Skip to content

Adolescence and psychological interview with adolescents

Adolescence is the period of development between puberty and adulthood (approximately 12 to 18 years of age). This is made up of three stages: early adolescence -between eleven and fourteen years-; middle adolescence -between fifteen and seventeen years-; and late adolescence – between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one.

Stage of rebellion?

For some people, the period of early adolescence and middle adolescence is the time when young people begin the stage of rebellion. In this period, adolescents are commonly characterized by presenting rebellious behavior, defying the rules, lying, cheating, getting in trouble, disobeying parents, fighting among siblings, abusing drugs and alcohol , suffering from depression and being involved in sexuality issues. Clearly not all adolescents are like this, so it is not possible to generalize and mark all young people as “rebels.”

Adolescence is a period of change , of experiencing new things, of beginning to mature and face the world independently. Teaching and the environment are two fundamental factors that can determine what direction the adolescent will take. If the influences and the environment are negative, the young person could take the path of vandalism and inappropriate and criminal behaviors.

It is not wrong to say that adolescence experiences moments of rebellion, but it is not correct to clarify it as a “stage of rebellion.”

Changes in adolescence

During puberty, the biological changes of adolescence occur. The physiological development of most young people is complete by mid-adolescence; at this time they are close to their maximum height and are physically capable of having babies.

In addition to physiological growth, during adolescence intellectual, psychological and social development increases. The ultimate goal of adolescence is to form your own identity and prepare for adulthood. Other components that play an important role in the formation of identity are: identification by gender, ethnicity and sexual orientation .

Some research on youth has suggested that many young people choose to stay close to their home culture, adapt to traditional customs and styles of dress, and earn a reputation for being a good child, or, on the contrary, reject that option and decide immigrate in favor of obtaining another type of identity.

During adolescence the drive for affiliation and acceptance develops ; This stage makes adolescents more open to the influence of their peers and they tend to promote the development of new relationships, with less time dedicated to negotiating the bases of friendship than in other stages of life -such as in adulthood- . Generally, in the early stages of new relationships, adolescents are more susceptible to the influence of their peers.

You may also be interested in:   Exogamous path, puberty and adolescence

At the end of adolescence, young people acquire some skills to solve complex problems and develop their empathic skills considerably , although they still lack the maturity to apply these skills correctly.

In this developmental period, the march toward autonomy begins, which can take innumerable forms: less overt affection, more time spent with friends, contentious behavior, need for attention, etc. However, teens often feel conflicted when leaving the safety of home .

Psychological interview with adolescents

In a psychological interview with adolescents we can find typical traits among them, such as:

  • Disagreement between the real body and its schema
  • Mourning for the lost body
  • Grief over the loss of childhood parents
  • Rebellion for social guidelines
  • Psychological disorders such as: depression and anxiety
  • Revival of the early oedipal situation
  • Ambivalence
  • Behavior problems
  • Unconscious memories that are present
  • Humor changes
  • Different types of disorders, among the most common: eating disorders

In our society the adolescent period has been prolonged , since ending adolescence means feeling obliged to have emotional and economic independence.

As  generally it is not the adolescent himself who requests the interview with the psychologist , -especially in early adolescence-, he is asked if he knows about the consultation, if he accepted and what he wants from it. He can come only to the first interview or with the parents, although the first option is usually chosen. But if he is a minor, yes or yes, you have to have an interview with his parents or with whoever fulfills that function. N unca can be established by the psychologist to alliances either with the parents or with the adolescent .

Some teens are sent by their parents to treat behavior problems. Others come to treat some disorders, such as eating disorders (recurrent in teens) or personality disorders .

Website | + posts

Hello Readers, I am Nikki Bella a Psychology student. I have always been concerned about human behavior and the mental processes that lead us to act and think the way we do. My collaboration as an editor in the psychology area of ​​Well Being Pole has allowed me to investigate further and expand my knowledge in the field of mental health; I have also acquired great knowledge about physical health and well-being, two fundamental bases that are directly related and are part of all mental health.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *