II

Journey through
Adolescence
Overview
The chapters in Part II cover five major areas of adolescent development
that influence the growth of autonomous functioning. They provide a
basis for understanding the developmental forces and contexts that affect
the psychological growth of adolescents. A desirable outcome of this
growth and the unifying theme of all of the chapters is the development of
effective decision-making skills. Therefore, each chapter reviews recent
research in a domain that is relevant for the development of skills that are
important for effective adult functioning.
Prior to adolescence, children are generally not considered cognitively
mature enough to make responsible choices. A few years later, they are
faced with many critical decisions. What happens during this brief time
span to prepare the adolescent for these decisions? In the cognitive
domain, the skills relevant for effective decision making include the
ability to generate and test hypotheses, reflect upon one's own thought,
and consider the likely future consequences of current choices. These are
precisely the skills that Piaget claimed are spontaneously developed
during adolescence. In Chapter 3, Danner critically evaluates Piaget's
account of adolescent intellectual development and how it has influenced
educational practice. He concludes that Piaget overestimated the pace of
intellectual growth during adolescence but his views on the process by
which this growth proceeds provide many useful suggestions for second-
ary educators.
While cognitive growth provides the intellectual basis for decision
making, most important decisions are played out in the social arena.
Therefore, the development of appropriate social skills is another critical
48 Journey through Adolescence

task for adolescents. Adolescents who fail to establish effective social

relationships are denied an important avenue for the development of
autonomous decision making. Since peers provide an opportunity for
social comparison, feedback, and practice in personal decision making,
interpersonal-skill deficits can seriously retard healthy psychological
development. In Chapter 4, de Armas and Kelly review recent research
on this developmental problem and discuss school-based interventions
designed to alleviate it.
While it is useful for analytical purposes to separate intellectual and
social development, actual decision making draws upon skills from both
domains. The development of moral reasoning in adolescence provides a
good example of this blend of intellectual and social skills. In Chapter 5,
Lapsley, Enright, and Serlin critically examine recent advances in moral
and social education that have their roots in Kohlberg's theory of moral
development. Kohlberg's influential and controversial theory provides a
perspective from which to view the difficult social and moral choices that
adolescents face. The power and limits of this theory and the variety of
educational interventions it has encouraged are discussed. The authors
conclude that moral curricula can be effective especially when students
are given decision-making responsibilities within a democratic frame-
work.
Adolescents' most basic decisions concern their developing sense of
self and all other decisions are influenced by their progress in this domain.
In Chapter 6, Suis considers a broad range of "self " issues, effectively
synthesizing recent research on adolescent self-concept, self-esteem, and
identity formation. He concludes that many of the phenomena that are
typically thought to be a part of adolescence, such as self-consciousness,
introspection, and confusion, do not necessarily occur simultaneously.
Instead, they are manifested and worked out at different times during the
period from age 12 to 21. With respect to identity formation, he concludes
that the intense questioning and decision making that lead to identity
achievement occur most often after the high school years rather than
during high school.
The final chapter in this section concerns adolescent decisions in the
area of motivation for school achievement. In this chapter, Ames and
Ames present a qualitative view of motivation and use it to explain how
the goals, values, and beliefs of adolescent students affect their decisions
and behaviors in school settings. They conclude that many common
educational practices encourage adolescents to focus too exclusively on
the question "How smart am I ? " This focus leads many students to adopt
decision-making strategies that maintain a sense of dignity and self-worth
at the expense of actual task involvement and learning.
Part II 49

The five chapters in this section, then, provide both a summary of

recent research and a basic framework within which to view the decision-
making capabilities of the developing adolescent. The picture that
emerges is of a slow and difficult journey toward self-confidence and
mastery. Intellectual, social, and physical changes propel adolescents
forward but also put them at considerable psychological risk. The task for
those of us who work with and care about adolescents is to be sensitive to
the challenges they face and to provide them with the support and
guidance they need.