15 Adolescence – Social Emotional Development

After this chapter, you should be able to:

1. Compare Erikson and Marcia’s Theories

2. Explain Identity and Self-concept

3. Summarize the Stages of Ethnic Identity Development

4. Explain the Development of Gender Identity

5. Summarize Sexuality Identity and Orientation

6. Describe Antisocial Behaviors

7. Explain the Developmental Stage of Emerging Adulthood

Adolescents continue to refine their sense of self as they relate to others. Adolescent’s main questions are “Who am I?” and “Who do I want to be?” Some adolescents adopt the values and roles that their parents expect of them. Other teens develop identities that align more with the peer groups rather than their parents’ expectations. This is common as adolescents work to form their identities. They pull away from their parents and the peer group becomes very important (Shanahan, McHale, Osgood, & Crouter, 2007). Despite spending less time with their parents, most teens report positive feelings toward them (Moore, Guzman, Hair, Lippman, & Garrett, 2004). Warm and healthy parent-child relationships have been associated with positive outcomes for the adolescent, such as better grades and fewer school behavior problems, in the United States as well as in other countries (Hair et al., 2005).⁶³⁵

Figure 15.1: The relationships between this teen and his mom will have positive outcomes for him.⁶³⁶

---

635. Adolescent Development by Jennifer Lansford is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0; Developmental Psychology – Chapter 7: Adolescence by Laura Overstreet is licensed under CC BY 3.0↩︎

636. Image by the Marines Corps is in the public domain↩︎