Roadblocks to Development

Development of a Teen

• Under normal conditions, most teens:–Get through the developmental tasks on

schedule.–Develop into responsible, mature adults.

• Just as physical growth can be interrupted by disease or lack of nutrients, developmental tasks can be interrupted by roadblocks.

Roadblocks for Teens

• Crisis Level Traumas–Death of a parent–Divorce of parents–Death of a sibling or close friend– Severe illness

Roadblocks for Teens

• Living with Abuse–Physical– Emotional and/or Verbal– Sexual

Roadblocks for Teens

• Teen Pregnancy• Drug and/or Alcohol Abuse• Compulsive or Obsessive Behaviors–Grades– Excelling in Sports–Physical Appearance

All Focus Is Elsewhere

• When these challenges occur in a teen’s life, all energies are focused on the crisis and not on the developmental task.

• For example:– If a teen must cope with a traumatic event

such as a death in the family, all of their energies are used in trying to understand and deal with that loss.

Recovery

• Recovery from these roadblocks may take quite a long time.

• When the initial grief begins to lessen and life begins to move forward, then the teen can return to normal activities that allow for normal development.

• Examples:–Going back to school, seeing friends socially,

playing on sports teams, etc.

Summary

• Life is just like a highway.• There are many roadblocks and course

corrections made throughout everyone’s life.• Do the best you can, learn from it, and move

forward.

Homework Assignment

• Road Map of Life• Due next class period