Adolescent crisis in girls and boys - psychology of puberty, manifestations of crisis and phases

Physiological reasons

Puberty is the age when the body grows most actively. Development proceeds in fits and starts, unevenly. Over the course of a year, a child can grow by 7-10 centimeters and increase body weight by 5-9 kilograms. The skeleton becomes stronger, the muscles improve. The heart muscle grows rapidly in length and width, blood pressure and the rhythm of the heart change.

Along with the intensive growth of the body, the shape of the body also changes. Gender characteristics develop, hormonal levels change, the endocrine system is rebuilt, and the endocrine glands are activated. Moreover, puberty in girls begins 1-2 years earlier and ends by 15-16 years. At the age of 10-12 years, they outstrip boys in height. However, by the age of 15-16, boys are already significantly taller than girls and continue to grow until they are 18-20 years old.

It is very difficult for the nervous system to adapt to changes, since it simply does not have time to adapt to active growth. Therefore, the psyche is often in a state of excessive excitement or, conversely, tries to slow down the processes and goes into pronounced inhibition.

Due to all the physiological changes, temporary disorders develop in the child’s body:

jumps in blood pressure – hypertension is often observed, but hypotension is also a normal option;
dizziness, headaches;
poor concentration, distracted attention;
rapid heartbeat (tachycardia), a feeling of tightness in the heart area;
dyspnea;
fainting conditions;
fast fatiguability;
increased excitability, sleep disorders.

Physiological processes directly affect the health and behavior of a teenager. In order for the body to be fully formed and the growth spurt to be successful, it is necessary to provide high-quality support for the processes: proper nutrition, saturation of the diet with vitamins and microelements, adequate physical activity.

It is important to consider that there are significant individual differences in physical development and puberty. The age at which active changes begin in a child’s body may deviate from group norms, and this should not cause concern.

Psychology of teenage crisis

The main reason for the development of a crisis in adolescence is a significant gap between the physiological and social, emotional maturation of the individual. As we have already said, physiological growth during this period exceeds the rate of mental development as much as possible.

Physiologically, a teenager becomes an adult, mature person in a short period of time. Outwardly, yesterday's child looks like an adult, begins to feel like one, but is not yet fully ready for independence and responsibility. Social maturation takes much longer.

As a result of such a gap, conflicts with adults arise. The child wants to feel free and independent, but in reality he still cannot cope with serious responsibility. Conflicts and misunderstandings arise on this basis. The personality of a teenager changes so much that sometimes it seems that the child has simply been replaced.

Puberty is expressed not only at the physiological, but also at the mental level. Moreover, the mental aspects of puberty can arise much earlier than physical maturation. Adolescents undergo gender identification and orientation and begin to perceive themselves and others according to gender. Scientists agree that gender identification occurs to a greater extent under the influence of sociocultural factors than biological ones. The decisive role is played by the patterns and stereotypes operating in society.

During the same period, romanticism developed - the desire for emotional intimacy. Teenagers begin relationships that involve spending time together and having intimate conversations. The first love appears. In this case, physical intimacy is not obligatory; the platonic context comes to the fore, and only then the sexual one.

Taking into account all the psychological changes occurring in a teenager, a crisis is necessary to solve a number of problems. As a result of successfully overcoming this developmental leap, the teenager:

undergoes gender identification, takes on a male or female role;
accepts his appearance with all changes;
changes the form of communication with others: parents, peers, etc.;
accepts a new style of relationships, transforms from a child into an equal, responsible member of society with mature behavior;
develops interests, finds directions for developing their abilities, and subsequent professional guidance.

Psychological presentation of an 8th grade student.

The girl is calm, reasonable, easily establishes contacts, and is interested in the results of her activities. Maintains social distance. Focused on formal compliance with social norms.

Can independently navigate a learning task, build a hypothesis, predict a result, choose a method of action, work in accordance with well-learned instructions, evaluate the results of one’s activities (there is a tendency to overestimate). For a girl, the formal side of assessing her success is more important.

Cognitive interests are formed and cover subjects of the humanities and natural sciences.

Features of the development of sensory systems:

the leading system of perception is auditory, lower - visual;
concentration of attention at an average level;
stability and distribution of attention according to a number of characteristics - at an average level;
The volume of visual and auditory-verbal memory corresponds to the age norm.

The speech sphere is without features.

