This volume focuses on concepts central to the understanding of the key features of individuality which undergo significant transformations throughout the adolescent period: Personality, self, and ego. While rooted in distinct theoretical traditions, these three concepts, in combination, capture the core aspects of the formation of the individual's unique sense of self or identity, a psychosocial development fundamentally associated with adolescence. Consistent with the developmental-systems models of person-context relations at the forefront of current human development theory and research, the articles within this volume focus on the dynamic, reciprocal relations between youth and key socializing agents within their ecologies. Nevertheless, the articles represented in this volume illustrate that when attempting to understand the development of personality- and self-systems, scholars differ in the extent to which they place primary emphasis on the individual, on the context, or on the relationship between the two.

Long dormant,the field of moral development is experiencing a comeback. This book will appeal to scholars, developmental theorists and grad. students interested in issues of moral development,moral education,moral behavior & cognitive developmental theor

Frequently cited in scholarly books and journals and praised by students, this book focuses on developmental changes and processes in adolescence rather than on the details and problems of daily life. Major developmental changes associated with adolescence are identified. Noted for its exceptionally strong coverage of cognitive, moral, and social development, this brief, inexpensive book can be used independently or as a supplement to other texts on adolescence. Highlights of the new edition include: expanded coverage of thinking and reasoning. a new chapter on metacognition and epistemic cognition. expanded coverage of controversies concerning the foundations of morality. a new chapter on moral principles and perspective taking. a new chapter on the relation of personal and social identity. a new chapter addressing current controversies concerning the rationality, maturity, and brains of adolescents. more detail on key studies and methodologies and boldfaced key terms and a glossary to highlight and clarify key concepts. Rather than try to cover everything about adolescence at an elementary level, this book presents and builds on the core issues in the scholarly literature, thus encouraging deeper levels of understanding. The book opens with an introduction to the concepts of adolescence, rationality, and development and then explores the three foundational literatures of adolescent development - cognitive development, moral development, and identity formation. The book concludes with a more general account of rationality and development in adolescence and beyond. Appropriate for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses on adolescence or adolescent development offered by departments of psychology, educational psychology, or human development, this brief text is also an ideal supplement for courses on social and/or moral development, cognitive development, or lifespan development. The book is also appreciated by scholars interested in connections across standard topics and research programs. Prior knowledge of psychology is not assumed.

Adolescenceâ€"beginning with the onset of puberty and ending in the mid-20sâ€"is a critical period of development during which key areas of the brain mature and develop. These changes in brain structure, function, and connectivity mark adolescence as a period of opportunity to discover new vistas, to form relationships with peers and adults, and to explore one's developing identity. It is also a period of resilience that can ameliorate childhood setbacks and set the stage for a thriving trajectory over the life course. Because adolescents comprise nearly one-fourth of the entire U.S. population, the nation needs policies and practices that will better leverage these developmental opportunities to harness the promise of adolescenceâ€"rather than focusing myopically on containing its risks. This report examines the neurobiological and socio-behavioral science of adolescent development and outlines how this knowledge can be applied, both to promote adolescent well-being, resilience, and development, and to rectify structural barriers and inequalities in opportunity, enabling all adolescents to flourish.

In recent years, a number of researchers have begun to question the Piagetian theory that cognitive structural development ends with the adolescent's acquisition of formal operations and have begun to focus on the development of thought in late adolescence and adulthood. This volume brings together the work of numerous scholars in cognitive social, and perceptual development to explore the nature of postformal thought. The contributors represent the diversity of models and approaches that characterize the ongoing research in this area and, at the same time, act to unify this body of literature within a common framework of analysis. Students, researchers, and practicing psychologists will find her important new insights into the evolution of thought processes throughout the human lifespan. A number of the papers present alternative, but closely related models of postformal cognition, as well as techniques of measuring postformal thought. Of special interest is the presentation of data supporting claims that thought represents a stage qualitatively distinct from the transition between hierarchical and formal operations. The opening chapter describes Beethoven's cognitive development in late adolescence and adulthood, while subsequent essays discuss the modifications of formal structures that develop in the attempt to use formal reasoning in real-life problem solving. A set of studies that extend the study of postformal thought into the domains of moral thought and social reasoning complete the volume.