Theories & Approaches
Adolescent Development: An Overview
While adolescent development does not occur on a perfect continuum, it is convenient to talk about adolescent maturation in stages. We will refer to three stages of adolescence in this column:
- early adolescence: ages 9-13
- middle adolescence: ages 14-16, and
- late adolescence: ages 17-19
Table 1, modified from Get Organized: A Guide to Preventing Teen Pregnancy (1999), outlines the key features of each of these three stages of adolescent development.
Table 1: Key Features of the Three Stages of Adolescent Development
Aspect
of Development |
Early
Adolescence Ages 10-13 |
Middle
Adolescence Ages 14-16 |
Late
Adolescence Ages 17-19 |
Physical |
|
|
|
Cognitive |
|
|
|
Emotional |
|
|
|
Social |
|
|
|
Behavioral |
|
|
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Developmental Tasks
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:
|
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:
|
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).
Table 3: Four Major Questions Facing Adolescents — Guidelines for Adults
Question | Guidelines for Adults |
Who am I? |
|
Am
I normal? |
|
Am I competent? |
|
Am I lovable and loving? | Adolescents develop best when they have supportive families and community life that include:
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