Type of nervous system - medium: potentially capable of withstanding long-term stress during monotonous activity. It takes considerable time to get into the task, after which the most productive period of activity begins, corresponding to the middle and second half of the lesson. The pace of mental activity is high. Fatigue occurs in the form of satiety.

The emotional sphere is characterized by high situational anxiety due to the desire to meet the “ideal” created by the girl under the influence of the inflated demands of significant adults (parents), and the fear of not meeting expectations.

The external impression of inadequately high self-esteem hides internal dissatisfaction with her real achievements, which is why the girl attaches so much importance to formal signs of success (good grades). The level of claims is too high. Accepted in the peer group.

Recommendations for teachers.

When organizing the educational process, you should use the girl’s ability to work independently according to the learned algorithm. When learning new or complex educational material, it should be offered closer to the middle of the lesson or in the second half. If difficulties arise, it is advisable to repeat the most difficult moments orally and/or offer visual supports. If fatigue occurs, the girl is recommended to change the type of activity.

When assessing the results of activities, it should be argued in detail. It is useful to encourage the girl to independently evaluate her results, explaining her point of view. It is necessary to provide the opportunity for self-expression in the most successful activities, encouraging real achievements in every possible way.

Phases of the teenage crisis

Psychologist Lev Semenovich Vygotsky identified three basic phases in the teenage crisis:

Negative, or pre-crisis . The earliest stage, which can show the first signs as early as 9-10 years. Characterized by the beginning of a transition to a new type of interaction with others. The child begins to abandon the old value system, breaks stereotypes, changes his attitude towards himself and others. Childhood relationships with parents no longer suit him, but he is not yet ready for an adult system of interaction. The child develops new interests, different views, and the environment begins to change.
Directly crisis stage . Often this stage reaches its peak at 13-15 years of age. It can manifest itself in different ways: from maximum protest, conflict and irritability in all areas of life, to a gradual transition to new roles, relationships and self-perception. New ways of thinking develop, new opportunities and interests appear. The teenager defends his opinion and the ability to make decisions independently, and separates himself from parental influence and control.
Positive, or post-crisis . It is considered the final stage of the pubertal crisis. During this period, the teenager already forms values and priorities, determines the vector of further development and interests. Puberty is almost over, your place in society among your peers is determined. The teenager strengthens the core of interests and continues to develop them in the future.

It is impossible to say exactly how long each phase lasts. In many ways, the duration of the stages depends not only on the teenager, but also on the correct reaction of parents to the manifestations of the crisis.

Manifestations of crisis in adolescence

The severity of the crisis may vary. At the primary stage, psychologists identify two main features that are present in almost every child:

Decrease in school performance and performance . Physiological and mental changes, changes in the type of thinking directly affect the child’s learning. He copes poorly with creative tasks, loses concentration and interest in learning. Even minor criticism can discourage you from delving into a certain area or topic.
Negative reactions . Even the most docile children strive to separate themselves from their parents, and therefore often display hot-tempered reactions even in familiar situations. Natural manifestations of negativism are pessimistic moods, increased irritability, dissatisfaction with oneself, whims, and nervousness.

As we move from one phase of the crisis to another, the manifestation of reactions increases, which can be divided into three large groups :

Emancipation reactions . The child wants independence, and this reaction is expressed in avoiding parental control, denial of habitual values, and a retreat to communicate with peers. The teenager demonstrates independence and autonomy, demands that his equality be recognized and his opinion be taken into account.
Self-affirmation reactions . Mainly expressed in communication with peers and showing interest in the opposite sex. During this period, friends become the main authority, and interest in romantic relationships appears.
Reactions to searching for new interests . During adolescence, a teenager’s interests are scattered in many directions: searching for oneself, striving for the unknown and novelty, immersion in information and communication spheres. The teenager is deeply interested in some intellectual and aesthetic direction (music, cinema, philosophy, etc.), seeks out physical and manual practices (works on his body, increases endurance, strength), develops leadership qualities (trying to take a worthy position among his peers), immerses himself into the information field (spends a lot of time on the Internet, social networks).

Psychological characteristics of a 7th grade student.

The boy has been studying at school since the beginning of the current school year; the adaptation process has not yet been completed. In general, the teenager is friendly, calm, and experiences some difficulties in establishing contacts. Maintains social distance.

Left-handed (it is recommended to tell teachers in detail about the peculiarities of educational activities and the emotional sphere of left-handed people).

With a little help from an adult, he can independently identify a learning task, build a hypothesis, predict the result, choose a method of action, work in accordance with selected or learned instructions, and shows a penchant for creative ways to solve learning problems. Can give an adequate assessment of one's own activities.

