PSYCHOSOCIAL CHANGES IN ADOLESCENTS: TYPES, CHARACTERISTICS - PSYCHOLOGY - 2025

The psychosocial changes in adolescents are all variations in the way of thinking, the emotional world and how to relate to society of people as they enter puberty.

Due to the physical and psychological development produced in this stage, it is one of the moments in life in which more changes occur in all senses. For this reason, many adolescents can feel confused or scared in front of the new experiences that they are living.

For this reason, many psychologists have tried to identify all the situations that adolescents commonly go through. In this way, young people can better understand what is happening to them; thus, they do not feel so helpless or so confused.

One of the leading scholars of the different phases of psychosocial development was Erikson. So many of the ideas in this article are based on his work. Next we will see what are the main psychosocial changes that occur in adolescents.

Types of changes

In general, all the changes that occur after puberty are divided into three types: cognitive, emotional and social.

Cognitive changes

Adolescence is the time of a person's development in which the last of the cognitive stages described by Piaget is reached: the stage of formal operations. At this point, the youngster acquires some mental abilities that definitely separate him from the children.

The first of these is the ability to reason abstractly. Starting at approximately twelve years of age, adolescents are able to reflect on elements that are not in the here and now effectively. This capacity hardly exists before this age, and it is one of the most important for adult life.

On the other hand, adolescents are also beginning to be able to use logic more accurately. Up to this point, children are carried away more by their emotions than by their reasoning. However, starting at puberty, your cognitive abilities increase dramatically.

Finally, teens are also beginning to be able to use skills like deduction. Due to the conjunction of these three new capacities, they begin to be interested in aspects such as morals, ethics or their role in the world. This, in addition, is also related to their social development.

Emotional changes

Due to various factors such as the new hormones that invade the adolescent's body and the changes that occur in their way of life, young people experience a wide variety of emotions that they did not feel so strongly as children. This is probably the most difficult aspect of this stage.

Here are some of the most important emotional changes of adolescence.

Variable mood

Teens can have very extreme mood swings in very short periods of time. For example, it is common for a young person to be very animated at the beginning of the day, depressed at lunchtime, and simply thoughtful before going to bed.

On the other hand, adolescents can also go through entire times in which one emotion predominates.

In the modern world, there are more and more cases of depression among the very young; some, like those who adopt an "emo" aesthetic, do so to show precisely the strength of these feelings.

Empathy

Children are fundamentally selfish. Therefore, it is very difficult for them to understand and interpret the emotions of others. Beginning in adolescence, however, most people develop a certain capacity for empathy.

This allows us to put ourselves in the shoes of others more easily. Thus, most adolescents are able to understand the effects of their actions on others much more effectively than children.

Unsafety

Due to all the changes in their lives, and the lack of a clear role to play, most adolescents share a constant sense of insecurity. This leads them to act in a way that avoids being judged by others.

Thus, many of the social changes produced in adolescence can be fundamentally explained by this emotion. Fortunately, as the young man matures and gains more experience, insecurity tends to disappear in most cases.

Social changes

Finally, adolescents experience a series of changes related to their role in the world and the way in which they interact with others. Next we will see the most important ones.

Identity

Before adolescence, children never worry about who they are or who they want to become. However, once puberty begins, almost all young people begin to question their own identity.

At this time, the adolescent may try to find himself in various ways. For example, trying new experiences, or assuming signs of identity of some urban tribe with which it identifies. In general, these behaviors will be temporary, and shouldn't be a problem.

Independence

During childhood, children depend almost completely on their parents to do everything. On the contrary, when adolescence arrives, they try to separate themselves more and more from their care and become more autonomous people.

This can translate into all kinds of behaviors, such as defying the rules, being contrary, or cutting off communication with parents abruptly.

However, it is a normal part of adolescent development, so we should only be concerned if the search for independence poses a danger to the young person.

Sexual identity

During adolescence, one of the most relevant changes is that which has to do with sex and intimate relationships. During this stage, young people begin to experience a series of very powerful emotions, which lead them to change their interests and ways of acting.

In the case of heterosexual adolescents, they will begin to feel an interest in the opposite sex and to try to make their first approaches towards them.

Homosexuals, on the other hand, will have to face their own challenges in this regard, generally suffering a certain identity crisis when they see that their tastes do not conform to those of the majority of people their age.

In general, all adolescents regardless of their sexual orientation need some kind of guidance on how to channel their new sexual and emotional urges. Failure to receive it will usually lead to frustration and discouragement.

conclusion

Many are the changes produced during adolescence. Here we have seen some of the most important.

However, if you or someone in your family need help with the new emotions that this stage entails, do not hesitate to contact a psychology professional. They can help you overcome all kinds of problems related to this issue.

References

1. "Social and emotional changes: 9 - 15 years" in: Raising Children. Retrieved on: June 12, 2018 from Raising Children: raisingchildren.net.au.
2. "Adolescence: psychological and social changes" in: World Health Organization. Retrieved on: June 12, 2018 from World Health Organization: apps.who.int.
3. "The 4 stages of cognitive developoment" in: VeryWell Mind. Retrieved on: June 12, 2018 from VeryWell Mind: verywellmind.com.
4. "Psychosocial development in adolescence" in: Human Development. Retrieved on: June 12, 2018 from Human Development: highered.mheducation.com.
5. "Psychological development of adolescents" in: Youth Work Practice. Retrieved on: June 12, 2018 from Youth Work Practice: youthwork-practice.com.