Bright Future – Domains of Adolescent Development
| Early Adolescence (11–14 years) | Middle Adolescence (15–17 years) | late Adolescence (18–21 years) | |
| Physiological | Onset of puberty, growth spurt, menarche (girls) | Ovulation (girls), growth spurt (boys) | Growth completed |
| Psychological | Concrete thought, preoccupation with rapid body changes, sexual identity, questioning independence, parental controls that remain strong | Competence in abstract and future thought, idealism, sense of invincibility or narcissism, sexual identity, beginning of cognitive capacity to provide legal consent | Future orientation; emotional independence; capacity for empathy, intimacy, and reciprocity in interpersonal relationships; self-identity; recognized as legally capable of providing consent; attainment of legal age for some issues (eg, voting) but not all issues (eg, drinking alcohol) |
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| Early Adolescence (11 – 14 years) | Middle Adolescence (15 – 17 years) | late Adolescence (18 – 21 years) | |
| social | Search for same-sex peer affiliation, good parental relationships, other adults as role models; transition
to middle school, involvement in extracurricular activities; sensitivity to differences between home culture and culture of others |
Beginning emotional emancipation, increased power of peer group, conflicts over parental control, interest in sexual relationships, initiation of driving, risk-taking behavior, transition to high school, involvement in extracurricular activities, possible cultural conflict as adolescent navigates between family’s values and values of broader culture and peer culture | Individual over peer relationships; transition in parent-child relationship, transition out of home; may begin preparation for further education, career, marriage, and parenting |
| Potential Problems | Delayed puberty; acne; orthopedic problems; school problems; psychosomatic concerns; depression; unintended pregnancy; initiation
of tobacco, alcohol, or other substance use |
Experimentation with health risk behaviors (eg, sex; alcohol, tobacco, or other substance
use), motor vehicle crashes, menstrual disorders, unintended pregnancy, acne, short stature (boys), conflicts with parents, overweight, physical inactivity, poor eating behaviors, eating disorders (eg, purging, binge eating, and anorexia nervosa) |
Eating disorders, depression, suicide, motor vehicle crashes, unintended pregnancy, acne, tobacco, alcohol, or other substance use disorder |