Introduction to Adolescence and Its Disorders 189sample of girls entered puberty at least two years earlier than average.
As adolescents, these early-maturing girls were more likely than their
contemporaries to smoke, drink, steal, play truant, disobey their parents,
and leave school at the earliest opportunity. These differences stemmed
from the tendency of the early-maturing girls to associate with older
girls, perhaps particularly with disaffected older girls who were doing
poorly at school. A biological difference (early puberty) led on to a social
difference (choice of peer group), and it was the social difference that
affected adjustment; early-maturing girls without older friends were not
at increased risk of norm breaking.
Cognitive development
In many respects, teenagers from the age of 14 or 15 have comparable
cognitive capabilities to adults, for example, on tests of abstract reasoning
or ‘frontal lobe’ functions. Conflicts can easily arise from the fact that
teenagers are the equals of their parents or teachers in these respects, while
differing enormously in experience and power. Adults may underestimate
teenagers’ ability to think things through for themselves; teenagers may
underestimate the value of experience.
Just as people vary considerably in the age at which they reach their
adult height, it seems likely that people vary widely in the age at which
they reach their adult cognitive potential, with this variation having
important consequences for psychosocial adaptation. Some studies of
juvenile delinquents indicate that they are behind their peers in the
development of conscience and altruism, although this has proved hard
to measure.
Identity
In principle, our society offers youngsters a bewildering variety of possible
adult roles: ‘you can be anything you want if you really work at it’. In
practice, many teenagers’ options are restricted and unglamorous. This
tension adds to the difficulties of adolescence as the young person attempts
to work towards a sense of identity that bridges internal aspirations
and external realities. A sense of confusion about personal identity can
sometimes be so marked that it largely prevents a young person from
functioning. DSM-IV provides a coding for Identity Problem under the
rubric of other conditions that may be a focus of clinical interest. ICD-10
does not have a comparable category.
There are different risks associated with accepting and rejecting the
identities offered by the adult world. Accepting an unglamorous identity
that falls well short of previous aspirations may undermine self-esteem
and predispose to depression. At the other extreme, some young people
seem to define their identity primarily in terms of their rejection of adult