Features of adolescence

Adolescence a special, unique, unique and very difficult stage of human life, in which physical, personal, moral and social formation takes place.

The period is characterized by intensive physical, physiological development, puberty. Due to the rapid growth and restructuring of the body, adolescents have a sharp increase in interest and at the same time criticality in relation to their appearance, many begin to feel awkward, awkward, doubt their attractiveness.

The emotional state of a teenager is characterized by instability, excitability, vulnerability, hypersensitivity to external influences, arising feelings of anxiety, depression. The mood is characterized by sharp swings from unbridled joy to despondency, a special sensitivity to others' assessment of their appearance, abilities, skills, which is combined with excessive self-confidence, excessive criticality and neglect of adults.

One of the important spheres of life for a teenager is communication with peers, study fades into the background. For a teenager, the main thing is not just to be close to peers, but also to occupy among them a position that satisfies him (leader, authority, friend). A very important feature of a teenager is increased reflection, introspection, analysis of one's own and others' actions, "sorting things out", continuous reflection and determination of one's place in the world, society, an attempt to evaluate oneself.

Changes are also noted in relations with parents, a teenager critically overestimates their authority, begins to see the shortcomings of their parents, painfully experiences their caresses, remarks, demands, he simultaneously opposes them and needs love and support. Communicating with adults, a teenager defends his independence, independence, shows a tendency to confront, criticize, ignore authorities.

In adolescence, there is a death of old interests and the active formation of new ones. Teenage interests and hobbies can often be incomprehensible to adults, absorbing all their free time.

A teenager begins to feel like an adult, to strive to be and be considered an adult. Rejecting his belonging to children, he, nevertheless, does not have a sense of true adulthood. He develops a great need for recognition of his adulthood by the environment.

1. Create and maintain warm, trusting relationship. Accept your teen for who they are. It is important that every day a teenager receives signs of your love and acceptance in the form of affectionate words of encouragement, hugs. Avoid in communication with a teenager irony, tactless remarks. Well-known family therapist V. Satir recommended hugging a child several times a day, saying that four hugs are absolutely necessary for everyone just for survival, and at least eight hugs a day are needed to feel good.

2. Be patient and tolerant when dealing with a teenager. Change your communication style, switch to a calm, polite tone and give up categorical assessments and judgments, negotiate more often, argue your opinion, and compromise.

3. Be interested in the opinion of a teenager, try to look at the world through his eyes, try to find a common language with a teenager.

4. Let the teenager feel like a full member of the family, whose opinion is taken into account.

5. Form the habit and need to talk heart to heart with parents, trust secrets. Never use the frankness of a teenager against him, do not rush with assessments and advice, be able to patiently and non-judgmentally listen and sympathize.

6. Be ready to review and discuss with your teenager the restrictions and prohibitions that you adhered to in the past, give him more independence.

7. Show interest, get interested in your teenager's hobbies, try to find something interesting in them for yourself. Don't criticize, ignore, or make fun of your teenager's incomprehensible hobbies.

8. Use the teenager's desire for self-affirmation, provide him with positive opportunities for self-realization.

9. Plan and spend leisure time together.

10. Speak with respect and interest about the teenager's friends, do not criticize them, give the teenager the opportunity to invite his friends to visit, this will give you the opportunity to learn more about your child's social circle. Talk to your teenager about his friends more often.

11. Be sincerely interested in the experiences and problems of adolescents, demonstrate your respect and recognition of their personality and individuality.

12. Teach your teenager to solve problems on his own, and not ignore them.

13. Form the habit of setting goals, planning your actions to achieve your goals.

14. Give the teenager the opportunity to design their own space (room), choose the style of clothing. If necessary, help the teenager find his own style in clothes, hair, etc.

15. Respect the privacy of a teenager, knock on entering his room, do not look into his diaries, give the teenager the opportunity to control the order in his room in a way that suits him.

16. Share your feelings with your teenager, turn to him for help and advice, talk about how important his support is to you.

17. Be a role model for your teen, find ways to maintain and build your authority in a non-violent way. Be a friend to your growing child.

18. When communicating with a teenager, remember yourself at this age more often, perhaps you will understand his feelings and actions more clearly.

Adolescence is a stage of personality development that usually begins at age 11 or 12 and continues until age 16 or 17, the period when a person enters "adulthood".

