Adolescence Developmental Tasks Developmental Tasks that Confront Adolescents

Adolescence: Developmental Tasks

Developmental Tasks that Confront Adolescents: Achieving Mature Relations with Age-Mates: ◦ Crave adult relationships in which they are viewed as men and women. ◦ Social groupings tend to be same sex, characterized by clubs, groups, gangs, cliques. ◦ Crave social activities and social experimentation. ◦ Gaining the approval of peers of both sexes becomes an influence on the behavior of adolescents.

� Adapting to Physical Changes: ◦ Adolescents learn what their bodies will be (tall, short, wide, narrow, etc) ◦ Not all bodies are shaped or function as their owners desire, thus there is a need to find pride or tolerance in one’s body. ◦ “What if I don’t like the way I look, the way I am? Will others accept me as I am? ” ◦ If development is delayed, then anxiety and social confusion can result. “Am I normal? ”

� Independence from Parents & Adults: ◦ Adolescents want an adult relationship with parents rather than the dependence of childhood. ◦ Adolescents are ambivalent about leaving the security of childhood; parents want them to mature, but also want to protect them. ◦ Thus, miscommunication, rebellion, authoritarian behaviors, irresponsibility, etc.

� Preparing for Marriage & Family: ◦ Strong attractions develop between the sexes and the possibility of marriage and family is entertained. ◦ Early YA reflected this more than current YA, mostly because couples marry later. ◦ A shift in attitudes, and varying lifestyles, has influenced them not to consider marriage or family as immediate concerns.

� Preparing for a Career: ◦ Part of moving from childhood to adulthood is achieving economic independence, the ability to make a living, and choosing a satisfying occupation. ◦ Adolescents do this through part-time work, summer jobs, chores, and other means of making money.

� Acquiring a Personal Ideology: ◦ Adolescents need to develop a value system to guide them in ethical decisions. ◦ Tend to be interested in sampling various worldviews, religions, political stances, philosophical perspectives. ◦ Tend to evaluate their parents’ values and ideas, which they passively accepted as universal truths in childhood.

� Achieving Social Responsibility: ◦ Discovering one’s role in relation to social groups and participating as a member of the community and a citizen of the state and nation. ◦ Adolescents discover that their personal desires, beliefs, and behaviors affect, or potentially affect, groups beyond their own families.