Adolescent psychology is an ambiguous term, because on the one hand, it is a science that studies the behavior of children who have entered puberty, and on the other, the age-specific behavior and distinctive features of mental processes.
In fact, teenage psychology is quite contradictory, its distinguishing feature is inconstancy and frequent manifestations of rebellion. In adolescence, a child says goodbye to childhood: he begins to learn a lot of new things about his personality and think critically, denying the usual behavioral norms.
Features of adolescent development
Puberty is considered one of the most difficult periods in a child’s development. During puberty, a child begins to develop into an adult. This is reflected in all aspects of a teenager’s life, affecting anatomical and physical formation, intellectual and moral development, etc. Adolescence is also reflected in educational, work and play activities.
Since during puberty the whole life of a child changes, his psyche also adapts, old foundations are broken and new ones appear. Studying becomes more difficult due to more serious requirements, increased workload and new subjects. As a result, the child is forced to learn to think deeper, generalize and give arguments.
Also, the child’s principles, worldview, certain social position, and position in the environment change. In his home circle, his opinion becomes more significant, along with this, new demands are made, which become more serious every year.
With increased school workload, the teenager's intelligence became more and more refined. Previously unprecedented modifications of character arise, he begins to think, analyze situations, reason, and so on. The period of maturation of a child’s personality is directly related to puberty, which makes the situation much more complicated.
The emergence of a sense of adulthood and the reaction of emancipation
Studying the features of the development of this feeling, Elkonin D.B. identified two types of “adulthood”:
- Objective. The child is truly ready to live in an adult society.
- Subjective). A teenager simply feels like an adult.
Types of objective adulthood:
- Socio-moral. Manifested by emancipation, participation in family affairs.
- Intelligent. The teenager is engaged in self-development and self-education.
- Romantic. Manifests itself in romantic relationships with the opposite sex.
- External. A teenager tries to have an “adult” appearance and behavior. The child follows fashion, may start smoking and use obscene language in communication.
Signs of subjective adulthood:
- the teenager’s desire to be perceived as an adult;
- fencing off certain areas of life from others, dissatisfaction when others try to check his work for quality;
- individual behavior and personal thoughts advocated before others.
Experiencing adulthood, children:
- are critical of elders;
- become disillusioned with the adult world;
- afraid of the world around them;
- feel loneliness after realizing their inner world and poor relationships with loved ones;
- They expect adults to treat them as equals.
To make this period as easy as possible, experts in the psychology of adolescence advise parents to be more loyal to the child’s sense of adulthood.
Common problems of adolescence
The main trends of advancement in society have become more complex, the rhythm of life has accelerated, and the preference for a hedonic lifestyle has an impact on the development of the modern teenager. In this regard, children often show aggression, passivity or are depressed, and therefore cannot determine the correct moral values and understand the meaning of their existence.
The psychology of modern teenagers differs significantly from the psychology of children and adults. The main value becomes one's own pleasure. Equally important things fade into the background.
The main problems of adolescence include:
- inability to manage anger, passive-aggressive behavior in order to unbalance adults and lack of awareness that arises due to the suppression of one’s emotions.
- emotional instability.
- thoughts of suicide, which are caused by low self-esteem, indifference on the part of parents, depression and a feeling of loneliness.
- intimate attraction to individuals of the same sex.
- teenage depression, which is expressed by depressed mood, feelings of worthlessness, somatic abnormalities and other reasons.
How to communicate with a teenager
The transitional age cannot be canceled. Your child is growing up, moving away from you, and this is normal. Get ready to gradually let him go, encouraging the teenager's attempts to find himself and be independent.
Remember yourself at this age
Surely you were not an angel and really frayed your parents’ nerves. If you feel like a teenager again, it will be easier for you to build bridges with a child who is controlled by hormones and the opinions of peers.
Support your child's hobbies
If your teenager is willing to talk to you about what interests him, great. This means that, despite the hormonal storms, the connection between you has remained. It’s ideal when you share his hobby: creating cartoons on the computer or playing football together. But this is not at all necessary. It is enough to show respect for his choice and sincere interest.
Help him cope with his new body
It is not easy for a teenager to cope with his new body, which changes too quickly. Never criticize his appearance. On the contrary, help the teenager accept and love his new self. Support his self-esteem, do not compare with other people. Encourage playing sports, or better yet, go to the stadium or gym together.
Don't bother with questions and advice
Teenagers are often irritated by excessive care, intrusive advice and conversations similar to interrogations: where have you been? What exactly did you do with your friends? What is wrong with you? If the child answers reluctantly and in monosyllables, change tactics.
Talk less, listen more, and give your teenager the opportunity to speak out. Build a dialogue with him as with an intelligent adult whose opinion is important to you.
Sarah-Jane Blackmore
author of the book “Inventing Ourselves. The Secret Life of the Teenage Brain"
It is common in society to demonize teenagers. We don’t like that children who just yesterday followed our commands suddenly begin to rebel and become independent. This is hard to come to terms with.
Allow to make mistakes
Relax your control and stop deciding everything for your teenager. You can give advice, talk about the possible consequences of a wrong step, but allow the teenager to disobey and get into trouble. In most cases he will be able to learn a lesson. Just don’t finish him off with the phrase: “I told you so…”
Give more hugs
No matter how prickly and distant a teenager may seem, he periodically needs physical contact with his parents. Hugs are a signal of care and safety. The only thing is, you shouldn’t be affectionate in public, especially in front of people the same age. Leave them for home communication.