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Features of adolescence.

Adolescence is a stage of personality development that usually begins at 11-12 and continues until 16-17 years - the period when a person enters "adulthood".

This age is a period of growing up, characterized by intense psychological and physical changes, rapid physiological restructuring of the body.

A teenager begins to grow rapidly - growth rates can only be compared with prenatal period and from birth to 2 years of age. Moreover, the growth of the skeleton is faster than the development of muscle tissue, hence the awkwardness, disproportion, and angularity of the figure. Dramatically increases the volume of the heart and lungs, the depth of breathing to provide the growing organism with oxygen. Characteristic are also significant fluctuations in blood pressure, often upward, frequent headaches.

Physical development.

An individual assessment of the level of physical development is based on anthropometric data, indicators of growth, weight, chest circumference.

Over a twenty-year period, the number of boys and girls with a normal height-to-weight ratio has decreased. At the same time, the number of boys and girls with low weight has increased. All this testifies to the weakening of the undergrowth. A decrease in functional capabilities is noted, this is evidenced by the data of DYNAMOMETRY (indicators of muscle strength) of the right hand. In seventeen-year-old boys, the absolute value of dynamometry decreased by 10 kg, in girls by 7 kg.

There is a serious hormonal restructuring, puberty. In girls, the amount of estrogen increases, in boys - testosterone. In both sexes, there is an increase in the level of adrenal androgens, causing the development of secondary sexual characteristics. Hormonal changes cause sudden mood swings, increased, unstable emotionality, mood uncontrollability, increased excitability, impulsivity.

In some cases, symptoms such as depression, restlessness and poor concentration, irritability appear. The teenager may develop anxiety, aggression and problem behavior. This can be expressed in conflict relations with adults. Risk-taking and aggression are self-affirmation techniques. Unfortunately, the consequence of this may be an increase in the number of juvenile delinquents.. .

The problem of leading activity in adolescence

The leading activity of a teenager is communication with peers. The main trend is the reorientation of communication from parents and teachers to peers.
1) Communication is a very important information channel for teenagers;
2) Communication is a specific type interpersonal relationships, it forms in a teenager the skills of social interaction, the ability to obey and at the same time defend their rights.
3) Communication is a specific type of emotional contact. Gives a sense of solidarity, emotional well-being, self-respect.
Psychologists believe that communication includes 2 conflicting needs: the need to belong to a group and isolation (there is an inner world, a teenager feels the need to be alone with himself). A teenager, considering himself a unique personality, at the same time strives to look no different from his peers. A typical feature of adolescent groups is CONFORMITY - The tendency of a person to assimilate certain group norms, habits and values, imitation. The desire to merge with the group, nothing to stand out.

Educational activity.

Learning activities and cognitive development teenagers

Qualitative changes are taking place in the intellectual sphere: theoretical and reflective thinking continues to develop. At this age, a male view of the world and a female one appear. Actively developing Creative skills. Changes in the intellectual sphere lead to an expansion of the ability to independently cope with the school curriculum. At the same time, many teenagers experience learning difficulties. For many, education takes a backseat.

Study ceases to be the main and most important task.

According to psychologists, personal communication with peers becomes the leading activity at this age. The productivity of mental activity decreases due to the formation of abstract, theoretical thinking, that is, concrete thinking is replaced by logical thinking. It is a new mechanism for a teenager logical thinking and explains the increase in criticality.

He no longer accepts the postulates of adults on faith, he requires proof and justification.

Features of the personality of adolescents.

The central neoplasm of a teenager is the “sense of adulthood” - the attitude of a teenager to himself as an adult. This is expressed in the desire that adults and peers treat him as an adult. He claims equality in relations with elders and goes into conflicts, defending his "adult" position. There is a desire for independence, a desire to protect some of their aspects of life from the educator, parents. This may relate to their appearance, relationships with peers, maybe even studies. The feeling of adulthood is associated with the ethical standards of behavior that children learn at this time. A moral "code" appears that prescribes to adolescents a clear style of behavior in friendly relations with peers

The development of self-consciousness (the formation of the "I-concept" systeminternally consistent ideas about yourself, images of "I".

emergence inner peace, the desire to know oneself through friends, keeping diaries.

Growth difficulties, puberty, sexual experiences and interest in the opposite sex.

Development of volitional qualities.

