A Guide to Normal Development for Adolescents Ages 17-19

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By late adolescence, teens have made significant progress in firmly establishing their identities. The cognitive, emotional, and social developments that late adolescents make leave them prepared for success in adulthood. While ever child is different, most late adolescents follow roughly the same developmental path.

Cognitive Growth

The hallmark of late adolescent cognitive growth is the ability to assess long-term impact of ideas and actions. Because adolescents at this stage possess the capacity to assimilate abstract ideas, they usually exhibit the following characteristics:

• Ability to delay gratification
• More developed sense of humor and comprehension of sarcasm
• Facility to weigh the impact of their ideas and choose among various intellectual options
• Ability to express abstract comments verbally
• Capability to make independent decisions

Emotional Development

As hormone levels even out, late adolescents generally grow out of the moodiness and irritability so common among younger teens. With this hormonal plateau, teens in late adolescence usually demonstrate a more consistent emotional state:

• Greater emotional stability, with fewer mood swings
• Increased empathy and concern for others, even outside their immediate circle
• Emphasis on self-esteem and maintaining personal dignity
• Ability to regulate self-esteem independently

Social Changes

While early and middle adolescence are often marked by experimenting with peer groups and extracurricular activities, late adolescence is a period of settling into oneself and one's social group. Late adolescents usually display the following social behaviors:

• More stable interests in peer groups and personal interests
• Increased interest in serious relationships, resulting in deeper friendships and more serious romantic attachments
• Acceptance of cultural norms and social institutions

At school and on the job, late adolescents take pride in their work. Their greater self-reliance means that they have more defined, reliable work habits. Late adolescents are generally adept at setting goals and following through with them, which allows them to work with less supervision than younger adolescents. Since late adolescents have begun to consider what their role in life will be, they are likely to pursue academic and extracurricular activities that match their long-term goals.

At home, teens in late adolescence tend to be less withdrawn and more willing to participate in family life. Late adolescents' ability to compromise and accept responsibility means that they are prepared to take an active part in running a household. They are generally willing to take on added responsibility, especially if this is balanced with extra freedom or privileges.

Late adolescence represents the final steps in the transition from childhood to adulthood. Teens in this phase have grown into their bodies, personalities, and responsibilities. Their new skills poise them for success in college, career, and beyond.