Crisis of 17 years (age psychology): briefly and to the point

The crisis of 17 years is one of the periods of abrupt and rapid development of a person, when his whole life becomes completely different from what it was before. It is associated with global changes in the range of interests, communication, and activities. Boys and girls are constantly faced with a choice, and therefore they are tense and stressed.

This crisis is characterized by such signs as stubbornness, youthful maximalism, temporary disorders of the autonomic and central nervous systems. After overcoming the crisis, the teenager turns into a young man (girl): he becomes more thoughtful, focused, logical and adequate.

Definition of the concept

In short, the crisis of 17 years in developmental psychology is another period of rapid development of a person, during which he begins to search for himself, changes relationships with others, acquires new goals in life and develops new behavioral strategies for himself. Despite the name, the age limits of the youth crisis are from 16 to 18 years, depending on the life situation and development of the child.

Difficult teenager: what should parents do?

How well the pubertal crisis of adolescence will pass depends on the characteristics of the child himself and the foundations of upbringing that the parents laid. The position of those close to you is no less important. Despite the fact that the “prickly” teenager shows his negativism to everyone and everything, he needs support more than ever. Don't push your child away, help him understand his own feelings and enter adulthood with a sense of a solid foundation.

When solving numerous problems that accompany the age crisis in adolescents, parents will have to be patient so as not to spoil their relationship with their child. What recommendations will help?

Learn to competently resolve conflicts with your child

Strict prohibitions and punishments, emotional blackmail, sharp criticism, imposing one’s own opinion - all this does not work in raising a teenager. It is important for parents to learn how to effectively resolve conflicts with their children. Only confidential dialogue and a sincere desire to help. Listen, teach, give advice.

Respect your teenager's personal space

Despite the fact that you have every right to give advice and guidance to your child, respect his personal space and do not impose your opinion on certain issues. In order not to ruin your relationship with your teenager, respect the boundaries that he has set. Knock on the door before entering your child’s room, do not read his correspondence on the phone or on social networks, and do not ask too actively about his friends. Even these seemingly insignificant changes in your behavior will let your child know that you are not infringing on his privacy.

This does not mean that you should let your teenager's life take its course. Continue to monitor his pastime and performance at school. But this should not look like an infringement on freedom.

Treat your teenager like an adult

It's time to stop looking at your child as a toddler. A teenager is already old enough to make certain decisions. Give him some freedom of action and respect his desire to do “adult” things.

Every person, even a child, has the right to make a mistake. This develops personality and helps to accumulate life experience.

Don't discount your teenager's experiences

A teenager perceives literally every event in his life very acutely. Help him get out of conflicts with friends painlessly and support him when he fails. Seeing that you care, the child will be more confident and will listen to your advice, which is extremely important.

Learn the art of communicating with your child. “Just think, the girl left! How many more of these will you have” - not the most appropriate words of consolation for a boy suffering from unrequited love. Do not devalue his problems, support him in difficult times. Sometimes a simple “I understand you” is enough.

Find common ground with your teenager

A teenager, faced with a lack of understanding from his parents, often moves away from them and withdraws into himself. Try to find common ground with your growing child. This will help ensure effective prevention and correction of a teenager’s deviant behavior, as well as monitor his emotional state.

Find a common hobby with your child, actively relax together, go to the cinema, attend exhibitions and concerts. Believe me, not everything that modern youth loves is bad. Get to know what your child is interested in. This will help you be “on the same page” with him.

Lead by example

Teenagers are sensitive to hypocrisy. Rest assured, false preaching about moral values in the form of instructions and orders will not affect the child in any way. Teach by example. This will help the teenager understand the essence of what is happening around him and master the art of communication. Each child takes out many behavioral attitudes precisely from the environment in which he was raised. Let these be the right attitudes, and not aggression and excessive rigidity.

Causes of the crisis of adolescence

The main reason for the crisis of adolescence is the need and need for self-determination. Boys and girls constantly have to face a choice: with whom to communicate, what to do, what profession to choose, where to go to study. This situation is stressful for the child, so during this period he is in tension. Most often, high school students and school graduates encounter the following problems:

Unified State Exam

Final exams give schoolchildren a lot of trouble in choosing subjects and preparing for certification. The most unpleasant moment is the uncertainty until the very beginning of the exam. A person prepares using trial versions, but he never knows which one he will come across in the exam room. In addition, it takes 7-14 days to check the work, and all this time the graduate has to worry about his results.

