Understanding Adolescence Seeing Through A Developmental Lens

Developmental Tasks and Attributes of Late Adolescence/Young Adulthood (Ages 18 – 24 years)

This is a time of life when very little is normative. It is a period of frequent change and exploration that covers many aspects of their life: home, family, work, school, resources, and role. What is “normal” The process of becoming an adult is more gradual and varied today than in the for a young adult? past. Young people take longer to achieve economic and psychological autonomy Where do they live? and early adulthood experiences vary greatly by gender, race and ethnicity, and social class. Who do they live with? In school? Adjust to new n Serious intimate relationships begin to Working? physical sense of self develop. Majority regard love, fidelity and Working and in school? lifelong commitment as very important to a While young adolescents experience rapid successful relationship. In-between school and work? and profound physical changes triggered by n Most are sexually experienced. hormones acting on different parts of their Unemployed? body, p hysical and sexual body changes are Close to parents? primarily complete. Develop and apply Parenting? n While most physical development is abstract thinking skills complete, young men may continue to Adolescents experience significant changes in Spouse or partner? physically grow until age 21. their capacity to think. In changing from Community member? concrete to abstract thought they are n Greater acceptance of physical appearance. increasingly able to understand and grapple Tax-payer? with abstract ideas, think about possibilities, Voter? Adjust to a sexually think ahead, think about thinking, and “put maturing body and feelings themselves in another person’s shoes.” Citizen? With the significant changes in adolescence, In general, this changes their ability to think youth must adapt sexually and establish a about themselves, others and the world considering many possibilities and logical sense of sexual identity. This includes around them. outcomes of possible events. incorporating a personal sense of masculinity n Able to hold and manipulate clusters of or femininity into one’s personal identity; This is a gradual process that spans abstract ideas and create systems for establishing values about sexual behavior; adolescence and young adulthood. For organizing abstract thoughts. and developing skills for romantic example, early in the process youth are relationships. limited in their ability to hold more than one n Greater ability to consider different points point of view – understanding something of view at the same time can result in n Clear sexual identity. from one perspective but not another. increased empathy and concern for others, n Concerned with serious relationships and n Capacity for abstract thought becomes and new interest in societal issues for many. their potential for emotional and physical established; can think abstractly and It also allows youth to better value the intimacy (What kind of person am I? What hypothetically; can discern the underlying diversity of people (and their perspectives) kind of person would suit me best as a principles and apply them to new and appreciate that there may be many partner?). situations; and can think about the future, right answers to a problem. n Philosophical and idealistic.

Brain Development

Although scientists have documented brain teen years and even into the 20s with a problem-solving, thinking ahead, development in adolescence and young second growth spurt of gray matter prioritizing, long-term planning, self- adulthood, they are less sure about what it (peaking at age 11 for girls and 12 for boys) evaluation and regulation of emotion, means for changes in cognitive followed by a “pruning” process in which begins to develop in early adolescence with development, behavior, intelligence, and connections among neurons in the brain a final developmental push starting at age capacity to learn. that are not used wither away and those 16 or 17. It is not that these tasks cannot be that are used remain. done before young adulthood, but rather By age 6 (on average), a young person’s that it takes more effort and requires brain is 95% of adult size. However, the The front part of the brain, responsible for practice. brain continues to physically develop in the functions such as complex reasoning, Define a personal Renegotiate relationship Throughout adolescence, friendships become sense of identity with parents/caregivers more stable, intimate and supportive; they provide a cornerstone for learning about adult Adolescents move from identifying Adolescents negotiate a change in relationships. themselves as an extension of their parents relationship with parents that begins to (childhood) to recognizing their uniqueness balance autonomy (independence) with n Relate to individual peers more than to and separation from parents. They develop a connection. Overall, the adolescent’s task is peer group. sense of self as an individual and as a person one of separating in some ways, while n More mature style of peer relationships connected to valuable people and groups. maintaining and redefining connections in (stability, intimacy and supportiveness). others, in order to make room for a more They refine their sense of identity around n Increasingly more balance between the adult relationship that meets cultural issues such as gender, physical attributes, influence of family and peers on the young expectations and provides necessary support. sexuality, ethnicity. They explore issues such person. as Who am I? How do I fit in? Am I loveable n Improved ability to see parents as and loving? How am I competent? individuals and take their perspectives Meet demands of into account. One result of this is experimentation with increasing mature roles different, temporary “identities” by means n Conflicts with parents often decrease and responsibilities of alternative styles of dress, jewelry, music, with age. Adolescents gradually take on the roles hair, manner, and lifestyle. Teens may n Renegotiation in parent-child roles, expected of them in adulthood. They learn struggle to identify a true self amid seeming especially for those who live at home the skills necessary for these roles and contradictions in the way they feel and (nearly half of all U.S. young adults in their manage the multiple demands of the labor behave in different situations, and with late teens and early twenties still live with market as well as meet expectations regarding different levels of thought and understanding. their parents). This is important as commitment to family, community and residential change is highest in late n Firmer sense of identity, although still a citizenship. time of identity exploration (especially in adolescent/young adulthood than any n Stable interests. areas of personal relationships, education, other age group (young people living at work, family). home, moving out and living independently n Ability to compromise. or with peers/partners, moving back home, n Self-reliance. n Age of feeling in-between – see themselves etc). as neither an adolescent nor an adult . n Greater concern for others. Develop stable and productive n Higher level of concern for the future. Adopt a personal peer relationships n Thoughts about one’s role in life. value system Peer relationships change during adolescence n Transition to work, college, independent Adolescents develop a more complex to provide youth with more support and living. Participation in college education in understanding of moral behavior and connections as they spend less time with young adulthood is nonlinear – frequently underlying principles of justice. They question adults and in supervised activity. combined with work and periods of non- and assess beliefs from childhood and attendance in school. restructure these beliefs into a personal Peer relationships often compete with parents n Youth in general remain in school longer ideology (e.g. more personally meaningful and schools in influence on teen’s attitudes and marry later, but those from less- values, religious views, and belief systems to and behaviors. As networks with peers advantaged households find it harder to guide decisions and behavior). broaden, peer relationships become deeper and play an increasing role in shaping an adhere to an orderly and predictable n Decisions and values are less influenced by individual teen’s self-concept and interaction. sequence of education, full-time peers. employment, home-leaving, cohabitation or Adolescents experience three transformations n Able to see multiple viewpoints, value the marriage, and parenthood. in peer relationships: diversity of people and perspectives and n Work experiences become more focused appreciate that there can be many right 1. Reorientation of friendships from activity- on laying foundation for adult occupation answers to a problem. based relationships of childhood to more n Identify values and viewpoints that work for stable, affectively oriented friendships oneself while respecting viewpoints/values based on idea and value sharing. of others 2. Growth of romantic and sexually oriented relationships. 3. Emergence of peer “crowds.”

This synthesis of adolescent development research was compiled by K. Teipel of the State Adolescent Health Resource Center, Konopka Institute, University of Minnesota. [email protected] 612-624-0182

The State Adolescent Health Resource Center is funded through Cooperative Agreement #U93 MC 00163-01 from the Maternal Child and Health Bureau – Health Resources and Services Administration, Department of Health and Human Services. 2