LESSON 5: DEVELOPMENT STAGES IN MIDDLE AND LATE ADOLESCENCE

OBJECTIVES: Adolescence-Between Childhood and Adulthood

♦ Classify various Do you remember the feeling you had when you finally celebrated
developmental tasks according your 13th birthday, which symbolized your crossing over the
developmental stage of childhood to teen-hood?
to developmental stage;

♦ Evaluate one’s development in
comparison with persons of the
same age group; and
♦ list ways on how to become a
responsible adolescent prepared
for adult life.
There was probably some sadness because you realized you were
not a child anymore. You probably felt some excitement because suddenly
you have strong needs and desires to be with people your age, making
friends, and having fun without your family. You also must have felt
afraid of the future. You also started to notice certain physical changes
happening to your body-the growth of hair in the armpits and the pubic
area, the increase in height, and for the males, the deepening of the voice.

For females, it is the start of their menstruation period and the developing of their breasts. These
physical changes mark the onset of puberty, and the beginning of the adolescent stage of the human
development. As adolescents develop physically, they also develop cognitively, psychologically, socially, and
spiritually.

The ages during adolescence may be bracketed as follows (Corpus et al. 2010):

♦ Early adolescence-ages around 10 to 13

♦ Middle adolescence - ages from 14 to 16
♦ Late adolescence-ages from 17 to 20

American psychologists differ slightly with their age definitions of adolescence. Feist and Rosenberg
(2012) pegged early adolescence at age 11 or 12, and late adolescence at about age 18.

Hence, in America, a child is usually out of the house by the age 18 because this is the age on how they
define young adulthood. This age definition of adolescence is not a cut-and dried rule as some persons mature
ahead of others, or some experience delayed maturity due to many factors like genetics, environment, or even
economic conditions.

Erik Erikson's eight stages of personality development define each stage of human development with a
crisis or a conflict. Each crisis or conflict either gets resolved or may be left unresolved, resulting in favorable
or unfavorable outcomes.

In referring to these eight stages of development espoused by Erikson, it is important to know that the
stages are borderless and flowing, not strictly fixed and definite. An adolescent who is experiencing identity
issues may also be experiencing intimacy issues (young adulthood) or may still be struggling with inferiority (of
school age), depending on whether or not they were able to resolve each stage crisis.
 ERIK ERIKSON’S EIGHT STAGES OF PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT

Basic Period of Important Relationshi Choices/ Outcome

conflicts/crisis Life Life Events p With Decisions
The individual develop the
To give in sense of trust towards the
Trust Infancy Feeding Maternal return caregiver, especially with the
vs. Mistrust (birth-18 mother’s genuine affection and
months) To get care. A lack of this leads to
mistrust.
The individual needs to
develop a sense of personal
Autonomy vs. Early To hold on control over physical skills and
Shame and childhood Toilet Paternal a sense of independence.
doubt (18months- 3 training To let go Success leads to a feelings of
years) autonomy; failure results in
feelings of shame and doubt.
The individual needs to begin
asserting control and power
over the environment. Parents
who give their children
To make freedom in running, sliding,
Initiative vs. Preschool Exploration Family bike-riding and skating are
Guilt (3-5 years) To make like allowing them to develop
initiative. Success in this stage
leads to a sense of purpose.
Children who try to exert too
much power experience
disapproval resulting in a sense
of guilt.
As an individual moves into
Industry vs. Elementary School School To make the world of schooling, he/she
Inferiority school ( 6-11 Neighbor- things needs to cope with new social
years) hood and academic demands.
To make Parents and teachers who
together support, reward and praise
children are encouraging
industry. Success leads to a
sense of competence while
failure results in feelings of
inferiority. Those who reject,
ridicule, or ignore children’s
efforts are strengthening
feelings of inferiority.

