Question

Identify the developmental tasks of adolescence. Describe challenges that adolescents face, and explain what is needed for an adolescent to successfully master developmental tasks. Consider culture, ethnicity, family, and peer relationships

Answer 1

  

Identify the developmental tasks of adolescence.

Developmental tasks are like milestones of development. Just like a child who who goes through different phases of growth achieves many milestones in its life , the adolescents too, have to go through certain phases where they have to achieve certain accomplishments so that he or she is becoming more mature as an , in to an adult. Without these achievements ,tasks, the adolescent will just remain adolescent. For a person to grow he has to go through many phases. Below are the major tasks that and adolescent will achieve.

1. Acquire new and mature relationships with same age mates and opposite sex.
2. Achieve a feminine or a masculine role socially.
3. Accept one own physical body and use it in appropriate and effective ways.
4. Achieve emotional independence from other adults.
5. Achieve economic independence.
6. Desire and seek ways of creating income.
7. Getting prepared to select partner, marriage and family life.
8. Develop intellectual abilities, concepts necessary for independence and responsibility to control their own lives.
9. Desire and achieve socially ,morally responsible behavior.
10. Acquire set of rules, values and ethics as a guide to behavior.

Describe challenges that adolescents face, and explain what is needed for an adolescent to successfully master developmental tasks.

Consider culture, ethnicity, family, and peer relationships.

Physical

The first challenge that a teenager will face is his own body. His body is transforming from a child to an adult. It would be disorienting for both sexes. They will have questions about it. The answers are sought from peers, media, other adults and sources. All the time there might not be the best help available from the outside or from his own understanding. This might be a difficult phase if that might happen.

Sexual

With the emergence of sexuality and hormonal changes the teenagers face the challenges of emotions. The ups and downs. The unpredictable and constantly changing moods. There will be doubts about opposite sexes. They will be attracted to opposite sexes with complicates the emotional roller-coaster they are already on. Again the right way to understand their own self is through outside guidance. Teenagers living in different cultures face a difficult phase. Some cultures teach teenagers that their innocent biological programming is sin. Some are taught to not have relationships with opposite sexes. These children will feel guilty and might delay the achievement of certain tasks.

Identity and role confusion

As they become independent he will face different question put by life on who he is and what roles he has to play ,how he is going to play it. It is the period of experimenting. He will develop his abilities from adults around him. There will be lot of lessons to be learned from his own family.

So by this time he will have to choose between different roles for friends, family and society. The common challenges that teenagers face in this period is the absence of proper guidance from parents, absence of parents in their development stages, presence of bad influence from peers and communities.

Separation from parents

His quest to find out about himself will expose to him that he is on his won and not guided by other adults. The decisions that he make might go against or for him. Children in this stage might not have the foresight the adults have which could mean more risk involved during this time.

Failures

The children might face failures and crisis. Managing the failure by himself will be tough for him. The parents and other adults, even teachers can help him get out of it with proper lessons learnt. There is the curiosity in adolescents to try alcohols, drugs etc. They might try it for themselves or because of pressure from peers. Without guidance, role models they wouldn’t know how much is good or how far it should go. There is chance for addiction and illness associated with drugs and alcohol.

Spirituality

Different cultures will have different religions and beliefs. Some cultures will have beliefs that are more intense and forceful. The adolescent might feel like he is being pressured to be what he is not. He will have questions about should he have a faith or not. But the forceful nature of such beliefs in certain cultures means that they have yield. Teens might show rebellion in this period.

Adolescents are difficult for themselves and the adults around their life. There will be many factors to challenges they face depending on the culture, ethnicity, place, country they live in. Its up to the children to figure out their roles amidst of the emotional ups and down and the external chaos the see around the world they live in.

The adolescent should have a conductive medium to achieve all the tasks. There should be timely and thoughtful guidance from parents and family members. The family should understand what they are going through. Everything should be in moderation as the adolescents are difficult to contain and it is better to manage them in a moderate way.

At schools the presence of peers can help them. They can share the same feelings , things they are going through. Teachers can help the class members. Educating teens about their concerns is a great way to help them.

In cases of obvious issues a teacher or parent might notice there should be a visit to a psychologist to evaluate relationship between adolescent and family and peers.

Regular monthly adolescent counseling classes offered by schools to both parents and children will be another great thing to help parents and adolescents manage their lives better.