Adolescent crystallization, as defined by

Laurence Steinberg Laurence Steinberg (born 1952) is an American university professor of psychology, specializing in adolescent psychological development. Career Steinberg is a professor at Temple University in Philadelphia, where he is a Distinguished University P ...

, is a stage during adolescence in which individuals, typically ages 14–18, first begin to formulate their ideas about an appropriate occupation.

Identity development

During the crystallization period, adolescents begin to form their own ideas about what is appropriate work for them and learn more about themselves occupationally; this will guide them to their future educational decisions. This is considered to be a part of the path to

identity Identity may refer to: * Identity document * Identity (philosophy) * Identity (social science) * Identity (mathematics) Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Identity'' (1987 film), an Iranian film * ''Identity'' (2003 film), ...

development. An adolescent’s occupational plan for the future involves examining their traits, abilities, interests and values. Occupational plans generally form in stages; the most important time for crystallization to occur is during late adolescence, during this time their plans are more realistically related to his or her capabilities.

Social environment The social environment, social context, sociocultural context or milieu refers to the immediate physical and social setting in which people live or in which something happens or develops. It includes the culture that the individual was educate ...

influences an adolescent’s choice in occupational plans; they are more likely to look to a role model for guidance.

Studies

A study done by Arizona State University assessed eighth to twelfth graders on career interests and crystallization. The study included 1000 males and 1000 females. Both the males and the females showed stability in their choices and crystallization increased with age. The study showed the importance of the

twelfth grade Twelfth grade, 12th grade, senior year, or grade 12 is the final year of secondary school in most of North America. In other regions, it may also be referred to as class 12 or Year 13. In most countries, students are usually between the ages of 17 ...

year because crystallization increased with age, therefore this year should be used for

career The career is an individual's metaphorical "journey" through learning, work and other aspects of life. There are a number of ways to define career and the term is used in a variety of ways. Definitions The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' defi ...

and academic development. A study was done by the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...

to determine whether working during high school helped form adolescents' choices in crystallization of

occupations Occupation commonly refers to: *Occupation (human activity), or job, one's role in society, often a regular activity performed for payment *Occupation (protest), political demonstration by holding public or symbolic spaces *Military occupation, th ...

. The results of the study showed it was not employment opportunity or number of hours that were worked that affected the occupational value formation. Instead, it was the opportunities given to learn useful skills that created a positive influence. Therefore, the crystallization of career opportunities is more likely to occur in adolescents given the chance to explore and learn new skills in their job during high school. This helps the adolescent with their

development.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adolescent Crystallization Adolescence Developmental psychology