As an individual enters
Identity vs. Adolescence Social Peer group To be oneself adolescence or teen years,
Role confusion (12-18 years) relationship he/she needs to develop a sense
To share of self and personal identity.
being oneself An adolescent tries on many
new roles as he/she feels
romantic involvement,
vocational choice and adult
statuses. When the adolescent
fails to develop a “centered”
identity, he/she becomes
trapped in either role confusion
or negative identity. Success
leads to an ability to stay true
to oneself while failure leads to
weak sense of self.
 Intimacy vs. Young Relationship Partners in To lose As an individual grows as a
Isolation adulthood s friendship/s young adult, he/she needs to
(19-40 years) ex/competiti To bind form intimate, loving
on oneself to relationships with other people.
others Success leads to strong
relationships while failure
results in loneliness and
isolation.

Generativity means reaching

out beyond one’s own
immediate concerns to
embrace the welfare of society
and of future generations. It
entails selflessness. The adult
needs to create or nurture
Generativity Middle Work and Partner To make be things that will outlast him/her,
vs. Stagnation adulthood parenthood often by having children or
(40-65 years) To take care creating a positive change that
of benefits other people. Success
leads to a feelings of
usefulness and accomplishment
while failure results in shallow
involvement in the world.
Integrity vs. Old age/ The older adult needs to look
Despair maturity (65 Reflection Mankind To be through back on life and feel a sense of
years to on life having been fulfillment. Success at this
death) stage leads to a feelings of
To face not wisdom while failure results in
being regret, bitterness and despair.

In the description above for the adolescent stage, the crisis or conflict identified is that of identity and role
confusion. What does this mean?

Identity is the concept of an individual about himself and is often referred to as "self-identity," molded
through various interactive experiences around himself, such as their family and community, and his responses
in terms of thinking, attitude, and behavior to external stimuli. Identity is a self-belief of what the individual
thinks and feels about himself.

Roles oftentimes form part of this self-identity, such as birth order in the family, the nature of work,
occupation or title, and academic and social standing Identity is also influenced by how others perceive an
individual. Role confusion is the negation of self-identity, in a sense that there is confusion over one's self-
concept or the absence or lack of such a concept. Role affects an individual's relationship with others, because
there is no clear definition of what he is and how he relates to others.

The adolescent's physiological transitioning is very pronounced at this stage. Puberty kicks in and is
fueled by the hormonal changes that are occurring and pushing the adolescent toward sexual maturation. At this
stage, the brain also continues to develop.

Cognitive growth among adolescents is usually marked by the way they are able to comprehend abstract
concepts, such as freedom and human rights. Their beliefs about morality, religion, and politics are also starting
to evolve.

This is the stage when young men and women begin to ask questions about the status quo, about the way
things happen, and usually counter questions or situations with a challenging question of, "why not?" Idealism
is very prominent among adolescents, and so is their inclination toward becoming very self-conscious and
egocentric. Reckless behavior of adolescents are sometimes attributed to the development of their brains since
their ability to make plans and see the consequences of their actions are not yet fully developed unlike in adults
(Feist and Rosenberg 2012).
 Experimentation is a common activity among adolescents as they search for their
identity. They want to be treated as adults, and they see adult behavior as something to emulate.
Unfortunately, they also mimic negative behaviors like smoking and drinking, which are
perceived as marks of manhood in some cultures like ours. Different clothing and fashion styles
are often the most obvious ways used by adolescents expressing their independence and in
asserting their unique selves.

They also search for social groups with whom they find common interests to further validate their
chosen identity. In most high schools, various student organizations are being offered to students for them to
choose from. Joining these organizations according to one's interest is part of the adolescent's continuing
formation of self-identity.

Socializing among male and female adolescents also occur in this

phase. In this digital era, online friendships abound, thanks to social
networking sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Online games
are also popular among adolescents, partly due to the social aspect of the
game and the need to develop abstract reasoning that is built in these
games. Oftentimes, adolescents are already online friends even before they
could meet face-to-face.

Sexual experimentation also happens in this stage. However, due

to their underdeveloped cognitive and affective capacities and education
of the matter, this experimentation sometimes end up in a disaster, such as
teen pregnancies and sexual diseases.