Has a wide range of educational interests.

Features of the development of sensory systems:

the leading perception system is auditory;
concentration of attention corresponds to a high level;
stability and distribution of attention according to several criteria is at a high level;
The volume of visual and auditory-verbal memory corresponds to the age norm.

A feature of the speech sphere is impaired sound pronunciation. This can cause private dysgraphic errors and, in turn, require the student to consult a speech therapist and additional classes in the Russian language.

The type of nervous system is moderately weak: during monotonous, monotonous activities, the child, experiencing fatigue and satiety, strives to rationally distribute his forces and is capable of short-term mobilization. It takes a little time to master the task, after which a rather long productive period of activity begins, which coincides with approximately the first half of the lesson. The pace of mental activity corresponds to the upper normative limits.

The emotional and personal sphere is characterized by high anxiety caused by dissatisfaction with one’s physical characteristics. This anxiety situationally manifests itself in verbal aggression of a defensive nature. The teenager has adequate self-esteem with a high level of aspirations. Accepted in the peer group.

Recommendations for teachers.

When organizing the educational process, the teenager should be given independence and encouraged to strive for non-standard ways of solving educational problems, since he is able to solve problems of increased complexity. At the same time, it is recommended to take into account that a teenager will obviously be able to learn difficult or new educational material better in the first half of the lesson. In cases of difficulties, explanations on the task can be repeated orally. When assessing activities, emphasize the child’s successes in every possible way. Give critical comments mainly confidentially and reasoned.

Features of the crisis in girls and boys

Puberty progresses differently in girls and boys. In girls, as a rule, symptoms of the transition period begin to appear at the age of 10-11 years. At the same time, the signs of crisis are rather weakly expressed in them. Boys enter adolescence later - from about 12-13 years old. But the course of the crisis period is much more pronounced. This is mainly due to the fact that society traditionally has stricter requirements for boys and men than for girls and women.

In adolescent boys, the following traits are most pronounced:

Aggression, anger . Behavior changes in relationships both with peers and with adults - parents, teachers. This is mainly due to an increase in testosterone production in the body.
Sudden outbursts of emotions . Mood swings, like unreasonable aggression, are caused by hormonal changes.
Dulled feeling of fear . Teenagers often engage in extreme sports and decide to take rash actions. The reason is also a change in testosterone levels.
The desire for independence . Boys want to be seen as grown men. To do this, they need to solve problems on their own, which is not always possible for a teenager. The inability to cope with troubles on your own causes a disturbance in mental balance.
The desire to lead a lifestyle typical of adult men . Teenagers want to do loud things and even heroic deeds. However, they do not always realize the consequences of rash actions.
Interest in intimate aspects of life . Manifests itself in a strong attraction to the opposite sex.
Preoccupation with appearance . It is wrong to think that boys are less concerned about their appearance than girls. Changes in appearance make teenagers vulnerable, and dissatisfaction with their own appearance leads to isolation, uncertainty, and low self-esteem. They do not tolerate criticism of themselves, and they perceive any rash comment as negatively as possible.

In girls, adolescence is accompanied by the following symptoms:

Concern with appearance . Girls are acutely aware of their inconsistency with generally accepted canons of beauty. This is developing especially clearly against the backdrop of the popularization of social networks. They want to be like their beautiful friends, artists, influencers. They begin to follow fashion and want to dress in trendy things.
Desire to attract attention . Teenagers strive to show how interesting their inner world is and how unusual their views on life are. To attract attention, they use provocative behavior, dress in too flashy outfits, apply expressive makeup, and dye their hair bright colors.
Mood swings . In girls, as in boys, hormonal fluctuations cause mood swings, irritability, outbursts of anger and aggression.
Interest in the opposite sex . Unlike boys, girls are more interested in platonic love. Often at this age they fall in love. If the first love turns out to be unrequited, this can lead to serious complications of the crisis - isolation, depression, suicidal tendencies.

Various distortions of manifestations depend on upbringing, environment, and standards established in society.

Your psychologist. The work of a psychologist at school.

Flegontova Anastasia Vladislavovna Bachelor, Master's student FSBEI HE "Kemerovo State University" Kemerovo, Kemerovo region

Abstract: the article is an analysis of adolescence as a stage of transition to independent and responsible adulthood. Issues of personal development of adolescents are considered, attention is paid to the sense of adulthood and “I-concept”.

