According to the many sources we have analyzed, middle schools attempt to target the needs specific to adolescents. These needs are numerous and vary between individuals. Thanks to plentiful research that has highlighted these fluctuating needs, educators are able to readily address the prevailing conditions of adolescence. The areas of concern are social, physical, emotional, and intellectual.
Gender differences play a considerable role in the degree to which the various needs are important.
Social Needs Social development is an important part of an adolescent's life. During these years, youth will be under tremendous pressure by their peers. Many adolescents will model themselves after peers or media figures that appeal to the popular culture of the time. They become interested in material possessions, fashions, and looking just right in the attempt to fit in to the proper peer group. They will crave freedoms that were never even topics of discussion before.