Every culture has a representation of how their adolescent population behaved over the decades. For
example, in the USA, the term "teenage rebellion” was popularized in the 1950s with the beatnik movement at
its fore front. Popular rebel teen stars such as James Dean and writer Jack Kerouac became the icon of that era.

Local teenagers copied their American counterparts. It was the era of the “Lo-Waist Gang” where actors
wore tight fitting jeans and pompadour hairstyles slopped with pomade.

In the 1960s and 1970s, it was the hippie movement and flower power that became the trademark of the
generation of adolescents and young adults. The use of psychedelic drugs and other hypnotic substances were
popular; thus, supporting the theories about adolescence and the experimentation that they were going through.
Social issues also became the popular themes of this era, with the anti-war movement against the war in
Vietnam.

On the local scene, social and political activists, mostly high school and college students, were in the
midst of the political turmoil that dominated the Philippines before and during the martial law.

While there were activist students. marching around the streets of Manila, other young Filipinos went up
to the hills of Antipolo, Rizal to hold their own I version of Woodstock, dubbed as the Antipolo Rock Festival
held in 1970.

Toward the new millennium, the new adolescents who were born from the 1980s to about the early
2000s became known as the "millennials." This generation was born in the midst of a great technology boom;
hence, they were also referred to as "digital natives" versus the previous generation who were referred to as
"digital immigrants," having migrated from non-digital to digital technology.

The social lives of the millennials are driven by technology and their social interactions are dictated by
their use of social networks, mobile phones, and other gadgets.

There is an interesting social phenomenon that has taken over the world today and it is called the
"selfie" phenomenon. People's penchant to take their solo pictures or in a setting with interesting backgrounds,
and uploading these to their social networking sites is definitely creating an impact on the way young people see
themselves. The development of the adolescent's identity today is being influenced and molded by technology.
 SKILLS AND TASKS APPROPRIATE FOR MIDDLE AND LATE ADOLESCENCE

What do Filipino adolescents need to learn in terms of developmental tasks and skills in
order for them to grow into well-rounded young adults? Let us take a look at what the American
culture more or less expects from their adolescents to learn, according to a study conducted
by the Work-Life Center at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, titled Raising Teens
Project The study enumerated ten desirable developmental tasks every adolescent in America
should develop:

1. Adjust to sexually maturing bodies and feelings-

being aware of the bodily changes happening, managing sexual feelings, and engaging in healthy sexual
behaviors. Establishing sexual identity and developing skills for romantic and meaningful relationships
are the healthy results when adolescents learn to adjust to their own development.

2. Develop and apply abstract thinking skills-

effectively understand and coordinate abstract ideas, thinking out possibilities, trying out theories,
planning ahead, reflecting on how and what they are thinking, and coming out with their own personal
philosophies.

3. Develop and apply a new perspective on human relationships-

developing the capacity for compassion by learning how to put themselves in "somebody else's shoes in
order to understand other people's feelings and perspectives. Looking at relationships in different
perspectives can develop in learning how to resolve conflicts in relationships.

4. Develop and apply new coping skills in areas such as decision-making, problem solving, and conflict
resolution –
adolescents acquire new thinking capabilities that will help them engage in more creative strategies. for
problem solving, decision-making, and resolving conflict. They should be able to project toward the
future and see the consequences of their decisions.

5. Identify meaningful moral standards, values, and belief systems –

because of their idealism, adolescents develop more complex understanding of morality, jus tice, and
compassion that leads to the formation of their own belief systems that will guide their decisions and
behaviors.

6. Understand and express more complex emotional experiences –

becoming more in touch with their emotions and see the complex variances among strong emotions and
feelings, understanding the emotions and feelings of other persons, and learning how to detach
themselves from emotional situations whenever the need arises.

7. Form friendships that are mutually close and supportive –

peer influence is very strong among adolescents and should be able to steer an adolescent toward
productive and positive relationships, behavior, and thinking. Learning how to trust others is an
important task for an adolescent to develop.

8. Establish key aspects of identity –

be encouraged to develop their own healthy self-concepts that reflect their uniqueness in relation to
themselves, their families and friends, and with the bigger community.

