This review examines research in moral and spiritual development during the adolescent years, with a primary focus on Piaget's and Kohlberg's theories. It begins by presenting definitions of morality and then discusses theories of moral development set forth by Piaget, Elkind, and Kohlberg. Theories of Piaget and Kohlberg are briefly compared.…

Addresses concern that school counselors are not provided with guidelines for how to use knowledge on moral development when working with children in school settings. Provides framework wherein commonly used counseling techniques can be tailored and refined to match the client's stage of moral development. (NB)

Utilizes the theoretical formulations of Margaret Mahler and her colleagues on separation and individuation to understand how to plan psycho-rehabilitation programs for emotionally disturbed adolescents and young adults. The separation-individuation process and anxiety issues are discussed and analyzed in terms of both theory and practical…

Claims that meeting the health care needs of homosexual and bisexual teenagers has become public health imperative. Points out stigma of homosexuality often gives rise to psychosocial problems for teenagers in process of sexual identity development. Offers suggestions to support healthy development, assist recovery from stigma, and avert…

Asserts that cognitive skills that develop during adolescence are crucial to successful contraceptive practice and that practitioners must understand special developmental setting in which adolescent sexual growth and experimentation occur in order to impact contraceptive use. Demonstrates how health and medical providers can work together to…

Adolescence is a critical period in biological, cognitive, and social development. The transition from childhood to adulthood is a time of particular vulnerability and risk as well as of opportunity for preventive interventions. The Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development is seeking to assess and develop programs to facilitate this transition.…

Suggests that the high incidence of anorexia nervosa in adolescent girls may be related to developmental sexual pressure. Symptoms appear with the onset of puberty and are related to physiological and psychological changes. (JAC)

Notes that Super's work to linguistically explicate and operationally define career development and its central processes has strongly influenced how counselors comprehend and guide their clients' vocational behavior. Explains how Super conceptualized career development in terms of life stages and developmental tasks, and how he proposed that…

While states have put in place scores of youth polices, no state can claim to have a single, coherent youth policy that serves as a lens for assessing and planning individual policies. However, across the country, states are working to develop more coordinated approaches to youth policy. This paper highlights the work that states are doing to…

Reviews the behavioral, cognitive, and other psychological features of Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS), exploring their relationships to known genetic mechanisms. PWS is a genetic developmental disability characterized by a group of specific behavioral features, including an insatiable appetite. The article briefly touches on PWS-related research at…

Examines recent empirical evidence to test theories postulated in separate works by G. Stanley Hall and Anna Freud that adolescents must experience psychological turbulence in the transition to adulthood. Concludes that turmoil is no longer a necessary condition of adolescence and that those who do experience it need psychiatric attention.…

Notes that troubled children and youth often lack specific skills that are prerequisites for development of conscience and prosocial orientation. Describes how Boys' Town Model of teaching concrete interpersonal skills serves to empower youth with new options for prosocial behavior. Contends that once in possession of expanded repertoire of…

Presents three psychological perspectives on youth deviance. Two traditional theoretical approaches to understanding and intervening in delinquent behavior are explained. A third perspective, a youth advocacy approach, is described in the light of cognitive developmental theory. Youth's developmental needs and their opportunity to complete…

Examines three central issues in current thinking about process of identity formation. Discussion of theoretical issues focuses on identity models and criticism of identity status model. Structural issues discussion concerns whether identity is structure and, if so, what are structural components. Transition section identifies mechanisms involved…

This publication reports the findings of an expert panel convened by the National Center for Nursing Research to address health promotion for older children and adolescents (ages 8 through 18), the role of nurses, and the contributions of nursing science. Three chapters focus on basic science, intervention, and application. Each chapter includes…