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