9. Meet the demands of increasingly mature roles and responsibilities –

it is important for the emerging adult to acquire skills and knowledge that will provide him with
meaningful careers and jobs and to live up to the expectations regarding commitment to family,
community, and nation-building.

10. Renegotiate relationships with adults in parenting roles

the adolescent stage sees the movement toward independence and autonomy. In the Philippine setting,
this is not as pronounced as with other western cultures. However, Filipino adolescents should be able
to communicate with their parents their need for a certain degree of independence as they mature to
young adulthood.
 Filipino authors Corpuz et al. (2010) in their book, Child and Adolescent Development,
identified similar developmental tasks a Filipino adolescent needs to learn. These are:
1. Developing occupational skills
2. Self-reliance
3. Ability to manage their finances
4. Social responsibility
5. Mature work orientation
6. Personal responsibility
7. Positive attitude toward work
skills that can help the adolescent develop responsibility as a preparation
for gainful employment ahead.
the ability to identify their own skills and knowledge, capabilities, and
resources to engage in meaningful activities and not rely too much on
others
be able to discern what is the difference between "wants" and "needs,"
and be able to learn self-control when handling their finances As early
as possible, the adolescent should learn financial literacy through
various means available to them.
adolescents should be able to see beyond themselves, take into
consideration the greater community around them, and see their role in
improving and developing these communities, serving as change agents.
develop pride in what they do and raise standards of excellence in the
quality of their work
to be fully responsible for their own decisions and actions by owning
them, become aware of the repercussions or results of the decisions they
make and be mature enough to "own" these results, and refrain from
putting blame on others for the results of their decisions and actions
in the book, The Prophet by the Lebanese poet, Kahlil Gibran, he
wrote,"Work is Love made Visible." Developing a healthy and positive
attitude toward work means that we see work as an expression of our
love for people who are important to us, including ourselves. One can
learn new things and grow to become highly skilled, knowledgeable,
and loving person if he or she sees work as a way toward self-
improvement and as an expression of love for his or her significant
others.
Here is an additional list of developmental tasks and skills a Filipino adolescent should acquire:
1. Being courageous in standing up and being
different from your friends.
2. Developing Self-Esteem
3. Being true yourself and avoiding the tendency
please others.
4. Learning how media and advertising are trying to
influence your thinking and feelings.
5. Becoming aware, critical and being involved with
social issues
6. Embracing a healthy lifestyle
7. Developing your spirituality
The adolescent needs to feel he or she belongs to a
group. While this is important, belonging to a group
does not necessarily mean losing one's identity and
being guided by "mob rule," or what the majority
does. This is especially effective when being offered
to smoke a cigarette or to drink alcoholic beverages, or
even try out dangerous drugs. Being courageous
means learning to say “No” to what one thinks is
going against his or her belief and values system even
if this would mean rejection by the group.
Learn to understand, accept, and appreciate oneself as
a unique person. Avoiding comparisons between you
and other people is also a healthy way to develop self-
esteem.
Adolescents find it difficult to assert their individuality
or uniqueness because they are afraid others will not
approve or like them, or will not allow them to
become a member of a group. Conformity often occurs
during this stage of development. By developing one’s
self-esteem, the need for approval from others become
less.
Understand that news is reported for a reason, usually
to serve the purpose of someone or some organization.
Understand that advertising employed to sell
consumer products work or either fear or desires.
Ask questions and speak up whenever possible to
address social issues such as poverty and corruption.
Let our leaders know how you think and feel about our
society, and learn to suggest solutions in improving
our lives.
Becoming aware of your health and the food you eat,
and engaging in sports and other physical activities
beneficial to your well-being. Learn to relax.
Finding what gives meaning to your life and to all the
experiences you are going through.
 ACTIVITY 1: Instruction:
Self- Assessment Learning from the different developmental skills and tasks that every
Every FILIPINO should acquiure, What other developmental tasks and
And skills do you think you need to develop and learn?
List down at least 3 tasks/skills.