Developmental Skills

and Tasks Among

Adolescents
The desire for self-improvement is vital. There is no point in pushing
children; they need to be the ones who want to learn new skills.
- Tony Buzan
Developmental Skills and Tasks
Among Adolescents
Developmental Skills and Tasks
Among Adolescents
• Now that we know what to do and how to do it, we will now try to
understand some theories surrounding the destination to which the
previous what’s and how’s are pointing to.
• The photo in the lesson opener shows one of the many skills that an
adolescent ought to have – developing productive peer relationships.
Do you have already this skill? Or are you near it and still a work
progress?
• We can reflect, assess, and realize new things as we go through this
journey. Never stop learning, life is an upward hill, not a stagnant
plateau.
Developmental Skills and Tasks
Among Adolescents
• What are the skills and tasks that are appropriate for adolescents like
you that will prepare you on your adult life?
• Do you already have these skills?
• Which skills do you need to work on and how can you develop these
skills?
Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages of
Development:
Identity Formation vs Identity
Confusion
Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages of Development:
Identity Formation vs Identity Confusion
• The formation of identity is an ongoing process.
• Forming identity comes with risks we all wanted to take for the sake of
eliminating particular behaviors that proved to be unpleasant for us or
keeping and nourishing the ones that seem satisfying, pleasant, and
worthwhile.
• As we develop our own moral code of what is wrong and right, we begin
to express our individuality and sometimes for a price, having a lot of
regrets and consequences that we could still have up to now.
• We either learn the easy way by observing others or the hard way –
experiencing it ourselves. If it was not for those though, we would not be
who we are.
Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages of
Development:
Identity Formation vs Identity
Confusion
• At approximately age 12 to 18, Erik Erikson stated in his Theory of
Psychosocial Development that adolescents are going to face a struggle
with what they think of themselves and who they want to be. That is why it
is a matter of forming identity versus confusion.
• During this stage in one’s life, one will experiment through different roles,
behaviors, and activities with the sole intention of realizing his or her
identity. Experience is the best teacher next to warnings and
recommendations.
• With proper reinforcement and due parental and social support, the
adolescent will be able to resolve this stage and thus develop a strong sense
of self – a distinct opinion, perspective, and direction which are the factors
needed for the upcoming stages during young adulthood and beyond.
Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages of
Development:
Identity Formation vs Identity
Confusion
• Once the individual knows who he or she is, he or she will realize what
characteristics his or her preferences are in a social circle resulting to a
well-established foundation for interpersonal relationships.
• We also realize what we dream to be, what career we desire and what
our future goals are. This stage is particularly difficult if one is struggling
with self-esteem because it gets confusing. It is through this process that
we realize that the only way out is through ourselves. That is why fidelity
is the key virtue in this stage. The moment we start to have faith on who
we are and know our flaws and strengths, we will emerge as better
individuals and more prepared for the life ahead of us.
Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages of
Development:
Identity Formation vs Identity
Confusion
• What psychosocial crisis does an adolescent goes through during the
adolescent stage based on Erikson’s Stage of Psychosocial
Development theory?
• Can you cite personal examples of this struggle on this specific period
of your life?
Havighurst’s Developmental Tasks
for Adolescents
• Robert Havighurst, an American educator and writer, elaborated stages of
developmental tasks that any individual must successfully go through.
• According to him there are six stages of development of an individual
throughout his or her life and each stage has critical developmental tasks
that need to be satisfied to be able satisfy also the succeeding stages.
Stage Age Range
Infancy and early childhood Birth till 6 years old
Middle childhood 6 to 12 years old
Adolescence 13 to 18 years old
Early adulthood 19 to 30 years old
Middle age 30 to 60 years old
Later maturity 60 years old and above
Havighurst’s Developmental Tasks
for Adolescents
• The adolescent must adjust to a new physical sense of self.
• During adolescence, puberty strikes us like a thief in the night. Suddenly, our
sexual characteristics emerge and our sex hormones rocket up resulting to
drastic yet profound changes in our physical aspect.
• The adolescent must adjust to new intellectual abilities.
• The Formal Operational Stage has begun and our brains has matured to the
point that it can process abstract thoughts and hypothetical schemas. To
exploit this ability is to extend and stretch its bounds for the sake of avoiding
stagnation and atrophy.
Havighurst’s Developmental Tasks
for Adolescents
• The adolescent must adjust to increased cognitive demands at
school.
• With fast-developing intellectual devices, the adolescent must expect that
their educational system believes them enough that the mental load
demanded of them increases as well.
• The adolescent must develop expanded verbal skills.
• A huge chunk of our lifetime is spent on talking and exchanging ideas or
sharing opinions.
• If you have developed a higher form of intellectual capacity, should mean that
your language and verbal skills must also progress further qualitatively and
quantitatively?
Havighurst’s Developmental Tasks
for Adolescents
• The adolescent must develop a personal sense of identity.
• This pretty much relates to Erickson’s Psychosocial Stages of Development.
• Take note a personal sense of identity. That stands for being you as you
personally – excluding who you are around the people around you, beyond
their pressure, wants, whims, and expectations.
• The adolescent must establish adult vocational goals.
• Once an adolescent has formed his or her personal identity, he or she can
start formulating goals and milestones – quests and side quests and the paths
to each.
Havighurst’s Developmental Tasks
for Adolescents
• The adolescent must establish emotional and psychological
independence from his or her parents.
• The adolescent situation revolves around developing individuality even that to
the point that excludes parents. It is part of growing up to be self-reliant from his
or her parents, elders, and guardians – emotionally and psychologically.
• The adolescent must develop stable and productive peer relationships.
• As adolescents, everyone has had a tendency to follow the rule of the flock in
exchange of his or her own. You would to do better to be around people that
actually bring the best out of you rather than the worst. Listen to people who are
honest enough to tell you the truth even if it hurts just so they could help you.
• It is alright to be alone while you are figuring yourself out.
Havighurst’s Developmental Tasks
for Adolescents
• The adolescent must learn to manage his or her sexuality.
• Other that being certain with identity, added the increase of physical and
sexual maturity, adolescents need to know how to act their sexual orientation
and remain true to themselves.
• Their self-image must relate to their personal sense of masculinity and
femininity. This also involves incorporating acceptable manners and values
about their sexual behavior. Be responsible and wise. There is no rush in life,
take it one level at a time.
Havighurst’s Developmental Tasks
for Adolescents
• The adolescent must adopt a personal value system.
• As adolescent begins, our individual knowledge systems expand into more
complex yet more dynamic frameworks. It is viable to realize our own value
system and set of personal beliefs. This could cause a strain into our
interpersonal relationships because of conflict of interest but we can actually
pull through.
• It is important to note that unity over universality is better than universality
and unity.
• If individuals let you be who you are, it helps them and you do the same.
• After resolving conflicts especially with parents, the adolescent can then
formulate his or her personal ideology.
Havighurst’s Developmental Tasks
for Adolescents
• The adolescent must develop increased impulse control and
behavioral maturity.
• Moderation is key. An excess of one thing is always detrimental.
• Trying new things moderately is healthier than over never trying anything at
all.
• To specify, the adolescent has a better sense of the environment, the people
it has, and the consequences of his or her behavior. This makes them more
curious for new stuff at the same time, more adopt to learning.
• These stages can be faced by the adolescent more than once at the same
time. They are all connected and everyone goes through them in different
times, through different means. It helps to know which direction is correct
and incorrect. It is part of growing up.