Chapter 1 Personal Development 23
Section 1-3
Becoming Independent
Objectives
After studying this section, you will be able to
• explain how to achieve independence.
• identify ways to show responsibility at home and at school.
• demonstrate how to be a responsible citizen in your local and global
communities.
How many times have you said “I can’t wait until I’m old enough to do
that”? Maybe you are excited to get a driver’s license or have a part-time job.
Maybe you are looking forward to going to college. Perhaps you just want to
be more independent.
Becoming independent involves forming your own identity. It means
preparing for a career. It also means becoming responsible for your decisions
and developing socially acceptable behavior, 1-15. Being responsible means you
can be trusted to carry through an
assignment, commitment, or job.
Now that you are entering
adulthood, it is natural to want to
become independent. This feeling is
part of growing up and becoming
mature. A person does not wake up one
morning and decide “This is the day I
will be independent.” Independence is
achieved one step at a time.
Achieving
Independence
One of the tasks of adolescence
is to start becoming independent of
adults. People who have achieved
independence are those who are
responsible for their own actions.
independence
responsibilities
citizen
citizenship
authority fi gures
Key Terms
1-15 During adolescence, friends share experiences
that help them learn socially acceptable behavior.
© oliveromg/Shutterstock
Refl ect
Vocabulary