Situation of choice

The older teenager chooses his future path after school; in his opinion, the rest of his life depends on this choice. Therefore, his nervous system becomes overexcited when thinking about where to go to study, what to become, whether to leave his hometown or stay, what form of education to choose, whether to combine study with work or to focus on one thing.

Expectations of the immediate environment

Parents, relatives and friends expect something from almost any child, even almost an adult. For example, that he will study well, be able to successfully pass exams, and enter a prestigious university. Society also makes its own demands, which are not so easy to meet. The graduate is constantly asked about what he will do, whether he is ready for exams, where he is going to enroll, what he wants to do. Most girls and boys in crisis at the age of 17 are still in a state of uncertainty, so such questions cause them some tension and irritation.

Changing your usual life

When entering an educational institution after school or getting a job, a young man is faced with conditions that are completely new to him. You have to take on more responsibility, join a new team, make your own decisions, perhaps learn to live separately from your parents, solve your own financial issues and housing problems. The adaptation period also turns out to be quite stressful.

All these situations aggravate the manifestations of the youth crisis.

Is it possible to overcome

How to cheer yourself up quickly when you feel bad - methods and tips

Most psychologists believe that a crisis is the most important prerequisite for personal change, the nature of which can be either positive: constructive, creative, integrative, or negative: destructive, destructive.

Important! Psychology says that you can overcome a crisis on your own, but it is better if your loved ones help. Parents can help their child. To do this, it is necessary to penetrate into the inner world of a teenager, find out what he is interested in, accept his musical preferences, clothing style, and worldview. Family and friends will help an adult facing a crisis.

Growing up crises

Signs of an adolescent crisis

For most children of high school age, the crisis of 17 years manifests itself quite clearly, so parents may well notice it on their own, without special diagnostics. It is characterized by the following features:

The emergence of fears

The teenager begins to often express his worries about what will happen to him next. He is worried about the future and everything connected with it. He is afraid of making a mistake, making a mistake in choosing the path, not meeting the expectations of loved ones, and is worried about the emergence of new responsibilities and duties. If some of the fears are realized, for example, an insufficiently high score on the Unified State Exam, then the child may go into deep depression.

Nervous system disorders

These include problems of the autonomic system: dizziness, rapid heartbeat, nervous tics, pressure surges, dyspeptic disorders, chest pain and increased work of the sweat glands. Neurotic reactions also include emotional disorders: unstable mood, irritability, short temper, tearfulness, decreased performance, increased anxiety, increased self-criticism, decreased concentration, lack of confidence in one’s own strengths and capabilities, pessimism.

Youthful maximalism

This is the name of the symptom of the crisis of 17 years, in which a teenager sees the world in black and white: for him, either everything is good or everything is bad, he needs either everything or nothing. It is associated with rigidity of thinking, normal for age, selfishness and lack of life experience. Signs of youthful maximalism include:

high categorical judgments;
stubbornness;
excessive self-confidence;
the desire to stand out from other people as much as possible;
inflated demands on people around you and on yourself;
lack of desire to compromise;
excessive emotionality when arguing and proving your point of view.

How to overcome the age crisis

If children and teenagers need to be supported by adults, an older person can work on himself. To do this, he needs to clearly understand why something does not suit him. If there are objective reasons for dissatisfaction, it is worth taking action. For example, when you don’t like the work you do, you can take advanced training courses. If there are no objective reasons, it is worth accepting the fact that at the moment there is a crisis and that this is a temporary phenomenon.

Can't figure it out on your own? It's time to contact a qualified psychologist.

Features of the crisis

According to the cultural-historical theory of L.S. Vygotsky, the peculiarities of the course of the crisis of adolescence are expressed in changes in three components of the personality:

Leading activity. From an intimate-personal one, which was in adolescence, it turns into an educational-professional one. During this period, a person needs to make a decision in life and get a profession, so normally most of his personal resources are directed to learning and learning new things. Communication with peers fades into the background, but does not completely disappear from the young man’s life.
Social situation of development. Here, during a crisis, a huge number of changes also occur: the circle of communication, quality, goals, methods of interaction, new strategies of behavior in conflicts and disputes appear, a person learns to argue his point of view and work successfully in a team to solve common problems. The attitude of older people around them towards boys and girls is also becoming different: they are increasingly looked at not as children, but as adults, addressed as “you”, respected more and allowed to express themselves.
The emergence of age-related neoplasms of early adolescence. The crisis of 17 years ends with new personality qualities, including:

professional self-determination;
formation of an individual thinking style;
regulation of one’s own behavior based on values and meanings;
formation of logical intelligence;
awareness of one's own value and individuality;
personal self-determination.

