Developmental Matrix

Developmental Matrix

Age	Theorist	Categories
11-15/20	Piaget Manning Brighton and Stevenson	Cognitive/Language - (Formal Operations) – Capable of thinking logically and abstractly, capable of formulating hypotheses and testing them systematically; thinking is more complex, and can think about thinking (metacognition) Start to understand the nuances of metaphors, derive meaning from traditional wisdom, and experience metacognition Increasingly able to think through ideological topics, argue a position, and challenge adult directives
Young Adolescents 10-11 12-15	Kellough & Kellough Scales Erikkson	Affective/Emotional – Have a tendency to be moody, restless, and may exhibit erratic and inconsistent behavior including anxiety, bravado, and fluctuations between superiority and inferiority Highly self-conscious and highly sensitive to criticism of their perceived personal shortcomings Industry vs. Inferiority when they identity themselves by the tasks and skills they perform well Identity vs. Identity when they explore and experiment with various roles and experiences
Young Adolescents	Scales Wiles et al. Brighton	Social – Have a strong need to belong to a group – with peer approval becoming more important and adult approval decreasing in importance May experiment with new behaviors as they seek social position and personal identity May experience conflicting loyalties to peer group and family Torn between their desire to conform to the peer group norms and their aspiration to be distinctive and independent
Young Adolescents	Brighton Scales Kellough & Kellough and Scales Kohlberg and Roney	Moral/Spiritual – Many of the attitudes, beliefs, and values that young adolescents develop remain with them for life Move away from blanket acceptance of adult moral judgment to the development of their own personal values; however, they usually embrace the values of parents or key adults Tend to be idealistic and possess a strong sense of fairness As they progress into the interpersonal conformity stage, young adolescents begin to reconcile their understanding of people who care about them with their egocentricity

I can relate to Jean Piaget’s formal operational stage because when I was around the age of 11, I began to think more abstractly. I remember my teachers always encouraging my love of problem solving around this time. I would often use deductive reasoning by drawing conclusions from abstract concepts using logic. I also remember my mom getting frustrated with me because at this age, I would constantly ask, “What ifs” to think more abstractly. She never had any concrete answers for me because my questions were always pretty out there like, “What if the sun doesn’t come up tomorrow?”

Here is another interesting diagram by the theorist, Erik Erikson