Cece graduates from high school and plans to become an occupational therapist. Which developmental task is she fulfilling?

• A. Forming intimate relationships
• B. Achieving autonomy
• C. Establishing a career
• D. Developing moral reasoning

Answer: (C)

In early adulthood, a primary developmental task is establishing a career and solidifying a work identity. Cece planning to become an occupational therapist shows she’s moving toward a specific professional path and thinking about her long-term role in the workforce, which embodies this career-focused task. The other options describe important developmental areas, but they don’t capture what her current change centers on: forming close relationships and autonomy are more aligned with independence and interpersonal development, while developing moral reasoning relates to moral judgment rather than career planning.