Juvenile period

Youth: Between Turbulence and Self-Discovery — Development Tasks and Challenges

Marion Müller, 10.12.2023

I vividly remember my youth — an emotional rollercoaster, characterized by feelings of overwhelming demands and the search for meaning. You face numerous challenges, whether due to everyday problems, critical life events or the inevitable development tasks. It is completely normal, albeit unpleasant, if this phase of life is characterized not only by feelings of elation but also by crises. In this blog post, I would like to take a look at these challenges, address the physical changes in adolescence and show coping options.

Development tasks and challenges in adolescence
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The adolescent period is a phase of diverse development tasks that shape the transition to adult life. This includes:

1. Finding personal, social and sexual identity:
‍The various social roles that you take on in adolescence can have an unsettling effect on your quest for identity and awaken the desire to discover the “true self.” In this phase of life, you develop a self-concept, attribute characteristics to yourself, develop interests and recognize your own typical behaviors. This is also due to the fact that self-attention is increased at this age; during this phase, you observe your experience and behavior particularly strongly. Many young people then mistakenly assume that the attention of others is also heavily on them and tend to overestimate the significance of their own mistakes. This can lead to low self-esteem and major insecurities. In fact, everyone is more concerned with themselves, just like you. It is completely normal to feel uncertainties during this process of identity development

What can help: It is important to give yourself time to discover yourself, your social role, and your sexuality. Understand that this is a process. In today's digital age, young people are all the more faced with new challenges in shaping their identity. The influence of social media can have positive but also negative effects on self-concept.

It is important here to develop an awareness of which content on social media is good for you and which is not. Pay attention to how you feel after scrolling and which posts make you feel good and which don't. Try not to compare yourself too much with others, especially on such platforms, people often only show their best side. Many have problems similar to yours in this phase of life.

2. Accepting your own body and dealing with physical changes:
‍Adolescence brings not only emotional but also physical changes. The increase in sex hormones changes the body and can lead to uncertainties. You're probably comparing yourself with your colleagues here too.

What can help: Remember that you may perceive yourself more negatively than others. Promoting positive body image is challenging at this age but critical to developing self-acceptance. Sports activities can help you appreciate your own body and treat it healthily. It also helps to focus on the qualities you like about yourself. For example, every time you look in the mirror, list what you like about yourself right now.

3. Develop the ability to self-regulate:
‍The brain is not yet fully mature during adolescence. Although the increasing myelination of nerve tracts means that adolescents can process information more quickly and have increased memory capacity, there are other brain areas that develop more slowly. In particular, the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for action planning, self-control and emotion regulation, only develops later. At the same time, adolescence is characterized by mood swings and an increase in negatively perceived emotions. As mentioned above, the increased self-perception can lead to a lower self-esteem. These processes mean that although you experience intense emotions, you are not yet able to regulate them as well due to the subsequent maturation of the prefrontal cortex. This imbalance can lead to an increased sense of stress.

At this age, it can also be difficult to deal with the increasing demands of school or professional life. As mentioned, the ability to plan actions is still in the development phase. This includes being aware of the consequences of actions, developing goals and acting in accordance with the goals. Combined with the challenge of regulating emotions, young people can sometimes find it very difficult to motivate themselves to learn or complete tasks.

What can help: You can learn emotion regulation strategies. Teens can learn to regulate their emotions and deal better with stress through mindfulness practices, such as meditation and breathing exercises. You can find more strategies for this in our blog post on emotions or mindfulness. It is also important and helpful to get social support and to share your emotions with your peers, your parents and other caregivers. Conscious time management and efficient learning strategies will help you with school challenges. Structured planning helps to cope with everyday life. Allocating time for school, leisure and rest periods creates a balanced daily routine and ultimately leads to more freedom because you spend less time procrastination. It also helps to reconsider your attitude to school or work and focus on positive aspects.

4. Detachment and emotional independence from parents:
I'm sure you know that your parents only annoy you anymore. This is part of the replacement process and leads to you developing your own identity. The process of detachment is individual and can lead to conflicts.

What can help: Open communication between parents and young people and the promotion of personal responsibility help to ensure a smooth transition. Keep in mind that they always want the best for you. Help them and yourself by telling them how you would like to be supported by them and where you would like to have more freedom. However, these freedoms also include personal responsibility.

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General coping strategies:
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Social environment: Support from family and friends is essential. Open communication about feelings, fears and challenges promotes understanding and strengthens the emotional bond.

Rest breaks: Regular breaks are necessary to reduce stress. Whether it's a short walk in the fresh air or a moment of meditation, these breaks build your mental resilience.

Diary keeping: Keeping a journal can help organize thoughts and process emotions. Recording experiences, emotions and personal goals enables a thoughtful examination of one's own development. Writing it down can also help you better understand your needs.

Mindfulness and self-acceptance: Teens should be aware that it is normal to feel insecurities and anxieties. Accepting one's own weaknesses and developing self-compassion promote positive self-perception.

Professional assistance: In some cases, the help of professional counselors or therapists may be useful. We offer an external perspective and can help you deal with your challenges.

conclusion
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Youth is a time of challenges and discoveries. The personal journey through this phase is unique, but we share similar challenges. With a conscious eye on your own development tasks and knowledge of possible emotional and physical changes, you can be better prepared for this phase of life. The ability to reflect on yourself and use coping strategies are key to successfully living through this formative period. Through a combination of social support, time management and self-care, young people can not only overcome the challenges, but also emerge stronger from this phase.

This blog post was written using ChatGPT.

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references:

Lohaus, A., & Vierhaus, M. (2015). Developmental Psychology of Childhood and Adolescence for Bachelor (3rd ed.). Jumper. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-45529-6

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