The contradiction of the crisis is 17 years old, according to the concept of L.S. Vygotsky is a confrontation between two opposing desires: to communicate and to isolate. A person still wants communication, but for self-realization he also has a need for solitude. His main task is to find a balance between these phenomena, without losing touch with society and without relegating the realization of his own capabilities to the background.

Mental processes associated with determining future professional activity

During adolescence, professional and personal self-determination is carried out. In accordance with the concept of I.S. Kona, professional self-determination is divided into a number of steps.

Child Game. Trying on the role of a representative of various professions, the child “plays out” some elements of behavior associated with them.
Teenage fantasy. A teenage child imagines himself in the role of a profession that interests him.
Approximate choice of profession. When considering specialties, young people are initially guided by their interests - “I’m interested in mathematics. I’ll be a math teacher,” then abilities — “I’m good at learning a foreign language. I’ll become a translator,” and then the value system: “I want creative work.”
Practical decision making. A specific choice of specialty is made, which includes the following components: the choice of a specific profession and the determination of the level of qualifications of the work, the duration and scope of preparation for it.

The choice of profession is determined by social and psychological conditions. Social conditions include the educational level of parents—their higher education increases the likelihood that their children will desire to study at a higher educational institution.

Components of psychological readiness for self-determination:

development at a significant level of psychological structures - the foundations of a civil and scientific worldview, theoretical thinking, developed reflection, self-awareness;
the formation of needs that contribute to the meaningful fulfillment of the individual - the need for work, communication, to take an internal position as a member of society, time perspectives, value orientations, moral guidelines;
the emergence of prerequisites for individuality, which is facilitated by the awareness and development of one’s own interests, abilities and a critical attitude towards them.

Professional self-determination is extremely difficult and is determined by several factors: age; level of aspirations and level of awareness.

Social aspects are essential for developmental psychology. For the most part, personal qualities are very ambiguous and determined by social environmental circumstances. Thus, to characterize age, it is necessary to take into account both social and psychological data.

During adolescence, in the pattern of self-awareness, the process of reflection sharply intensifies - the desire for self-knowledge of one’s own personality, for the assessment of its abilities and capabilities - this condition is a required condition for self-realization. The subject of attention and careful study are one’s own thoughts, aspirations and desires, and experiences. In youth, a strong tendency towards personal self-affirmation is formed - the desire to show one’s own originality, to be different from others, to stand out in some way from the general mass of elders and peers.

When choosing a specialty, the level of awareness of young people about themselves and their future profession is important. In most cases, young people are poorly informed about the labor market, the content, nature and conditions of work, professional, personal, business qualities that are required when working in any specialty - this leads to a negative impact on the correct choice.

When choosing a profession, the level of personal aspirations, which includes an assessment of abilities, objective capabilities - what a person can actually do - becomes important.

Professional orientation is part of social self-determination; as a result, a successful choice of profession will be when young people combine social and moral choice with reflection on the nature of their “I” and the meaning of life.

Features of the cognitive sphere that are important when making decisions during a professional career are relativism, decentrism, and an individual’s openness to change. And also, the ability to plan, the absence of dogmatism and rigidity, a sense of action, information secrecy, integration and differentiation, creativity, a sense of alternativeness. These individual qualities, in accordance with professional activity, are manifested in the following personal characteristics:

ability to analyze information from the professional sphere;
the ability to analyze information about oneself in the language of professional activity;
the ability to build professional plans suitable for implementation.

An integral condition for professional planning for young people is the awareness and establishment of life values.

Thus, a professional project represents the unity of affective and cognitive components, the unity of continuity and discontinuity in the course of personal development.

Risks of adolescence crisis

The crisis of adolescence in psychology is a normal period of human development, but their future life depends on how a boy or girl comes out of it. Sometimes a crisis turns out to be a very risky phenomenon, the reason for which is often the absence of understanding and sensible people nearby who are able to adequately perceive what is happening to the child and help him cope with it.

One of the unpleasant consequences of the crisis of adolescence may be incorrect professional self-determination. The reasons are different: a mistake with the choice, insistence on the part of the parents; enrolling not where you wanted, but where they took you or where you came without real motivation; admission “for the company.” Regardless of the reasons, after 1-3 years of study a person realizes that he did not take the path he wanted. In this case, there are two ways: quit and start all over again, or continue to study in a specialty that does not bring moral satisfaction. In the first case, time and resources are wasted on what turns out to be unnecessary training; in the second, a person spends his entire life feeling out of place and experiences constant discomfort in the professional sphere.