Critical thinking, a tendency to reflection, the formation of introspection.

The need for self-affirmation, for activities that have personal meaning.

Personal orientation:
- humanistic orientation - the attitude of a teenager towards himself and society is positive;
- selfish orientation - he himself is more significant than society;
- depressive orientation - he himself does not represent any value for himself. His attitude to society can be called conditionally positive;
- suicidal orientation - neither society nor the individual for itself is of any value.

Life self-determination

At this time, the life self-determination of a teenager takes place, plans for the future are formed. There is an active search for one's "I" and experimentation in various social roles. A teenager changes himself, tries to understand himself and his abilities.

The demands and expectations placed on him by other people change. He is forced to constantly adjust, adapt to new conditions and situations, but this does not always happen successfully.

A strong desire to understand oneself (self-knowledge) often harms the development of relations with the outside world.

The internal crisis of self-esteem of a teenager arises in connection with the expansion and growth of opportunities, on the one hand, and the preservation of the children's school status, on the other.

Many psychological problems arise: self-doubt, instability, inadequate self-esteem, most often underestimated.

In the same period, the formation of the worldview takes place. young man. It sometimes goes through the rejection of values, active rejection and violation of established rules, negativism, the search for oneself and one's place among others.

A teenager experiences an internal conflict: emerging adult worldview issues create a feeling of global insolubility.

Minors often believe in the uniqueness of their own problems and experiences, which gives rise to a feeling of loneliness and depression.

Characterized by the desire for leadership in a group of peers.

Of great importance is the adolescent's sense of belonging to a special "adolescent" community, the values ​​of which are the basis for their own moral assessments.

The teenager strives to follow the fashion and ideals accepted in the youth group. Mass media have a huge influence on their formation.

This age is characterized by the desire to recognize their own merits in their significant adolescent environment.

An urgent need for recognition and self-affirmation comes to the fore. The world around breaks up into “us” and “them”.

The appearance of a teenager is another source of conflictChanges in gait, manners, appearance. More recently, a freely, easily moving boy begins to waddle, putting his hands deep in his pockets and spitting over his shoulder. He has new expressions. The girl begins to zealously compare her clothes and hairstyle with the samples that she sees on the street and magazine covers, throwing out emotions at her mother about the discrepancies.

The appearance of a teenager often becomes a source of constant misunderstandings and even conflicts in the family. Parents are not satisfied with either youth fashion or prices for things that their child needs so much. And a teenager, considering himself a unique personality, at the same time strives to be no different from his peers. He can experience the absence of a jacket - the same as everyone in his company - as a tragedy.

Psychologists note that the contradiction of adolescence often lies in the fact that the child seeks to obtain the status of adults and adult opportunities, but is in no hurry to assume the responsibility of adults, avoids it. A teenager often refuses to accept grades and life experience adults, even if he understands their innocence. He wants to get his own unique and inimitable experience, make his mistakes and learn from them.

In this way, teenage years is the period of life between childhood and adulthood. In the epochs of Antiquity and the Middle Ages, it was rather short, and in modern society under influence scientific and technological progress and lengthening the terms of study (after school - immediately to the university), it is constantly stretched. People go through this intermediate stage between childhood and adulthood in different ways and in different ways. different time. Adolescence can be imagined as a bridge thrown from one pore of life to another: you can’t stay on it longer, but you won’t be able to run through it, no matter how much you want to. Human nature has its own immutable laws. Although many teenagers want to quickly become an adult.

Adolescence is a test given to every person. Can you imagine how many people have walked this path before you? Over 100 billion! And how many more will it take?

This life experience cannot be transferred to another. Unfortunately, every teenager starts his journey again. The youthful mistakes of billions of people who also once walked the same path, unfortunately, are not taught to everyone. You can make the same mistakes, agonize over the same eternal questions. Even if you are given a thousand ready-made recipes for wisdom, most often you, obeying the voice of nature, will stubbornly seek your own answers to life's questions.

Each age has its own characteristics that affect the behavior and worldview of people. Adolescence is long transition period, which undergoes a series of physical changes associated with puberty and entry into adulthood. Psychological features of adolescence are called "teenage complexes" by psychologists for a number of reasons:

• increased sensitivity to the assessment of outsiders;
• extreme arrogance and categorical judgments in relation to others;
• inconsistency of behavior: shyness is replaced by swagger, ostentatious independence borders on vulnerability;
• emotional instability and sharp mood swings;
• struggle with generally accepted rules and common ideals.