Key words: adolescence, teenager, personal development, self-concept, age crisis.

Adolescence represents a transition period from childhood to adulthood. Today, the problem of determining the boundaries of adolescence remains completely unresolved. In foreign psychology, adolescence usually covers the period from 11 to 19 years. In domestic psychology the situation is not so clear. A significant part of researchers distinguish adolescence (from 10-11 to 14 years) and adolescence, which, in turn, is divided into early adolescence (15-17 years) and late adolescence (18-20 years). Other authors combine the teenage and early youth periods into one age era of adolescence, considering these periods as two phases of this era. Adolescence is a period of the most intense personal development, the desire to take a different position in life, become more independent, cultivate and demonstrate special personality qualities. The main feature that characterizes adolescence is personal instability, which is one of the most pressing controversial issues in modern psychology. Some scientists consider the entire period of adolescence as critical [5, p. 28]. The teenage crisis is associated with a sharp change in the entire system of a teenager’s experiences, its structure and content. The severity of crisis phenomena and the nature of their course depend not least on how adults perceive the changes that occur with a child who has reached adolescence, on the ability of adults to be flexible when choosing educational tactics, to be able to rebuild relationships with a teenager, taking into account his new needs and abilities. Unstable mood, physical condition and well-being, contradictory motives, vulnerability, and depressive experiences are typical even for healthy adolescents. The literature describes two main ways of developing age-related crises: a crisis of independence and a crisis of dependence. The first is characterized by stubbornness, obstinacy, self-will, a protest attitude towards everything and everyone, and devaluation of adults. The symptoms of a dependence crisis are exactly the opposite: excessive obedience, dependence on older or stronger people, a return to old interests and tastes, to old forms of behavior [5, p. 32]. During adolescence, the foundations of morality are formed, social attitudes are formed, attitudes towards oneself, towards people and towards society, character traits and basic forms of interpersonal behavior associated with the active desire for personal self-improvement, such as self-knowledge, self-expression and self-affirmation, are stabilized. During adolescence, the process of formation and development of the child’s self-awareness continues. This is characterized by the child’s special attention to his own shortcomings. The desired image of “I” in adolescents usually consists of the merits of other people that they value [3, p. 222-224]. The various images of “I” that teenagers develop are initially changeable and subject to external influences. By the end of this age period, they are integrated into a single whole, forming the “I-concept,” which can be considered the central new formation of the entire period [2, p. 49]. Another central neoplasm of adolescence is I.Yu. Kulagina calls “the feeling of adulthood,” which is a special form of teenage self-awareness, a subjective idea of oneself as a person who rather belongs to the world of adults [2, p. 43]. The teenager claims equality in relations with elders, defending his “adult” position. This often leads to conflicts. The feeling of adulthood is also manifested in the desire to protect certain aspects of one’s life from parental interference. This applies to relationships with peers, issues of appearance and studies. A moral “code” appears, prescribing for adolescents a clear style of behavior in friendly relations with peers. Self-esteem influences mental health, interpersonal abilities, social adjustment, school success, and career aspirations. Thanks to intensive intellectual development, a tendency towards introspection appears; For the first time, self-education becomes possible. A teenager, comparing himself with his standards of identity, is based on the reactions of others [4, p. 354]. At this time, oneself identifies with parents, their values, views, behavior and character traits are adopted. Teenagers learn to behave in accordance with their gender roles [4, p. 355]. During adolescence, the development of self-awareness occurs, the formation of an ideal personality, aimed at making a person aware of his personal characteristics. The relationship between boys and girls changes, they begin to show interest in each other as representatives of the opposite sex. Therefore, they now pay great attention to their appearance and demeanor [6, p. 106]. Further physiological development leads to the fact that sexual attraction may arise between boys and girls. At this age, changes also occur in the moral sphere. Two features should be highlighted here. The first feature is associated with the revaluation of moral values. The second is represented by stable, independent of random influences, “autonomous” moral views, judgments and evaluations. However, a teenager’s morality is not supported by moral beliefs, it has not yet formed into a worldview, so peers can easily influence its change [1, p. 68]. There are two phases of adolescence associated with changes in areas of interest: negative and positive. In the negative phase, the former system of interests dies away, the first sexual desires appear, hence a decrease in performance, deterioration in academic performance and skills, rudeness, increased irritability of the teenager, his dissatisfaction with himself and anxiety. The positive phase is characterized by the emergence of broader and deeper interests: the teenager develops an interest in the psychological experiences of other people and in his own. The teenager’s focus on the future, which is still very vague and uncertain, is realized in the form of a dream, in the creation of some kind of imaginary reality [7, p. 256]. Adolescence is a period of desperate attempts to “get through everything.” Many teenagers “out of curiosity” try alcohol and drugs and are very curious about sexual relationships. Thus, among the many personal characteristics inherent in a teenager, we will especially highlight the sense of adulthood and “I-concept” that is developing in him. The feeling of adulthood manifests itself in the desire for everyone to treat him like an adult and not interfere in certain aspects of his life. After searching for himself and personal instability, he forms a “I-concept” - a system of internally consistent ideas about himself, images of “I”. A teenager is not yet a complete mature personality. Its individual features are usually dissonant, the combination of different images of “I” is inharmonious. Instability and mobility of the entire mental life at the beginning and middle of adolescence leads to variability in ideas about oneself [2, p. 44]. Also characteristic of this age are: critical thinking, a tendency to reflect, the formation of introspection; growth difficulties, puberty, sexual experiences, interest in the opposite sex; increased excitability, frequent mood swings, imbalance; noticeable development of volitional qualities; the need for self-affirmation, in activities that have personal meaning. In early adolescence, the process of personality formation is not yet completed; it actively continues. However, much of what a person as an individual acquires during his school years remains with him throughout his life and largely determines his fate.