Another risk is the occurrence of deviations. As a result of constant stress, some older teenagers, following the example of older relatives or peers, may begin to “relieve stress” through smoking, drinking alcohol and psychoactive substances.

If you have problems with self-esteem and establishing contacts, there is a risk of difficulties in adapting to new conditions: the team, teachers, forms of certification and knowledge testing.

Self-awareness is a process of development between the ages of 15 and 20.

One of the significant psychological processes during adolescence is the formation of a stable image of “I”, self-awareness.

Psychologists have long been concerned about why the development of self-awareness occurs directly at this age. Based on the results of numerous studies, they concluded that the following circumstances predispose this phenomenon.

Intelligence continues to develop. The emergence of abstract-logical thinking contributes to the manifestation of an acute desire for theorizing and abstraction. Young people talk and argue for hours on various topics, essentially knowing nothing about them. They are very keen on this, since abstract possibility is a phenomenon without restrictions, with the exception of logical possibilities.
At the early stage of adolescence, the discovery of the inner world takes place. Young people immerse themselves in themselves, enjoy their own experiences, their view of the world changes, they experience new feelings, the sounds of music, the beauty of nature, the sensations of their own body. Adolescence is sensitive to internal, psychological problems, therefore at this age young people are interested not only in the eventual moment of the work, the external, but to a greater extent in the psychological aspect.
The image of a perceived person changes over time. Its acceptance is carried out from the position of mental abilities, volitional qualities, outlook, attitude towards work and other people, emotions. The ability to accurately and convincingly present material, analyze and explain human behavior is strengthened.
Manifestation of dramatic experiences and anxiety in connection with the discovery of the inner world. Simultaneously with the awareness of one’s own uniqueness, dissimilarity with others, uniqueness, a feeling of loneliness or fear of loneliness arises. The “I” of young people is still unstable, indefinite, vague, and therefore there is a feeling of inner restlessness and emptiness, which, like the feeling of loneliness, needs to be gotten rid of. They fill this void through communication, which is selective at this age. However, despite the need for communication, there remains a need for solitude; moreover, it is vital.
Youth is characterized by an exaggeration of its own uniqueness, but this passes, with age a person becomes more developed, finds more differences between his peers and himself. In turn, this leads to the formation of the need for psychological intimacy, which allows a person to open up, penetrate into the inner world of other people, thanks to which he comes to realize his own dissimilarity from others, understand unity with the people around him, and comprehend his own inner world.
There is a feeling of stability over time. The development of time perspectives is due to mental development and changes in life perspective.

Of all the time dimensions, the most important for a child is “now” - he has no sense of the passage of time, all his significant experiences take place in the present, the past and future are vague for him. The perception of time in adolescence covers the past and present, the future is perceived as a continuation of the present. During adolescence, time perspective expands both in depth, including the past and future, and in breadth, covering social and personal perspectives. The most significant dimension of time for young people is the future.

Thanks to these temporary changes, the need to achieve goals increases, the orientation of consciousness towards external control is replaced by internal self-control. There is an awareness of the irreversibility, fluidity of time and one’s own existence. The thought of the inevitability of death in some causes a feeling of horror and fear, in others a desire for everyday activities and activities. There is an opinion that it is better for young people not to think about sad things. However, this is a mistaken opinion - it is the awareness of the inevitability of death that pushes a person to seriously think about the meaning of life.

Personal development includes the formation of a stable image of “I”—a universal idea of oneself. Young people begin to realize their own qualities and the totality of self-esteem, think about who they can become, what their prospects and opportunities are, what they have done and will be able to do in life.

Appearance is important for both girls and boys - height, skin condition - the appearance of acne and pimples is perceived acutely. Weight is a significant problem - often girls, and less often boys, resort to various diets that are strongly contraindicated in youth, because they cause significant harm to the developing body. By actively playing sports, boys build up muscles, and girls, striving to have an elegant figure, “adjust” it to the standard of beauty, which is strenuously imposed by the media and advertising.

The properties of a person as an individual are realized and formed earlier than personal ones, therefore the ratio of the moral and psychological components of the “I” and the “bodily” differs in youth. Young people compare the appearance and structure of their own bodies with the developmental characteristics of their peers, and worry about their own “inferiority” when they discover shortcomings in themselves. In most cases, in youth, the standard of beauty is unrealistic and overestimated, therefore these experiences are often groundless.

