Am
I lovable and loving? |
Adolescents
develop best when they have supportive families and community life
that include:
- Warmth and mutual respect.
- Serious and lasting interest of parents and other adults.
- Adult attention to the changes they are experiencing.
- Clear standards regarding discipline and close supervision.
- Communication of high expectations for achievement and ethical
behavior.
- Democratic ways of dealing with conflict.
|
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