Adolescence covers the period of life from 13 to 18 years (± 2 years). All psychological changes are due physiological characteristics adolescence and a number of morphological processes in the body. All reorganizations of the body directly affect changes in the reactions of a teenager to various environmental factors and are reflected in the formation of personality.

Anatomical and physiological features of adolescence

1. Great changes occur in the endocrine system, which leads to a rapid and disproportionate increase in body weight and length and the development of secondary sexual characteristics.
2. Complex processes of structural and functional changes occur in the central nervous system and internal structures of the brain, which entails increased excitability of the nerve centers of the cerebral cortex and a weakening of the processes of internal inhibition.
3. Significant changes are observed in the respiratory organs and the cardiovascular system, which can lead to various functional disorders (fatigue, fainting).
4. The musculoskeletal system is actively developing: the formation of bone tissue is being completed, an increase in muscle mass, therefore, in adolescence, proper rational nutrition is very necessary.
5. The development of the digestive system is being completed: the digestive organs are extremely “vulnerable” due to constant emotional and physical stress.
6. Harmonious physical development of the whole organism is a consequence of the normal functioning of all organ systems and affects mental condition teenagers.

Social and psychological characteristics of adolescence

The psychological aspect of adolescence comes to the fore. The development of the psyche is characterized by increased emotionality and excitability. Feeling his physical changes, the teenager tries to act like an adult. Showing excessive activity and unreasonable self-confidence, he does not recognize the support of adults. Negativism and a sense of adulthood are psychological neoplasms of a teenager's personality.

In adolescence, the need for friendship and orientation towards the "ideals" of the team become more acute. In communication with peers, social relationships are modeled, skills are acquired to assess the consequences of one's or someone else's behavior or moral values.

Features of the nature of communication with parents, teachers, classmates and friends has a significant impact on self-esteem during adolescence. The nature of self-esteem determines the formation of personal qualities. An adequate level of self-esteem forms self-confidence, self-criticism, perseverance, or even excessive self-confidence and stubbornness. Adolescents with adequate self-esteem usually have a higher social status, there are no sharp jumps in their studies. Adolescents with low self-esteem are prone to depression and pessimism.

It is often difficult for teachers and parents to find the right approach in dealing with teenagers, but given the age characteristics of this age, solutions can always be found.

A teenager and communication difficulties are almost synonymous concepts. A difficult, transitional, crisis age is all about adolescence, when a child aged 12-16 years old finds himself in an absolutely uncertain state, because childhood has already ended, as it were, but the real adulthood hasn't started yet.

More recently, an affectionate, understanding and obedient child turns into a sharp and aggressive teenager who ignores the requests of his parents and defiantly does everything as he sees fit. What happens to the child and how to help him go through this important life stage?

Physiological changes

When a child turns 12-14 years old, it is hard not to notice that during this period he starts to grow . So, some children grow 3-7 cm per year, which is a rather difficult test for the whole organism. Tubular bones grow most actively, rib cage, arms and legs, the teenager becomes disproportionate, coordination of movements may be impaired.

In addition to the growth of the skeleton itself, they restructure their work and internal organs : the activity of the pituitary gland changes, the growth rate of the muscular system increases, the metabolism accelerates. Also, the sex and thyroid glands begin to work more actively, the heart grows, and the volume of the lungs increases.

Maximum active sex hormones , due to which secondary sexual characteristics intensify in adolescents: in girls, breasts increase, menstruation appears, in boys, the voice mutates, an Adam's apple appears, hair grows on the face and body, wet dreams occur. Hormones provoke first - absolutely new sensations for the child, as well as difficulties with self-control and the adequacy of the perception of their actions.

As a result of all these cardinal physiological changes, a teenager may experience health problems . Frequent headaches, fatigue, unstable blood pressure, decreased alertness and lack of concentration are just a general list of possible complaints that parents should definitely pay attention to.

