Individuals direct their own development by setting developmental goals and striving for goal attainment. Human development includes reductions in discrepancies between desired and actual states, as is the case in goal attainment and reduction of aspirations, as well as increases of discrepancies, for example, when individuals increase their aspirations or face setbacks. The present study analyzed how ways of changing discrepancies between desired and actual states of solving developmental tasks relate to changes in adolescents' self-esteem across a 2-year period. With regard to discrepancy-reducing processes we found that increases in goal attainment were associated with increased self-esteem whereas reductions of aspirations were not systematically associated with self-esteem change. With regard to discrepancy-producing processes, diminishing of the present state was consistently associated with declines in self-esteem, whereas increases in aspirations showed inconsistent associations with self-esteem changes. The results indicate similarities and differences between developmental regulation in adolescence and adulthood.KEY WORDS: self-regulation: goal pursuit; self-concept; developmental tasks; adolescence.