RESEARCH

ACT for Youth Upstate Center of Excellence

f s and
FINDINGS
A collaboration of Cornell University, University of Rochester, and the New York State Center for School Safety • May, 2004

Stages of Adolescent Early Adolescence (approximately

10-14 years of age)
Development Movement Toward Independence: emerging identity
by Sedra Spano shaped over time by internal and external influences;
moodiness; improved abilities to use speech to express
Adolescence is a time of great change for young people. oneself; more likely to express feelings by action than
It is a time when physical changes are happening at an by words (may be more true for males); close friend-
accelerated rate. But adolescence is not just marked by ships gain importance; less attention shown to parents,
physical changes—young people are also experiencing with occasional rudeness; realization that parents are not
cognitive, social/emotional and interpersonal changes as perfect; identification of their own faults; search for new
well. As they grow and develop, young people are influ- people to love in addition to parents; tendency to return
enced by outside factors such as: parents, peers, com- to childish behavior during times of stress; peer group
munity, culture, religion, school, world events and the influence on personal interests and clothing styles.
media. There are a number of different theories or ways Future Interests and Cognitive Development:
of looking at adolescent development (see chart). Each increasing career interests; mostly interested in present
theory has a unique focus, but across theories there and near future; greater ability to work.
are many similar elements. While it is true that each Sexuality: girls physically mature faster than boys; shy-
teenager is an individual with a unique personality and ness, blushing, and modesty; more showing off; greater
interests, there are also numerous developmental issues interest in privacy; experimentation with body (mastur-
that just about every teen faces during the early, middle bation); worries about being normal.
and late adolescent years (AACAP, 2003).

The feelings and behaviors of middle and high school

adolescents can be categorized into five broad areas:
1.) moving toward independence; 2.) future interests
and cognitive development; 3.) sexuality; 4.) physical
changes; and 5.) ethics and self-direction. Specific
characteristics of adolescent behavior within each area
are described in the following material. Teenagers do
vary slightly from the following descriptions, but the
feelings and behaviors are, in general, considered typ-
ical for each stage of adolescence.
Physical Changes: gains in height and weight; growth worries about failure; complaints that parents interfere
of pubic and underarm hair; increased perspiration - with independence; extremely concerned with appear-
body odor develops; increased oil production of hair ance and with one’s own body; feelings of strangeness
and skin; breast development and menstruation in girls; about one’s self and body; lowered opinion of and with-
growth of testicles and penis, nocturnal emissions (wet drawal from parents; effort to make new friends; strong
dreams), deepening of voice, growth of hair on face in emphasis on the new peer group; periods of sadness as
boys. the psychological loss of parents takes place; examina-
Ethics and Self-Direction: rule and limit testing; occa- tion of inner experiences, which may include writing a
sional experimentation with cigarettes, marijuana, and diary.
alcohol; capacity for abstract thought. Future Interests and Cognitive Development:
intellectual interests gain importance; some sexual and
aggressive energies directed into creative and career
Middle Adolescence (approximately interests; anxiety can emerge related to school and aca-
15-16 years of age) demic performance.
Movement Toward Independence: self-involvement, Sexuality: concerns about sexual attractiveness; fre-
alternating between unrealistically high expectations and quently changing relationships; more clearly defined

Theories of Adolescence
(Muuss, R., et.al., 1996; Rice and Dolgin, 2002)

Developmental Area Primary Theorist Main Focus

Biological G. Stanley Hall, Arnold Gesell, Focus of the period is physical

James Tanner and sexual development
determined by genes and biology.

Psychological Sigmund Freud, Anna Freud Focus on adolescence as a period of

sexual excitement and anxiety.

Psychosocial Erik Erikson Focus is on identity formation;

adolescents struggle between
achieving identity and identity diffusion.

Cognitive Jean Piaget Focus is on formal operational thought;

moving beyond concrete, actual
experiences and beginning to think in
logical and abstract terms.

