Adolescence

Compared to previous generations, adolescents of the twenty-first century are experiencing a new set of developmental challenges marked by society's greater reliance on technology and increasing cultural and ethnic diversity. The contemporary sociohistorical context requires a redefinition of the patterns of normative adolescent development that incorporates two features: (1) an integration of developmental processes across different domains of functioning to counter traditional linear patterns of development, and (2) the heterogeneity of adolescent development to dispel the myth of uniformity in development. The integration of these two issues is applied to understanding adolescent mental health problems and the development of intervention strategies during this life stage.