Adolescence Development Adolescents enter the cognitive stage known as formal operations, and are able to think more abstractly and hypothetically. They can define right from wrong, in terms of cop = good and robber = bad. According to Erikson, adolescence is a time of "identity crisis", or a critical period in the life long process of forming one's identity, a conflict stage which he labeled identity versus role confusion. During this stage, adolescents try to define themselves in terms of career, religion, and sexual identity. They try to figure out where they are heading in life, and how they fit into society. Often times adolescents in Adolescent Years 3 this stage change their minds and experiment with new looks, majors, and new experiences (Cheathouse, Feb., 2004). The influence that these factor's have effect the forming of one's identity and independence. An adolescent's self-image is
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