With age, concern about one's own appearance disappears, and a person gains greater self-confidence. Moral and volitional qualities, relationships with others, and mental abilities become important.

During adolescence, changes occur in the general perception of the image of “I”, which is reflected in the following circumstances.

Over time, cognitive complexity and the separation of elements of the “I” image change.
Integral tendentiousness is activated, which determines the integrity of the image of “I” and internal consistency.
Over time, the stability of the “I” image changes. When describing themselves, adults are more consistent than children, teenagers, and young men.
Changes are made in the clarity, specificity, and degree of significance of the image of “I”.

My advice to parents

The main thing that parents can do to help in a crisis of adolescence is to give the child more independence and responsibility. During this period, a person expects understanding, support, trust and, most importantly, respect from his parents. He benefits from his parents listening to his opinion, discussing key family issues with him, and making friendly statements about the correctness of his chosen path.

It will not be possible to become a child’s friend during this period: he will find friends among his peers. The role of a parent is mentoring, but without intrusiveness, excessive demands and reproaches. The young man expects his parents to insure him in case of failure, but not to interfere in his affairs without asking. Senior high school students and freshmen are treated with respect if they feel the same about themselves. Otherwise, during the crisis of 17 years, you can completely ruin your relationship with your grown-up child.

Internal conflicts

During the period of adolescence preceding adolescence, the human psyche is unstable. There is emotionality, maximalism and dependence on other people's opinions, etc. This problem intensifies with age. Young people already feel like adults, strive for independence, but cannot afford to implement some of their plans. Internal discomfort is caused by material and moral dependence on parents. Then outbursts of anger and stubbornness may occur.

Incorrect self-realization leads to other conflicts. Attempts to stand out find their basis in study, profession, creativity or society. Sometimes young people attract attention to themselves in an immoral way: they provoke parents and teachers, take the “slippery slope” of criminal activity, engage in hooliganism and extreme entertainment, express themselves in provocative creativity, etc.

To overcome internal contradictions, you need to choose the right guidelines for self-realization. Active teenagers are sent to sports, where an outlet for energy will be found; acting courses help overcome complexes, etc.

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Signs and symptoms

The beginning of the crisis is easy to notice, but not all parents interpret it correctly:

The child suddenly became more closed and self-absorbed.
The child, on the contrary, became overly active and sociable.
The teenager began to display verbal and physical aggression more often than usual.
There was a noticeable decline in academic performance.
Hobbies and interests have changed.
The circle of friends has changed (expanded or, on the contrary, narrowed to the complete absence of friends).

If such symptoms occur, parents should not panic or sound the alarm . You need to closely monitor the situation and take healthy measures if necessary.

You can find more information about the symptoms of a teenage crisis here.

Briefly about the types

Adolescence is rich in a variety of behavioral manifestations. Based on this, several varieties can be distinguished.

Identities

It is at this age that the child first begins to think about his purpose and meaning in life . A mismatch between desires and needs can lead to serious emotional problems. It is also at this time that a person’s need for self-determination and questions about the future become more acute.

Independence

This form of crisis is often the most noticeable to others, since when it predominates, the teenager is prone to insubordination and disagreement with the opinions of adults. Such children are sometimes prone to displaying aggressive and deviant behavior.

Dependencies

With this form of crisis, the child may seem absolutely calm and balanced.
It is about such children that parents later say that they did not have any transitional age. But this statement is far from the truth. Such a child is terrified of standing out from society . His obedience and problem-free behavior are not associated with conscious decency, but with the fear of seeming wrong, strange. Such children often become outcasts in the classroom because they are incapable of leadership qualities.

Traits of each type of crisis can be intertwined in one person. For example, a child with a dependent form in relation to peers may exhibit strong rebellious behavior in relations with parents.

The essence of the crisis period of this age

The essence of the crisis lies in the internal conflict between the needs and capabilities of the teenager. The child begins to feel like an adult, feels the need for self-realization , but, for objective reasons, cannot be completely independent.

Internal contradiction is aggravated by hormonal outbreaks and emotional instability. Teenage emotions do not correspond to the level of the stimulus. In other words, what seems like a trifle to an adult, seems like a tragedy to a 15-year-old boy or girl.

Read about the essence of the crisis, its problems and tasks in this article.