Coping with developmental tasks

A developmental task describes the profile of individual action competences in dealing with the body, psyche, and social and material environment, which is expected for a specific stage of life. Every person must manage this in his or her own individual way. The developmental tasks of the individual life stages build upon one another but present new challenges in each phase, which require a reorganisation of the personal and social resources. If the developmental tasks are successfully mastered, the tension between personal individuation and social integration can be balanced and a self-identity formed. Numerous and diverse personal and/or social resources create good conditions for coping successfully with developmental tasks. A deficit of mastering can result in various forms of health problems, whereas the successful coping with developmental tasks with their specific demands regarding the processing of the internal and external reality normally results in well-being and an increased joy of life.