: “In terms of the number of hormonal and physiological changes, adolescence can be compared, do not be surprised, with pregnancy. The body of a child changes as dramatically as the body of a woman who is preparing to become a mother, only during pregnancy this process is more compressed in time. Agree, such physiological changes cannot occur without a trace for the child's psyche, because everything is interconnected. The growth of the heart, lungs and the system of blood vessels occurs in jerks, and as a result - insufficient saturation of the child's brain with oxygen. What does this lead to? Attention decreases, difficulties arise with working on several objects, for example, successfully solving a problem and simultaneously chatting with a neighbor on a desk becomes much more problematic. The child feels tired, does not want to go to school, study, make any effort to gain new knowledge. During such a period, parents need to understand the condition of the child, support his health and try to alleviate the symptoms that have arisen as much as possible.

Psychological changes

Of course, all the physiological changes we have outlined above clearly affect psychological condition teenager. Before the child there are many new challenges and difficulties with whom he has to face, he is trying to start living and communicating in a new way, like an adult, but so far he has not always been successful in doing so.

because of external body changes to which the child is still, he may experience ambivalent attitude towards oneself : mixing feelings of pride and disgust, shame and joy, rejection and admiration. Teenagers can either become unnecessarily sloppy, protesting against their new body, or, conversely, pay much more attention to themselves, furiously examining each new pimple that has arisen in the mirror.

Also during this period, the teenager is observed. He begins to compare himself more and more actively with other boys and girls, often paying attention precisely to his weak sides feels insecure about his own abilities. Adolescent behavior in the company of peers contradictory:

• on the one hand, he strives at all costs be like everyone else On the other hand, he really wants stand out and stand out at any cost, and not always on the positive side;
• on the one hand, the child seeks to deserve respect and authority of comrades , with another - flaunts its own shortcomings .

Also during adolescence, the child often has problems at school : due to a decrease in the level of attention and concentration, academic performance is deteriorating, in addition, the teenager is already requires a certain autonomy and independence , therefore, in response to the teacher's remarks, he answers sharply, defiantly and cynically. In adolescence, the child doubts everything, does not trust the experience of others, he needs to personally verify how the hypotheses correspond to the truth, the authority of the teacher no longer means anything to him.

Our mother- Manana tells : “My daughter is 15, and now the lessons for her are nothing. She used to study well, but now she says to all my moralizing about the school: “Mom, why do I need this? Nobody in our class gets good grades, it's not fashionable! No one talks to nerds!” And what is the answer? How to motivate? I start talking about entering a university, all sorts of EITs, etc ... Snorting, like what kind of nonsense ... Recently I found an article on the Internet that a new trend has begun, where nerds are sexy, that smart people are back in trend. I printed it out and brought it to read. I don’t know how to motivate anymore… When will this trend reach us?”

School and education is not in the first place in a teenager, interest in other people, relationships with friends and the opposite sex overpowers the importance and necessity of obtaining new knowledge. A teenager is completely at the mercy of various emotional experiences, acutely perceives the criticism of friends, a tragedy can be a break with a loved one, a remark made in passing by parents or a teacher.

Despite the importance of the aspect of communication, in the dialogues of a teenager with friends, and especially with the opposite sex, swagger and deliberate rudeness can be observed. In addition to being considered “cool” by teenagers, because cultural behavior, in their opinion, is the lot of weaklings, such a reaction can also be explained by the emotional confusion of the child. He is still doesn't know how to communicate properly and just learning to build relationships. Parents should help a teenager in mastering this important skill.

Psychologist Natalya Karabuta tells : “If a teenager comes for advice to parents, it is very important to take such a conversation seriously, not to dismiss it, doing important adult things. Of course, it’s much easier to say “yes, I’m at your age”, “you’re still too young to think about this”, but such an approach will in no way solve the child’s problem. And if his parents do not want to help him, he will go to his friends for understanding and acceptance, and you will no longer be able to control how and what will happen there. Yes, a child can move out to study, but parents should accept the fact that in adolescence they go to school most often not to gain knowledge, but to communicate with peers. And if a child turned to you with problems like “if a friend turned up suddenly” or “he doesn’t love me”, you should not be shocked and send him to study algebra or do his homework in English. Sit down, talk heart to heart with the child, give some useful advice, tell a similar case from your life, because each of us had something similar. Don't treat your teenager like an unintelligent child. Imagine that your friend came to consult you. Will you listen to him? During adolescence, it is very important for a parent to remain a person with whom the child can talk, who will understand, help and not judge, especially if the child has serious problems, such as an unplanned pregnancy or problems with the law.