Early Adolescence (12-14 years) |
Movement Towards 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, fought off by excessive activity
- Peer group influence interests and clothing styles
Career Interests
- Mostly interested in present and near future
- Greater ability to work
Sexuality
- Girls ahead of boys
- Same-sex friends and group activities
- Shyness, blushing and modesty
- Show-off qualities
- Greater interest in privacy
- Experimentation with body (masturbation)
- Worries about being normal
Ethics and Self-Direction
- Rule and limit testing
- Occasional experimentation with cigarettes, marijuana, and alcohol
- Capacity for abstract thought
