Normal Adolescent Development
Learn how your child will change during his teen years.
In this article, you will find:
Early Adolescence
Normal Adolescent Development
Introduction
Each teenager is an individual with a unique personality and special interests, likes, and dislikes. In general, however, there is a series of developmental tasks that everyone faces during the adolescent years.
A teenager's development can be divided into three stages -- early, middle, and late adolescence. The normal feelings and behaviors of adolescents for each stage are described below.
12-14 years Movement Toward Independence
- Struggle with sense of identity
- Moodiness
- Improved abilities to use speech to express oneself
- More likely to express feelings by action than by words
- Close friendships gain importance
- Less attention shown to parents, with occasional rudeness
- Realization that parents are not perfect; identification of their faults
- Search for new people to love in addition to parents
- Tendency to return to childish behavior
- Peer group influences interests and clothing styles
- Increasing career interests
- Mostly interested in present and near future
- Greater ability to work
- Girls ahead of boys
- Shyness, blushing, and modesty
- More showing off
- Greater interest in privacy
- Experimentation with body (masturbation)
- Worries about being normal
- Rule and limit testing
- Occasional experimentation with cigarettes, marijuana, and alcohol
- Capacity for abstract thought