Adolescent development:
What’s going on in there?
May 2009
Janis Whitlock, Cornell University
ACT for Youth Center of Excellence
Cornell University Family Life Development Center
Cornell University Cooperative Extension of New York City
New York State Center for School Safety
University of Rochester Medical Center Div. of Adolescent Medicine
The tasks and challenges of adolescence
In this presentation you will learn to:
• Identify central tasks, challenges, and
opportunities
Janis Whitlock
ACT for Youth Center of Excellence
Adolescent Development
2009
www.actforyouth.net
What is an adolescent?
An adolescent is a young person who
has undergone puberty but who has
not reached full maturity
There is no consensus about the age
range that defines adolescence. Most
people agree that adolescence includes
people ages 12-19
Janis Whitlock
ACT for Youth Center of Excellence
Adolescent Development
2009
www.actforyouth.net
Where did they come from, anyway?
The words adolescent and adult ultimately
come from forms of the same Latin word,
adol scere, meaning "to grow up.“ The first
recorded in English in a work written around
1440.
The common notion of an adolescent as a distinct
stage of development, however, has evolved slowly
over the past 100 years
As a result, the responsibilities, rights, and
expectations of adolescents today are radically
different than they were 100 years ago
Janis Whitlock
ACT for Youth Center of Excellence
Adolescent Development
2009
www.actforyouth.net
What makes adolescence so special?
 The sheer number of developmental tasks and
challenges confronted
 The rapidity of brain development
 The complexity of the external environment
Janis Whitlock
ACT for Youth Center of Excellence
Adolescent Development
2009
www.actforyouth.net
Brain integration, it takes time..
Janis Whitlock
ACT for Youth Center of Excellence
Adolescent Development
2009
www.actforyouth.net
Basic requirements: Maslow’s hierarchy of need
Self-Actualization
(self-fulfilment, personal growth
realisation of potential)
Aesthetic needs
(symmetry,order,beauty)
Cognitive needs
(knowing, understanding, exploring)
Self-esteem needs
(competence, respect, recognition)
Belonging and love needs
(family, affection, relationships, acceptance by others)
Safety needs
(security, freedom from danger)
Physiological needs
(hunger, thirst, shelter, etc)
Janis Whitlock
ACT for Youth Center of Excellence
Adolescent Development
2009
www.actforyouth.net
But that’s not all, there is so much else to do!
Learn to use
Prepare for financial independence one’s body effectively
and professional life
Achieve emotional
independence from
parents and other
adults
Prepare for
sustained intimate
relationship and/ or
family life
Janis Whitlock
Establish a gender
identity
Establish new and
more mature
relations with agemates
Identify and incorporate
behaviors consistent with social
expectations and personal value
systems
ACT for Youth Center of Excellence
Adolescent Development
Develop a set of
values and an
ethical system as
a guide to
behavior
2009
www.actforyouth.net
Learn to use one’s body effectively
 Rapid physical development in early adolescence
can create awkward moments and challenges.
• Extremities tend to grow first and can get in the
way
• Asynchronistic growth can cause a maturity gap
Janis Whitlock
ACT for Youth Center of Excellence
Adolescent Development
2009
www.actforyouth.net
Establish a gender identity
Gender expression evolves throughout
adolescence and may be characterized by:
• Exploring gender and sexual identities
• Periods of confusion about sexual
preferences, desires, and preferred
peer groups
Janis Whitlock
ACT for Youth Center of Excellence
Adolescent Development
2009
www.actforyouth.net
Establish new and more mature relations with age
mates
 Peer relationships provide powerful
opportunities for growth
 The exclusive feeling focus on peers in
early adolescence serves an important
function
 Understanding how to fully be oneself in
the context of peer relations is the task of
older adolescents
Janis Whitlock
ACT for Youth Center of Excellence
Adolescent Development
2009
www.actforyouth.net
Develop a set of values and an ethical system to guide
behavior
 Values are critical to decisions about careers, mates,
and larger life goals.
 Values development begins early and become
primary in later adolescence.
 Completion of this task requires integration of
many other developmental tasks.
Janis Whitlock
ACT for Youth Center of Excellence
Adolescent Development
2009
www.actforyouth.net
Identify and incorporate behaviors consistent with
social expectations and personal value systems
 Personal beliefs have to be squared with family, peer,
school, work, and community expectations and values.
 Youth tend to develop personal belief systems which are
largely compatible with external expectations , but not
always.
 Youth with belief systems that differ from their
environments will often experience some level of distress
or difficulty
Janis Whitlock
ACT for Youth Center of Excellence
Adolescent Development
2009
www.actforyouth.net
Prepare for sustained intimate relationships
 Exploring romance is an undeniable and memorable
part of adolescence.
 In early adolescence, much of this experimentation
occurs in groups.
 Older adolescents tend to pair
off and spend more time
developing intimacy.
Janis Whitlock
ACT for Youth Center of Excellence
Adolescent Development
2009
www.actforyouth.net
Achieve emotional independence from parents and
other adults
 The ability to make autonomous decisions is a
pillar of adulthood.
 Acquiring the skills and
confidence needed to do
this can feel trying.
 Adolescent separation is
difficult for both parents and youth.
Janis Whitlock
ACT for Youth Center of Excellence
Adolescent Development
2009
www.actforyouth.net
Prepare for financial independence and professional
life
 Self-sufficiency is one of the primary
markers of full adulthood today.
 Youth need opportunities to
develop marketable skills.
 Helping youth prepare supports
healthy youth development.
Janis Whitlock
ACT for Youth Center of Excellence
Adolescent Development
2009
www.actforyouth.net
We exist not as a mass of
independent individuals, but
rather in the context of a vast
web of relationships; and
these connections are what
allow us to pursue collective
action effectively…Every
sector has a role to play in a
caring society, whether by
supporting, facilitating, or
directly providing care to
youths and those in need.
Diane Rauner, 2000
Janis Whitlock
ACT for Youth Center of Excellence
Adolescent Development
2009
www.actforyouth.net
Resources for further information
 Understanding Adolescence
ACT for Youth Center of Excellence
http://www.actforyouth.net/health_sexuality/
 U.S. Teen Demographics
ACT for Youth Center of Excellence
http://www.actforyouth.net/health_sexuality/demographics/
 ACT for Youth publications and presentations
on adolescent development
ACT for Youth Center of Excellence
http://www.actforyouth.net/publications/results.cfm?t=Adolescent Development
Janis Whitlock
ACT for Youth Center of Excellence
Adolescent Development
2009
www.actforyouth.net