Kohlberg (1984) has described three levels of moral thought; the preconventional, conventional and postconventional. Adolescence marks the movement from the conventional level of moral judgement to postconventional. At the conventional level, people are motivated by external factors such as others' opinions and existing law. These individuals hold simplistic conceptions of what is right. Postconventional orientation embraces more universal and abstract principles of justice. The focus moves from acts to motivations, consequences and relationships. Postconventional morality is not achieved by all. It cannot be attained unless the structure of an individual's thought process develops and the ability to reason abstractly is attained.

According to psychoanalyst Erik Erickson (1963), the central developmental task of adolescence is to develop a sense of identity. A sense of identity allows one to answer the questions: Who am I? Who am I to become? Identities are shaped and reshaped over a lifetime. Adolescence represents a significant turning point as the individual lets go of childhood beliefs and fantasies and confronts the imminent tasks and decisions of adulthood. Adolescence provide teens an opportunity to "try on" different roles, beliefs and commitments. This "trying on" of a variety of roles can result in role confusion. Erickson believes this role confusion leads many to over commit themselves to social causes, cliques and loves (Erickson, 1968).

The development of a sense of identity requires individuation or separation from family. Separation from family does not indicate a lack of connectedness with family, but rather indicates the adolescent's need to have an identity separate from the family. Family connectedness can be promoted in a number of ways such as, parents' taking an interest in a teen's activities, spending time together or having family meals. Family connectedness has been shown to be the most important factor in positive outcomes for teens (Blum & Reinhardt, 1997).

Early adolescence marks the beginning of developing a separate identity from the family. Close relationships with peers develop. These peer relationships are primarily same sex with strong solitary friendships developing. These young teens are preoccupied with their appearance and have numerous questions about normalcy and tend to look to peers for answers.

Middle adolescents are less preoccupied with questions of normalcy. These teens are concerned with making themselves as attractive as possible and have concerns about clothing and makeup. Involvement in peer groups increases, and further separation from family occurs. Dating relationships and experimentation with sex occur during this period. Feelings of omnipotence and immortality are at a peak in this group, leading to risk-taking behaviors.

As teens enter late adolescence, if all has progressed satisfactorily, they are well on the way to separating from family and establishing identity. It's getting there that can be difficult! This is especially true for teens who are defined by some segments of the larger society or their peers as "being different" ( i.e., gay, bisexual, or questioning youth; youth with special needs; youth who have recently immigrated; disenfranchised youth -- homeless, abused, or neglected youth; etc.). These youth not only have to grapple with the "normal" pressures of adolescence, they have the extra burden of establishing a sense of self in the midst of these additional pressures. In other words, while they are expected to develop a positive sense of self and pride in who they are, they are also expected to fit certain "so-called norms" -- even though those "norms" may be in direct contradiction to who they are. These conflicting messages prove to be too much for some adolescents. They may react by completely disassociating from their peers, family, and/or the larger community; developing a facade to make themselves more acceptable to others; or participating in self depreciating or "acting out" behaviors which lead to further ostracization. Others, however, are able to put these conflicting messages into perspective, and somehow develop a positive sense of self. The question becomes: What makes some adolescents more resilient than others?

A relatively new model for looking at adolescent development, The Developmental Assets Model, may provide some clues. This model provides a new framework for guiding care provided to adolescents. It, however, does not provide all the answers, and should be used in conjunction with other, perhaps more familiar frameworks, i.e., Bright Futures (1994) and the American Medical Association's (AMA) Guidelines for Adolescent Preventive Services (GAPS) (1995). Each has its own unique value.