According to Havighurst, there is a teachable moment, a correct time for teaching any task. Some of the tasks arise out of biological changes, others from societal exceptions at a given age or the individual’s motivation at certain times to do particular things.
Havighurst (1972) outlined nine major tasks during the adolescent period.
Accepting one’s physique and using the body effectively: Adolescents need to accept their physique and learn to care for their body and to use the body effectively in sports and athletics etc.
Achieving new and more mature relations with age mates of both sexes: Adolescents should move from the same sex interests and playmates of middle childhood to establish hetero-sexual friendships. Becoming an adult means learning social skills and behavior required in group life.
Achieving a masculine or feminine social sex-role: Psycho sexual social roles are established by each culture, hence adolescents should examine the sex roles of their culture and decide what aspects they must adopt.
Achieving emotional independence from parents and other adults: Adolescents must develop understanding, affection and respect without emotional dependence. Adolescents who are rebellious and in conflict with their parents and other adults need to develop a greater understanding of themselves and adults.
Acquiring a set of values and an ethical system as a guide to behavior : developing an ideology.
Desiring and achieving socially responsible behavior: this goal includes the development of a social ideology that takes into account of societal values.
Preparing for an economic career: one of the primary goals of adolescents is to decide what they want to become vocationally, to prepare for the career.
Developing intellectual skills and concepts necessary for civic competence.
Preparing for marriage and family life: any individual desires a happy marriage and parenthood as one important goal in life and need to develop positive attitudes, social skills, emotional maturity to make marriage work.
Among these, the two primary developmental tasks during adolescence are
To establish independence from adults, in self identification and emotional independence also called as emotional autonomy.
To develop social, intellectual, language and motor skills that are essential for individual and group participation in heterosexual activities.
The other developmental tasks are
Accepting changes that takes place in one’s own body, physical appearance, and learning good grooming practices
Achieving appropriate relationships with age mates of both sexes.
Accepting masculine and feminine role that is appropriate to their age level
Participants