Adolescent individuation: the culmination of a developmental line

Viewing adolescence in terms of individuation results in a theoretical conceptualization that departs from classic psychoanalytic drive theory and has specific implications for our understanding of adolescent identity formation. The attainment of ego identity at the close of adolescence is viewed here as a consequence of the progressive developmental line of individuation in which the individual progresses from a state of physical and emotional dependence to a position of psychological autonomy and adult object relationships. The normative, progressive, and adaptive aspects of this process have been deliberately emphasized. This emphasis is intended to promote a view of adolescence that tempers and complements the traditional psychoanalytic view, a view that tends to, at worst, ignore, and at best, undervalue, the significance of autonomous ego development during this developmental stage.