Ecological (interaction Urie Bronfenbrenner Focus is on the context in which

between individual adolescents develop; adolescents are
and environment) inuenced by family, peers, religion,
schools, the media, community, and
world events.

Social Cognitive Albert Bandura Focus is on the relationship between

Learning social and environmental factors and
their inuence on behavior. Children
learn through modeling.

Cultural Margaret Mead, Carol Gilligan Focus is on the culture in which the
child grows up.

2
sexual orientation, with internal conflict often experi-
enced by those who are not heterosexual; tenderness and
fears shown toward opposite sex; feelings of love and What Parents Can Do
passion. When young people feel connected to home, family,
Physical Changes: males show continued height and and school, they are less likely to become involved
weight gains while female growth slows down (females in activities that put their health at risk. Parental
grow only 1-2 inches after their first menstrual period). warmth and strong, positive communication helps
Ethics and Self-Direction: development of ideals and young people establish individual values and make
selection of role models; more consistent evidence of healthy life decisions.
conscience; greater goal setting capacity; interest in
moral reasoning.
ACT ION ITEMS

Late Adolescence (approximately Nurture a positive relationship with your

17-21 years of age) teen and listen to him/her. When par-
Movement Toward Independence: firmer identity; ent-teen interactions are characterized by
ability to delay gratification; ability to think through warmth, kindness, consistency, respect, and
ideas; ability to express ideas in words; more developed love, the relationship will flourish, as will
sense of humor; interests become more stable; greater self-esteem, mental health, and social skills.
emotional stability; ability to make independent deci-
Active or engaged listening is probably the
sions; ability to compromise; pride in one’s work; self-
skill parents need to practice the most.
reliance; greater concern for others.
Future Interests and Cognitive Development: more
defined work habits; higher level of concern for the Encourage independent thought and
future; thoughts about one’s role in life. expression in your teen; allow him/her
Sexuality: concerned with serious relationships; clear to make and learn from mistakes. Teens
sexual identity; capacities for tender and sensual love. who are competent, responsible, and have
Physical Changes: most young women are fully devel- high self-esteem have parents who encourage
oped; young men continue to gain height, weight, them to express their opinions and who
muscle mass, body hair. include them in family decision making and
Ethics and Self-Direction: capable of useful insight; rule setting. Healthy development requires
focus on personal dignity and self-esteem; ability to that parents allow adolescents to make mis-
set goals and follow through; acceptance of social insti- takes, within limits. Parents can help their
tutions and cultural traditions; self-regulation of self teen by not doing everything for their adoles-
esteem.
cent as they develop; adolescent development
is sometimes a series of “three steps forward
and two steps back.”

Show genuine interest in your teen’s

activities. Having interest in the day-to-day
“comings and goings” of teenagers lives
allows parents to monitor their adolescents’
behavior in positive ways. Parents who,
together with their teens, set firm boundaries
and high expectations may find that their
teen’s abilities to live up to those expecta-
tions grows and grows.

3
Bibliography
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
(AACAP). Retrieved 2003, from http://
www.aacap.org/publications/factsfam/
develop.htm
Focus Adolescent Services. Retrieved 2003, from http://
www.focusas.com/Parenting.html
Muuss, R., Velder, E., & Porton, H. (1996). Theories of
adolescence. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Resnick, M.D., et al. (1997). Protecting adolescents
from harm: Findings from the national longitu-
dinal study on adolescent health. JAMA, 278,
823-832.
Rice, P. and Dolgin, K. (2002). Adolescents in theo-
retical context. In The adolescent: Development,
relationships and culture (10th ed.). Boston:
Allyn and Bacon.
Steinberg, L. (2001). We know some things: Parent-
adolescent relationships in retrospect and pros-
pect. Journal of Research in Adolescence, 11,
1-19.

The Upstate Center of Excellence invites you to visit the ACT

for Youth website where additional copies of this newsletter
and many other youth development resources are available.

http://www.actforyouth.net

Cornell University
Family Life Development Center
Surge 1
Ithaca, NY 14853
TEL: 607.255.7736
FAX: 607.255.8562

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