Middle School and Early High School
Years Parents are often worried or confused by changes in their
teenagers. The following information should help parents understand this
complex phase of development. Each teenager is an individual with a unique
personality and special interests likes and dislikes. However, there are also
numerous developmental issues that everyone faces during the adolescent years.
The normal feelings and behaviors of the middle school and early high school
adolescent are described below.
Movement Towards Independence
Future Interests and Cognitive Changes
Sexuality
Morals, Values, and Self-Direction
Each young teenager is unique and does vary from the above descriptions, but the feelings and behaviors listed are considered normal.
Information acquired for these resource was provided by the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry WWW.AACAP.org
Movement Towards Independence
- Struggle with developing one’s own identity
- Feeling awkward or strange about one's self and one's body
- Focus on self, alternating between high expectations and poor self-esteem
- Interests and clothing style influenced by peer group
- Moodiness
- Improved ability to use speech to express one's self
- Realization that parents are not perfect; identification of their faults
- Less overt affection shown to parents, with occasional rudeness
- Complaints that parents interfere with independence
- Tendency to return to childish or immature behavior, particularly overwhelmed or stressed
Future Interests and Cognitive Changes
- Interests focused on the present, with limited thoughts of the future
- Intellectual interests expand and gain in importance
- Greater ability to do work (physical, mental, emotional)
Sexuality
- Display shyness, blushing, and modesty
- Girls develop physically sooner than boys
- Increased interest in sex
- Begin exploring issues and questions about their sexuality and sexual orientation
- Concerns regarding physical and sexual attractiveness to others
- Frequently changing relationships
- Worries about being normal
Morals, Values, and Self-Direction
- Greater testing of rules and limits
- Capacity for abstract thinking
- Development of ideals and selection of role models
- More consistent evidence of conscience
- Experimentation with sex and drugs (cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana)
Each young teenager is unique and does vary from the above descriptions, but the feelings and behaviors listed are considered normal.
Information acquired for these resource was provided by the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry WWW.AACAP.org