Personal Development

1. Personal Development Chapter 4 Section 2 Notes

2. Cognitive Development • Formal Operations (Piaget)- adolescences start thinking like an adult in the sense of answering hypothetical questions. • “What if…” • Understanding this allows the adolescence to understand abstract principles and deal with analogies and metaphors. • Rationalization- a process where an individual seeks to explain an emotion or behavior in a way that will preserve their self-esteem. • Being able to think about why you failed a test

3. Moral Development • Looking back on Kohlberg's stages of Moral Development, a lot of people never get past stage 4 – Law and Order (establish authority). If they do reach stage 5 they are concerned with if the law is fair because they feel that laws must change as the world changes. • Individuals who reach stage 6 have the same thought process in questioning if the law is fair, but they feel that moral laws are much more important than a written law. • Moral development depends on multiple factors such as the relationship an adolescence has with their parents. • College = More moral development

4. Identity Development • Erickson’s theory of the identity crisis • Identity Crisis- a period of inner conflict during which adolescents worry intensely about who they are. • Physiological changes, cognitive development, the opposite sex • It’s an inner conflict between being unique and fitting in. • Adolescents need to organize their life in an acceptable way to society but still need to express their self. • Role confusion • Self-conscious