Patronage of Mary Development School
Poblacion, Boljoon, Cebu
Tel. Nos. (032)482-9302- Website: www.pmds.ph - Email Address: pmdsmamamary@gmail.com
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
LESSON 3
Developmental Tasks
Objectives:
1. define development tasks;
2. distinguish the different development tasks; and
3. discuss the common challenges and problems faced by adolescents.
What are developmental tasks? Development tasks are processes inherent in
every stage of development that need to be accomplished successfully in preparation for
other developmental tasks in the next stage of development.
Task of an Adolescent. According to A.R. Simpson of the Center
for Health Communication of the Harvard School of Public Health
(2001), there are ten tasks an adolescent or teenager must
accomplish.
Task 1 – Adjust to sexually maturing bodies and feelings.
Teens are faced with adjusting to a sexually maturing body as well
as learning to manage the accompanying biological changes and
sexual feelings, and to engage in healthy sexual behavior. This
task also includes establishing a sexual identity and developing the
skills for romantic relationships.
Task 2 – Develop and apply abstract thinking skills. Teens
typically undergo profound changes in their way of thinking during this
stage, allowing them more effectively to understand and coordinate
abstract ideas, think about possibilities, try out hypotheses, think
ahead, be aware of and understand their own thought processes, and
construct philosophies.
Task 3 – Develop and apply a more complex level of
perspective thinking. Teens learn to put themselves in another
person’s shoes. They learn to take into account both their
perspective and the perspective of other people, and to use this
ability in resolving problems and conflicts in relationships.
Task 4 – Develop and apply new coping skills. Teens acquire
new abilities to think about and plan for the future, engage in more
sophisticated strategies for decision-making, problem solving, and
conflict-resolution, and moderate their risk-taking to achieve goals.
Task 5 – Identify meaningful moral standards, values,
and belief systems. Teens typically develop a more complex
understanding of moral behavior and underlying principles of
justice and care, questioning beliefs from childhood and
adopting more personally meaningful values, religious views,
and belief systems to guide their actions and behavior.
Task 6 – Understand and express more complex emotional
experiences. Teens also develop the ability to identify and
communicate more complex emotions.
Task 7 – Form friendships that are mutually close and
supportive. Teens begin to develop peer relationships that play
powerful roles in providing support and connection in their lives.
They tend to shift from friendships based largely on the sharing
of interests and activities to those based on the sharing of
ideas, feelings, mutual trust, and understanding.
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Task 8 – Establish a key aspect of identity. Identity formation is, in a sense, a
lifelong process but crucial aspects of identity are typically forged at the stage of
adolescence, including developing an identity that reflects a sense of individuality as well
as connection to valued people and groups. Another part of this task is developing a
positive identity around gender, physical attributes, sexuality, and ethnicity.
Task 9 – Meet the demands of increasingly mature roles
and responsibilities. Teens gradually take on the roles that
will be expected of them in adulthood, learning to acquire the
skills to manage the multiple demands that will allow them to
move into the labor market, as well as to meet the
expectations regarding commitment to family and community.
Task 10 – Renegotiate relationships with adults in
parenting roles. Although the task of adolescence has
sometimes been described as separating from parents and other
caregivers, it is more widely seen now as adults and teen
working together to negotiate a change in the relationship that
accommodates a balance of autonomy and ongoing connection.
COMMON CHALLENGES AND PROBLEMS FACED BY ADOLESCENTS
According to the Singapore Association for Mental Health (2015), the problems and
challenges faced by adolescents can be grouped according to three areas: 1.
Appearance; 2. Attitude; and Friends.
Appearance. The adolescence stage is associated with major body changes due to
the increased production of hormones, the result of which could be acne, cracked
voices, and changing body appearances. The adolescent who is self-conscious may
find all these changes distressing and unattractive which may result to low self-
esteem, lack of self-confidence, and withdrawal from social interactions. Adolescents
are also often influenced by that society considers as attractive. This often leads to
body image problems and if it becomes severe, may result to eating disorders like
anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.
Attitude. This stage is also a time when the teenager begins to explore his
independence. Common indicators are awkward manners, bluntness,
straightforwardness, avoidance of parents, and skipping family gatherings---attitudes
that may be touch on tidiness, personal hygiene, quarrels with siblings, and
disobedience to parents often trigger conflicts.
Friends. Parents often worry that wayward friends will be a bad influence since this
is time when friends, for teenagers, seem more important than family. However,
friendships outside the family are necessary for a teenager’s development and it
would be wise for parents to encourage it. Conflict arises because of parents’
disapproval of the choice of friends and peers. Adolescents will resent this because of
their strong sense of loyalty to their group.
Synthesis
Development tasks are processes inherent in every stage of development that need
to be accomplished successfully in preparation for other developmental tasks in the next
stage of development.
Ten tasks an adolescent or teenager must accomplish.
