Teenage Mental Development: Identity, Relationships & Society

Like her three-year-old niece, Angie still has wants and needs. Unlike her niece, however, Angie now realizes that those wants and needs may not be automatically met. This final step in mental development is a bittersweet experience. On the one hand, Angie, like most teenagers, must come to grips with the fact that she is not the hub of the universe. She has wants and needs that may never be met. On the other hand, as her thought processes mature, she becomes much better able to think about her own identity, to form adult relationships with other people, and to determine how and where she fits into society.