of acceptable alternatives. For example, a young woman might pre-
fer a sex-neutral job of moderate prestige, but she will find other
possibilities somewhat attractive too. Attractiveness might fall off
gradually for jobs that are successively lower in prestige, more intel-
lectually demanding, or more gender-stereotyped.
By the early teen years, youngsters largely take their broad social
identities for granted. Although they may be confused or undecided
about which particular occupations they prefer, they have devel-
oped firm conceptions of their place in the broad social order and
narrowed their vocational options accordingly. Teens will soon
intensify their exploration of specific alternatives but only within
the restricted range they have delimited for themselves.
Stage 4: Orientation to the internal, unique self (ages fourteen and
above). Adolescents now take their desired place in society more
or less for granted. In addition, most are keenly concerned with
their attractiveness to the opposite sex, which can reinforce their
adherence to sex and status stereotypes. The unsettled and unset-
tling question for many relates instead to who they are as individu-
als. This is the fourth stage of development.
Adolescents have become better able to apprehend and inte-
grate highly abstract, complex information. Orienting to more
internally defined goals and internally based concepts of self (for
example, personality), they begin to forge a more personal sense of
self. A focus on the external similarities of self with others becomes
modulated by a growing concern for their own unique attributes.
Their unreflecting attempt to “fit into” the right social crowd
becomes a more discerning quest for a more personally compatible
set of activities and interpersonal relations. However, abstract char-
acteristics are less directly observable, so adolescents struggle, often
confused and insecure, to ascertain just what their interests, abili-
ties, personality traits, and values really are. In fact, many of their
interests and values may still be largely unformed. Individuals often
require experience in new activities and unfamiliar settings in order
to diagnose and develop their specific strengths and weaknesses,
likes and dislikes, and stance toward life. Few of us know the limits
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