1. Adjust to sexually maturing bodies and feelings.
2. Develop and apply abstract thinking skills.
3. Develop and apply a more complex level of perspective thinking.
4. Develop and apply new coping skills.
5. Identify meaningful moral standards, values, and belief systems.
6. Understand and express more complex emotional experiences.
7. Form friendships that are mutually close and supportive.
8. Establish a key aspect of identity.
9. Meet the demands of increasingly mature roles and responsibilities.
10. Renegotiate relationships with adults in parenting roles.
The problems and challenges faced by adolescents can be grouped according to
three areas: Appearance, Attitude and Friends.
References
Cayubit, Ryan Francis and Avelina L. Mandin (2017). Actualizing the Adolescent: Values Approach to Personality Development. Makati City Don Bosco
Press.
Perez, Aida Maria Hernandez (2016). Personal Development, Quezon City: Vibal Publishing
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Santos, Ricardo Rubio (2016). Personal Development, Manila: Rex
Bookstore.
Patronage of Mary Development School
Poblacion, Boljoon, Cebu
Tel. Nos. (032)482-9302- Website: www.pmds.ph - Email Address: pmdsmamamary@gmail.com
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Learning Task 3
Name ______________________________________________ Grade Level __________
Email Address ___________________________ Date _____________ Time ___________
A. Multiple Choice. Click / Check the letter that corresponds to your answer.
1. Why should parents support teenagers having friends outside their families?
A. They can make choices for their future lifetime partner.
B. The more friends they have the better.
C. Teenagers learn to take into account their perspective and the perspective of
other people.
D. Adolescents’ close and supportive friends provide connections and
belongingness which are necessary for their development.
2. What human tasks which are inherent in every stage of development?
A. Teenagers tasks
B. Human development
C. Stages development
D. Developmental tasks
3. What teenagers’ task that require them to engage in health sexual behaviors?
A. establish a key aspect of identity
B. form friendships that are mutually close and supportive
C. adjust to sexually maturing bodies and feelings
D. develop and apply abstract thinking skills
4. What task that is developed through developing a sense of individuality as well as
connection to valued people and groups?
A. establish a key aspect of identity
B. form friendships that are mutually close and supportive
C. adjust to sexually maturing bodies and feelings
D. develop and apply abstract thinking skills
5. What task of the adolescent which is developed through activities and efforts that require
them to think about possibilities, try out hypotheses and understand their own through
processes and construct philosophies?
A. establish a key aspect of identity
B. form friendships that are mutually close and supportive
C. adjust to sexually maturing bodies and feelings
D. develop and apply abstract thinking skills
6. What common challenge usually encountered by adolescents that cause them to be self-
conscious leading to low self-esteem and lack of self-confidence?
A. body image and appearance problems
B. relationships with the opposite sex
C. conflict with parents
D. attitude with friends
7. What issues relative to attitude are being experienced by teenagers?
1. awkward manners
2. bluntness and straightforwardness
3. avoidance of parents
4. skipping family gatherings
A.1 and 2 B. 1, 2 and 3 C. 1, 2, 3 and 4 D. 1 and 4
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8. Glenda is learning to acquire the skills to manage the multiple demands that will allow
her to move into the labor market. What developmental task is manifested by Glenda?
A. Meet the demands of increasingly mature roles and responsibilities.
B. Renegotiate relationships with adults in parenting roles.
C. Develop and apply a more complex level of perspective thinking.
D. Develop and apply new coping skills.
9. Charlie has acquired new ability to think and has a clear plan for his future. He is
interested in problem-solving and conflict resolution books, videos and seminars in order to
improve his decision making skills. What developmental task is mastered by Charlie?
A. Meet the demands of increasingly mature roles and responsibilities.
B. Renegotiate relationships with adults in parenting roles.
C. Develop and apply a more complex level of perspective thinking.
D. Develop and apply new coping skills.
10. Marites recognized the fact that she needs to be doing and engaging in adult activities
and take part in some responsibilities as elder sister to her siblings. She is now practicing
her autonomy while re-establishing a new connection to her family. What task is described
above?
A. Meet the demands of increasingly mature roles and responsibilities.
B. Renegotiate relationships with adults in parenting roles.
C. Develop and apply a more complex level of perspective thinking.
D. Develop and apply new coping skills.
B. Essay. Answer the following questions comprehensively.
1. Share your own experiences how you accomplish the following tasks or why you failed to
accomplish them.
1.1 Adjust to sexually maturing bodies and feelings.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
1.2 Develop and apply abstract thinking skills.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
1.3 Develop and apply a more complex level of perspective thinking.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
1.4 Develop and apply new coping skills.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
1.5 Identify meaningful moral standards, values, and belief systems.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
1.6 Understand and express more complex emotional experiences.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
1.7 Form friendships that are mutually close and supportive.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
1.8 Establish a key aspect of identity.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
1.9 Meet the demands of increasingly mature roles and responsibilities.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
1.10 Renegotiate relationships with adults in parenting roles.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
2. How did you overcome the following challenges?
2.1 Being insecure of your physical appearance.
2.2 Bad attitude / behavior of your friends / classmates.
2.3 Misunderstanding with parents.
3. Do an online research on the differences between anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.
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3.1 Anorexia Nervosa
3.2 Bulimia Nervosa
