Developmental Challenges of Adolescence
According to Cambridge Dictionary, developmental is where the process of growing turns into something that is more complicated, meanwhile challenges is something that requires high intellectual and physicality to be done. The challenges take place when teenagers are experiencing their overall development of themselves.
Biological Challenges
Early Adolescence
Puberty takes place and they will undergo their own growth spurt
Middle Adolescence
The looks of their body would develop
Changes of their physical state still happens originating from puberty
Late Adolescence
Getting ready for what lies ahead and strengthen their own identity
Psychological Challenges
Early Adolescence
Having good way of thinking but premature grasps of values
Establish who they are sexually
A possibility of romantically and platonically likings
Middle Adolescence
Having good way of thinking but premature grasps of values; still developing who they are sexually (Middle Adolescence)
Interest towards opposite sex will take place (Middle Adolescence)
Having an advanced way of thinking; could differ law from morality (Late Adolescence)
Feeling that they are their own kind of person (Late Adolescence)
Establishing of who they are personally (Late Adolescence)
Social Challenges
Early Adolescence
Beginning to strongly identify where they want to belong in
Collaborating with people similar with their own sex
Middle Adolescence
Happening to have uncertain attraction to someone who is an opposite sex
Interest towards opposite sex is interrupted by who they hang around with formally and someone who are close to them
Late Adolescence
Establishing a deep genuine form of relationship with people with has similar life factors and treated as fairly like they do to others
Establishing of where they would excel in regarding of work and having their own money
Behavioral Challenges
Early Adolescence
The way that they act does not meet what other people (e.g., parents) what they expected them to act
They would go through mood swings and feel that nobody loves them that may affect their emotions
Middle Adolescence
They would do anything that they wanted, not listening to other people
Feel grumpy most of the times and go through mood swings
Late Adolescence
They know how to act for the sake of their relationships
Developmental Tasks of Adolescence
Erik Erikson’s eight stages of Psychosocial Developmental Theory, Identity vs. Role Confusion (age range lies between 12 to 18 years old) indicates teenagers would seek to find out who they really are and trying to find a sense of belonginess by socializing at the same time. To him, what teenagers really want to achieve is realization about themselves. They find it difficult to answer questions regarding their purpose in life. Most of them changes between roles and what they know then look where they are granted comfort, aspirations and trying to figure it out themselves.
Professor Robert J. Havighurst from University Chicago gave out that every stage of human development can be explained by developmental task which belongs in the transition commonly known. In his own theory regarding the topic, people will have a sense of worth when they achieve each developmental tasks of every stage. He determined that task as something that appears in one’s life period, they would not perform properly in the next stage when they do no achieve something previously.
Havighurst’s eleven Developmental Task of Normal Adolescence is based on the transition of a teenager. But he thinks that they do not undergo each developmental task because it depends on what their current tasks are in each period of their adolescence.
HAVIGHURST’S DEVELOPMENTAL TASK OF ADOLESCENCE
Early Adolescence
Create a concept about themselves
Think about what they can do physically
They can have their own independence
Forming socially-acceptable attitudes
Knowing how to bond with their friends
Middle Adolescence
Obtaining new cognitive skills
Embracing their own physical figure
Having a sense of direction in life
They can have their own independence psychologically
Having good relationship towards both sexes
Gaining a role in society whether masculine or feminine
Having emotional independence of an adult
Having psychological independence from parents
Lead own behavior by having principles about life
Earning a behavior that is responsible to society
Preparing for role once reached adulthood and considering future objectives and occupation
Late Adolescence to Early Adult Life
Getting ready for adult life
Settling on their occupation soon
Having an idea of who they are
Independent from their parents psychologically
Going into adulthood is almost complete
Getting for marriage and establishing their own family
Getting ready for having a career regarding economics
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