Accept your teenager for who he is
In principle, this rule applies to communication with any person, not just a teenager. Do not try to remake it in accordance with your attitudes and views. He is a separate person who you love no matter what.
You were born in 2007 or 2008
2007 — Genetics have discovered modifications in the human body that are responsible for the development of certain diseases. After DNA analysis, it became possible to identify a predisposition to certain diseases.
2008 - February 17. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia. 8 August. Military operations began in South Ossetia. November 4. Presidential elections took place in the United States. The first black president in the history of the state, Barack Obama, became the head of the state.
2009 — August 17. A disaster occurred at the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric power station. Hundreds of people became victims. The cause of the problems was a series of shortcomings and a failure in the redistribution of electricity in the power system.
2010 - 18th of March. Russian mathematician Grigory Perelman proved the Poincaré conjecture, which was considered one of the unsolvable Problems of the Millennium. For this, the Clay Mathematical Institute awarded him a prize of $1 million, which he refused. April 10th. A plane crash occurred over Smolensk, in which Lech Kaczynski, the President of Poland, his wife Maria Kaczynskaya, the high military command, Polish politicians, as well as religious and public figures (97 people in total) died. The first living cell was created in which its own DNA was replaced with DNA created artificially. Humanity has received new tools for developing technologies for artificially growing organs.
2011 - 11th of March. In Japan, off the northeastern coast, an earthquake occurred, the magnitude of which reached 8.9. As a result of the earthquake, a devastating tsunami arose, as a result of which over 15 thousand people died, several thousand are considered missing. May 2. Osama bin Laden, the “No. 1” terrorist in the world, the leader of Al-Qaeda, who, in particular, is considered responsible for the September 11 terrorist attack, was killed. September 7. An international charter flight crashed near Yaroslavl. On board the plane was the team of the Lokomotiv hockey club, which was flying to Minsk. 44 people died, one survived. October 31. The seven billionth inhabitant of the Earth was born in Kaliningrad.
2012 - February 21. In Moscow, in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, a scandalous punk prayer service of the PussyRiot group took place, three members of which were detained by the police. December 1. Russia has led the G20 (G20), a forum of representatives of countries with the most developed economies: Australia, Japan, Argentina, South Africa, Brazil, South Korea, Great Britain, France, Germany, Turkey, India, USA, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Mexico, Canada, China.
2013 - February, 15. A meteorite fell in the Urals - the largest celestial body that collided with the surface of the Earth after the Tunguska meteorite. Because of the “Chelyabinsk” meteorite (it exploded in the vicinity of Chelyabinsk), 1,613 people were injured. February, 15. Asteroid 2012 DA14 flew by at the minimum distance from planet Earth (27,000 km). This was the closest distance in the entire history of astronomy. March 13. The most powerful telescope on the planet begins operating in the Atacama Desert, Chile.
2014 — February 7-23. The XXII Winter Olympic Games took place in Sochi. 18th of March. Putin V.V. signed an agreement on the admission of the Crimean Peninsula and Sevastopol to Russia. This agreement comes into force from the moment of ratification by the Federal Assembly - March 21. October 26. Permanent winter time introduced
2015 - Jan. 7. A terrorist attack took place at the office of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris, based on a caricature of the Prophet Mohammed previously posted in the magazine. 12 people were killed and 11 people were injured.
Other milestones
For many teenagers, 15 years old is the age at which they receive driver's education. Getting a study permit can be a big deal. And, of course, this is a great responsibility.
Make sure your teen is willing to follow the rules of the road before you allow him to drive. If he can't be responsible when it comes to chores or homework, he may be showing you that he's not yet ready to take on the responsibility of driving.
Not all 15-year-olds are ready to drive. So think carefully about whether your child is emotionally and socially mature enough to get behind the wheel.
When to worry
Pay attention to any changes in your teen's mood or behavior. Trouble sleeping, not going to school, changes in appetite, or loss of interest in activities may be signs of a mental health problem. 7
Talk to your teen about her mood. Ask if she has ever had suicidal thoughts, especially if she seems sad or depressed. Let her know you care about her and seek professional help if she says she has considered suicide.
If you are concerned about your teen's development, talk to your doctor. If your child's doctor has concerns, he or she may be referred to a mental health professional for further evaluation.
Word from mentalar
Turning fifteen can be a big year for teenagers. You'll likely notice a big difference between your child's 15th birthday and their 16th birthday.
And while you may think he's not ready for the rigors of the real world, keep in mind that you have two years to prepare him for life after school. Pay attention to the skill deficits you see and proactively teach him strategies that will benefit him in adulthood.
The tendency to grow older - what is it?
The first main feature of the psychology of a teenager is the tendency towards adulthood. What does this mean? The fact that a teenager wants to be an adult and strives to demonstrate this by all possible means.
It is in the presence of a tendency, but in the absence of awareness, a sense of adulthood, that teenagers begin to be rude, break established rules and generally rebel. This psychological stage is characterized by awareness of rights to something with a complete absence of a sense of responsibility.
