Development Tasks of Adolescents

One developmental task an adolescent needs to achieve is to establish a self-image. A primary task of early and middle adolescence is to achieve a new and positive sense of self in response to the many changes that occur at that age. The most dramatic are the biological changes and the alternations in physical appearnace that require a change in the body image and in the relevant self-evaluations. At a more global or general level, the adolescent should develop a new acceptance of the self as a person of worth. In addition, adolescence is a time to experiment with possible identities and ultimately to achieve a stable, specific picture of the self.

A second major task of adolescence is to intensify intimate relations with peers and to learn to relate in new ways to members of the opposite sex, so that at a later age the individual will be emotionally prepared to leave his or her family of origin and set up a new family. Several related dependent variables are included: perce

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ubertal development in these studies (regarding girls) showed no relationship in early or middle adolescence to perceived stability of the self-picture, a measure of the extent to which the individual is confused or changes attitudes about her own identity. The following areas are the ones affected in a consistent and significant way by purbertal development: the specific aspects of a girl's body-image, relationships with members of the opposite sex, level of independence, expectations by adults for older behavior, academic performance, and extent of problem behavior in school. Furthermore, it was found that the developmental readiness hypothesis appears to fit better than the alternative hypotheses. First, because pubertal change is neither universally positive nor universally negative at the time it occurs for girls; second, the deviance is not always negative. The developmental readiness hypothesis suggests that early entry into a new period in the life course may be more difficult at least over the short term than a more gradual and later entry. According to studies of adolescent girls, early maturers are more likely than others to respond unfavorably to their body characteristics and to show short-term negative reactio
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Approximate Word count = 3168
Approximate Pages = 13 (250 words per page)

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