Development of Adolescence

Development Aspects

Physical

 Physical change of the body such as puberty brings many questions to teens such as

            Am I normal?

            When is this part of my body going to change?

Everyone develops at different rates and times. The physical reality gets in the way of everything else. We need to look for books that assure they will get through their physical development.

Intellectual

We need to think of the questions we are going to ask kids by first figuring out where they are intellectually. Are they in Piaget’s abstract or concrete stage? Kids develop at different rates intellectually. There needs to be a lot scaffolding going on.

Development Stages- Havighurst

These stages are not in any particular order, develop at different times and are constantly changing.

·         Learning to get along with peers: people share interests and things we like

·         Easy relationship with opposite sex: shifting and become more aware of difference between boys and girls; can have friends without the “boyfriend/girlfriend” title

·         Working for pay: feel of independence

·         Changing relationship with parents: they begin pulling away and do a compete 180 difference with them

·         Developing morals and values: start asking “what do I believe in?” or “what do I hold to be true?”

·         Finding a vocation: begin thinking “what do I want to be when I grow up? What am I called to do in life? What am I good at?”

·         Adapting to physical body: growth spurts, becoming clumsy, and puberty

·         Defining appropriate sex roles: defined by society which is making this a difficult task, they see changes with silent expectations, they figure them out and decide whether to defy or agree with them

Morals: Kohlberg’s Theory

Preconventional: usually kids; decisions are based on reward and punishments

Conventional: follows rules of anything religious or dealing with laws

Post- Conventional: recognize laws but humanity supersedes the laws; those who are constantly doing this are usually saints. Kids are less likely to understand this.

For example: Rosa Parks when she refused to move to the back of the bus. 

Need to look for books that speak to where they are.

Maslow Needs Hierarchy

1.      Physiological – overrides anything else that takes place (ex: eat, sleep, sick)

2.      Safety- physically and emotionally (ex: no bullying)

3.      Love/Belonging – maybe expressed by showing interest

4.      Esteem – respect (ex: address kids by name, ask for opinions and have conversations)

5.      Self-actualization – you can be anything you want to be, we give you no limits

We need to look for books that help them meet this personally. `

Develop as Readers

1.      Develop empathy

2.      Unconscious delight – read and become lost in book (ex: series or serial)

3.      Reading autobiographically – read about people like us

4.      Reading for vicarious experiences – windows allow us to see out (ex: fantasy & science fiction)

5.      Reading for philosophical speculation – asking morals and values (ex: non-fiction)

6.      Reading for aesthetic experiences – the wonder of reading experience, character you fall in love with, captivated by the author

If as an adult, you are not an avid reader it is because you missed something. We need to help kids meet all these levels.

Reflection

Knowing the development of an adolescent will definitely benefit me as a librarian in preparing for the many changes to come. As everyone knows, life is tough and trying to get children to read on top of all the things going on in their lives. What we may think as something little can mean something huge for a child/teen. Becoming more sensitive and knowledgeable about  dealing with them and how they are growing into young adults will definitely help in finding a book.