Adolescence

Adolescence

Adolescence is essentially a time of change. It is the stage that marks the process of transformation from child to adult, it is a transition period that has peculiar characteristics.

Adolescence is the cycle in a man's life that follows prepuberty and puberty. The cycle begins between 12 or 14 years and ends with maturity (18 to 20 years). Not only is it the phase of greatest psychological changes, but it is also full of physical changes.

It's called adolescence, because its protagonists are young people with an identity and a clear definition, who are no longer totally children, but they are not adults either, they are a kind of hybrid, with adult traits and childish remnants.

The evolution that the boys live at this stage makes them enter into a crisis, since they are in search of their own identity, in the process of configuring their personality.

about sex

The dramatic physical changes of adolescence can be very concerning for some, especially those who are shy and don't want to ask questions about it.

At the other extreme, concerns can manifest themselves in the form of excessive presumption about both their sexual ability and their experiences.

More than half of adolescents will have their first full sexual experience before the age of 16. Those who start sexual intercourse early are at greater risk of unwanted pregnancies and health problems.

The new health risks posed by HIV infection and AIDS are an additional concern.

Sensitive support, clear guidance and accurate information about these different aspects of sexuality are highly appreciated by adolescents whether they come from their parents, school, GP or family counseling centres.

Most teenagers are quite careful when it comes to choosing their partners. Unprotected repetitive sexual promiscuity and risky relationships are often signs of underlying emotional issues, but can also reflect a lifestyle on the edge.

emotional attitude

Research has revealed that four out of ten adolescents at some point have felt so sad that they have cried and wanted to get away from everything and everyone.

During the course of their adolescence, one in five adolescents thinks that life is not worth living. These frequent feelings can lead to a depressive state that may not be apparent to others.

Excessive food intake, drowsiness, and excessive concerns about your physical appearance may also be signs of emotional discomfort or discomfort. More obviously, phobias and panic attacks can appear. Recent studies have shown that the adolescent's emotional problems are often not recognized even by her family or friends.

Interests in adolescence

As an approximation to a frame of reference, here are some of the tasks or interests that adolescents should develop:

Achieve new and more mature relationships with equals of both sexes.

Achieve a male or female social role.

Accept the physique that you have and use your body effectively.

Achieve emotional independence from parents and other adults.

Develop basic intellectual capacities and concepts for civic life.

Desire and achieve socially responsible behavior.

Acquire a series of values.

The discovery of a world of their own and personal interests leads adolescents to become enthusiastic about certain ideals, which they feel predisposed to admire.

The discovery of the world of values ​​appears. Interests as the adolescent grows diversify and individualize.

One last characteristic of the interests of adolescents would be instability, according to the affective excitability they suffer. They constantly change interests.

As a counterpart, we can synthesize the problems of adolescents within the following areas:

Studies

Lower performance due to:

• Anxiety, school phobia.

• Lack of motivation.

• Deficit in study strategies.

Relationships

• Lack of social skills.

• Shyness.

• Loneliness.

• Social anxiety.

• Conflicting groups of friends.

Depression

• Suicidal behaviors.

• Unsafety.

Anxiety

• Generalized anxiety.

• Obsessive-compulsive disorders.

antisocial behaviors

• Aggressiveness.

• Consumption of drug addicts (alcohol, designer drugs).

Relations with parents

• Isolation.

• Domestic violence.

• Fights.

• Discussions.

• Absence of rules and control.

Couple relationships

• Heartbreak, affective ruptures.

• Feeling of affective incompetence.

• Difficulty in communication.

Nutrition problems

• Anorexy.

• Bulimia.

• Mixed problems.

self image problems

• Self esteem.

• Destructuring of the image of the self.

• Identity search.

Each of these problems has to do with a form of therapeutic and/or multidisciplinary intervention, for which it is necessary to consult a specialist to guide the case. Those problems addressed at the beginning are always better solved.

We must bear in mind that at this time of adolescence and/or early adulthood, stable structures of altered personality are going to be consolidated, what we call personality disorders that lead to maladaptive behaviors, altered perception of reality, etc. . between 10 and 20% of the general population will later develop these disorders.

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