Social and Emotional Development in
Teens Ages 13 - 18
Developmental Social
and Emotional Milestones for Teenagers
By Denise Witmer, About.com Guide
Adolescence
is a time of growth, development and change. Your teen will develop emotionally
and socially as well as physically. This development may seem seamless to you,
but there are distinct things happening in your teenager's social and emotional
development that are helping them become who they are going to be - helping
them to form their identity. While these changes don't follow a timeline to the
date of your teen's birthday - your 14-year-old may still act like a
13-year-old socially - teens of different ages do have different social and
emotional focuses and behaviors. Here we have a list of them by age.
13-Year-Old Teen Social and Emotional Development
Thirteen-year-old teens are dealing with the physical changes in their body - puberty - emotionally as well as physically. Change is not easy for most people at any age and your 13-year-old is dealing with one of the biggest changes of their lives. This will cause your young teen to feel uncertain, moody and be sensitive to what others think of them, especially their peers.
14-Year-Old Teen Social and Emotional Development
For fourteen-year-old teens, puberty has become old news and getting more and more privileges and freedom from parents and 'little kid rules' is what's important. Fourteen-year-old teens feel pretty happy with themselves as much of the angst from the changes they have been going through levels off and then have gotten used to no longer being a young child anymore. While parents can breath a sigh of relief that there are fewer mood swings, be wary of the happy smiling 14-year-old as they often want something.
15-Year-Old Teen Social and Emotional Development
Fifteen-year-old teens are pushing their parents to do more and more on their own, and they do not want to have to ask permission to do it. Independence is the name of the game for a 15-year-old and they are going to try and grab for as much of it as possible. The difference between a 13-year-old teen trying to gain some independence and a 15-year-old teen is that the latter doesn't want to have to seek your permission to do something independently.
16-Year-Old Teen Social and Emotional Development
Sixteen-year-old teens are comfortable in their own skin and know the ropes as to the life around them. They have learned much about themselves in the past few years and are able to see when they are at their best and when they are at their worst. They also see the best and worst of their parents which will gain you some criticisms and complements - oftentimes right out of the blue.
17-Year-Old Teen Social and Emotional Development
Seventeen-year-old teens are more in-control of their moods and emotions. They form stronger relationships than in the past and are able to build strong bonds with friends - no more flitting back and forth between cliques. They begin to see their future and can feel both excited and apprehensive about it. The 17-year-old teen has less conflict with parents, but will still push for more independence.
18-Year-Old Teen Social and Emotional Development
The eighteen-year-old teen is on an identity quest into their future. They want to figure out where they will fit in today's world. It is a time for big change that comes with a lot of freedom and happiness along with feelings of nostalgia and apprehension. The 18-year-old is often idealistic and enthusiastic about their future goals. As this is the first year as a legal adult, this teen comes into their 18th year in a whirlwind that was childhood and tends to come out of it more stable with some established independence and more experienced life skills.
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