Adolescent Development

1
Adolescent Development

• Dr. Steve Rainey
• Kent State University

2
Todays Plan

• Human Development
• Physical
• Cognitive
• Social
• Moral
• Ethics
• Exercise

3
Developmental Issues

• Physical
• Cognitive (Piaget) Formal Operations
• Social
• Erikson Identity vs. Identity Confusion
• Havighurst Developmental Tasks
• Moral
• Kohlberg Conventional post-conventional
  reasoning

4
Physical Development

• Puberty (different rates)
• Primary Sex Characteristics
• Growth of genitalia
• Maturation of reproductive organs
• Menarche
• Secondary Sex Characteristics
• Pubic hair
• Deepening voice
• Budding of breasts
• Sebaceous glands become active (Acne)

5
Counseling Issues Related to Physical Development

• Sexual Attitudes
• Homosexuality
• Teenage Pregnancy
• Contraception
• STDs
• Sex Education
• Self-Image

6
Cognitive Development

• Problem Solving Skills
• Adolescent Idealism
• Adolescent Egocentrism
• Imaginary Audience
• Feel they are on stage/people are watching them
• Personal Fable
• They are the central characters in a story
  leads to their sense of imortality

7
Social DevelopmentRelated Issues in Counseling

• Autonomy
• Ethnic/Racial Identity
• Parent Adolescent Conflict
• Culture of Adolescence
• Peers/Friends
• Popularity/Conformity
• Career choice/Employment

8
Social DevelopmentRelated Issues in Counseling

• Depression
• Suicide
• Eating Disorders
• Conduct Disorders
• Substance Abuse
• Sexual Identity

9
Developmental TasksHavighurst

• Acquire more mature social skills
• Achieve a masculine/feminine gender role
• Accept body changes
• Achieve emotional independence from Adults
• Prepare for sex, marriage, parenthood
• Select and prepare for an occupation
• Develop a personal ideology and ethical standards
• Assume membership in the larger community

10
Moral Development

• Conventional Reasoning
• Looks at the impact on others
• Maintain mutual respect/trust with others
• Focuses on law and order (letter of law not
  spirit of law)
• Most adolescents operate at this level
• Post-Conventional Reasoning
• Defines morality beyond authority of groups
• Base morality on their own sense of right/wrong

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Ethical Issues with Adolescents

• Counselor Values
• Counselor Competence
• Training
• Special issues (depression, chem. Dep., etc)
• Confidentiality
• Exceptions
• Parental notification
• Informed Consent
• Who is informed
• Needed contents

12
Exercise

• Read Scenario
• Determine difficulties from each Developmental
  Theory
• Decide what you will do with that knowledge
• Determine the main Ethical Dilemma
• How do your values impact what you do?
• Decide what you will do to resolve the Dilemma
• What other information would you want?