Adolescence: Developmental Tasks

This is the final bulletin of a three-part series that explores adolescence. In the previous two bulletins we have explored the definition of adolescence; the biological and physical changes in adolescence; and the four major questions encountered by adolescents.

This bulletin presents the eight developmental tasks facing adolescents. By understanding these developmental tasks, parents and adults can provide support and opportunities that enable adolescents to accomplish these tasks.

What are the Developmental Tasks Facing Adolescents?

The major task facing adolescents is to create a stable identity and become complete and productive adults. Over time, adolescents develop a sense of themselves that transcends the many changes in their experiences and roles. They find their role in society through active searching which leads to discoveries about themselves.

The changes experienced during puberty bring new awareness of self and others' reactions to them. For example, sometimes adults perceive adolescents to be adults because they physically appear to be adults. However, adolescents are not adults. They need room to explore themselves and their world. Thus, as adults, we need to be aware of their needs and provide them with opportunities to grow into adult roles.

A developmental task represents our culture's definition of "normal" development at different points in the life span. There are a total of eight developmental tasks that enable adolescents to create an identity.

Achieving new and more mature relations with others, both boys and girls, in their age group.

 

Adolescents learn through experimentation to interact with others in more adult ways. Physical maturity plays an important role in peer relations. Adolescents who mature at a slower or faster rate than others will be dropped from one peer group and generally will enter a peer group of similar maturity. For early-maturing girls, entering into a peer group of similar physical maturity can mean a greater likelihood of early sexual activity. Monitoring by parents can be a useful boundary setting tool because it allows parents to place limits on the adolescent's outside activities.

Achieving a masculine or feminine social role.

 

Adolescents develop their own definition of what it means to be male or female. However, most adolescents conform to the sex roles of our cultural view of male (assertive & strong) and female (passive & weak) characteristics. Yet, these roles have become more relaxed in the last twenty years. As adults, we need to provide adolescents with chances to test and develop their masculine and feminine social roles. For example, we need to encourage males to express their feelings and encourage females to assert themselves more than they have in the past.

Accepting one's physique.

 

The beginning of puberty and the rate of body changes for adolescents varies tremendously. How easily adolescents deal with those changes will partly reflect how closely their bodies match the well-defined stereotypes of the "perfect" body for young women and young men. Adolescents who do not match the stereotype may need extra support from adults to improve their feelings of comfort and self-worth regarding their physique.