Types of Heroic Journey

A life is made up of a number of heroic journeys that occur over the course of that life.  The big difference for teenagers is that there are often two types of journey going on at the same time.  Fortunately, the heroic journey explains both kinds of journey.

The Normal Developmental Journey of Teenagers –  Everyone’s Story

One type of journey is the natural developmental journey of leaving childhood, discovering how to be a young adult and dealing with the extended period of “inbetweenity” where you have sort of left childhood, but have not yet mastered being a young adult.  That takes years and is the basic story of adolescence.

The developmental heroic journey for teenagers is the journey on which you meet the three big challenges and develop your identity, learn to form strong relationships and build the set of competencies required to be a successful young adult.

You will also be challenged to become the author of your life, giving up the dependence of childhood and accepting the responsibility of adulthood.  Again, this happens because you are a teenager and you are ready for the challenge.

Situational Challenges – They Happen from Time to Time

The other type of journey is what can be called “situational journeys” (mini-journeys), which are journeys that happen because of a specific event.  Those changes can range from moving to a new school or community to having a serious illness, being assaulted or breaking up with a girlfriend or boyfriend.  The changes can also be more positive, such as becoming a team captain or president of a club or getting into an honors program. 

So, while you are on the eight-year journey of being a teenager you will also encounter specific events and changes that bring similar tests and opportunities to grow.  Most teenagers will experience several of these situational journeys to go along with the longer developmental journey.