OCR Text |
Show i : K () f Four Corners : I 7 i Tv Mental Health : V f (4) : ; i "A HUMAN SERVICES CENTER" ; Cf) Roger D. Christensen, MSW ; The Crisis of Adolescence Just what is this stage of development we refer to as adolescence and why must it be such a distressing time, not only for the adolescent himself, him-self, but his parents as well? For our purposes let us define adolescence as the stage of development between the onset of puberty and physical maturity. It's an extremely critical period with regard to" the individuals personality functioning. ' Prior to adolescence, the child depends on his parents to meet all his needs, is still involved with play activities, and views the future with no particular concern. At the end of adolescence the individual has become responsible for himself, his personality has largely assumed assum-ed its adult pattern and his direction in life is becoming stabilized and settled. Keep in mind that mother nature only provided us with six to eight years to make this transition from childhood to early adulthood. Adolescence is a time when conflicting emotions emot-ions and considerable anxiety and stress emerge. The adolescent is struggling to maintain self control over his behavior and at the same time striving to achieve self-expression. It's no wonder that this stage of human development can be appropriately labeled "the crisis of adolescence." Oftentimes, much to their dismay, parents of adolescents find their own values and standards of living questioned and heavily criticized by their teenage son or daughter. It's a time when being in the company of peers becomes more important than being in the company of parents. Adolescents develop their own clothing and hair styles and conformity to these styles and ideas becomes extremely important. im-portant. This apparent "rebellious' "rebel-lious' ' behavior is actually part of the adolescent's quest to gain his or her own identity and acquire his or her own set of values and standards of behavior. An adolescent often asks himself questions to which there are no certain answers: "Who am I?" "What is my place and purpose in life?" The search for the answer to these questions is also part of the adolescent's search for his own independence. It is important for parents to recognize the struggles going on in their adolescent offspring's off-spring's identity search. The adolescent's attack on the values and standards of behavior of his parents many times will evoke anger and hostility in the parents which can severely damage their relationship. The adolescent may be explosive, hostile and withdrawn at times and parents may react in a similar fashion. Parents need to understand that their teenage son or daughter is attempting to gain control over their own identity and value system. It is equally important for the adolescent to understand that his parents' anger is actually an expression of concern for him. During adolescence, the individual begins to demand more independence and freedom free-dom to make his own decisions, thus presenting another dilemma for parents. Parents need to be firm and exercise good judgment and at the same time recognize that the adolescent desire for freedom and independence is a healthy part of the growth process. To accomplish the quest for identity, the adolescent does need understanding parents. Parents need to use praise more than criticism in dealing with teenage sons and daughters. daugh-ters. Finally, providing an atmosphere and regular vehicle vehic-le such as periodic family meetings for open and honest communication will be of utmost value to parents in assisting their offs p r i n g through the crisis of adolescence. |