References 1. Darvish O.B. Developmental psychology: textbook. allowance for higher education textbook establishments [Text] / O.B. Darvish; edited by V.E. Klochko. - Vlados-Press, 2003. - 264 p. 2. Kulagina I.Yu. Developmental psychology: child development from birth to 17 years [Text] / I.Yu. Kulagina. — 5th ed. - M.: Publishing house URAO, 1999. - 175 p. 3. Nemov R.S. Psychology: a textbook for students of higher pedagogical educational institutions [Text]: in 3 books. Book 2: Educational Psychology / R.S. Nemov. — 4th ed. — M.: Humanite. ed. VLADOS center, 2001. - 608 p. 4. Rice F. Psychology of adolescence and youth [Text] / F. Rice, K. Dolgin. — 12th ed. - St. Petersburg: Peter, 2012. - 816 p. 5. Tolstykh N.N. Psychology of adolescence: textbook and workshop for academic bachelor’s degree [Text] / N.N. Tolstykh, A.M. Parishioners. - M.: Yurayt, 2017. - 406 p. 6. Khilko M.E. Age-related psychology. Lecture notes [Text] / M.E. Khilko, M.S. Tkachev. - M.: Yurayt, 2010. - 145 p. 7. Shapovalenko I.V. Age-related psychology. (Developmental psychology and developmental psychology) [Text] / I.V. Shapovalenko. - M.: Gardariki, 2005. - 349 p.

Source: Psychological and pedagogical research - Tula region: collection of materials of the Regional scientific and practical conference of undergraduates, graduate students, interns (Tula, June 17-18, 2021) / scientific. ed. S.V. Pazukhina. - Cheboksary: Publishing House "Sreda", 2021. - 224 p.

Recommendations for parents to overcome the crisis

Despite the difficulties in communicating with parents and the active desire to separate, during a crisis period a teenager needs proper support and protection from adults. At the same time, parents need to give up previous forms of control and give the child the necessary amount of freedom.

Each child is unique, and parents will have to find an approach on their own. But a few simple recommendations will help you understand the teenager and help him overcome the crisis:

Unobtrusively enter the environment . A friendly, calm approach will help overcome misunderstanding and aggression. Participation in life situations and common interests will allow you to unobtrusively help your child solve problems as needed.
Be interested in hobbies . It wouldn’t hurt to share the child’s interests, discuss his hobbies with him, talk about his thoughts and find out his point of view on various issues.
Be patient with emotional changes . A violent reaction should not cause an explosion of emotions in response.
Provide freedom . It is important to provide the child with his own space, and, if possible, a private room. You should restrain your desire to control his actions, hobbies, emotions.

When talking with a teenager, you should also adhere to a number of rules :

Avoid notations. Even small children do not like moralizing, and in a teenager they will only cause protest and aggression. Within a few minutes his attention will switch to something else.
Don't blame, don't criticize. Any comments must be made in an environmentally friendly manner, without accusations, moralizing or imposition.
Discuss casually. Teenagers are not always ready for serious conversations face to face. Increased attention to the child’s problems will make him think that his independence is being doubted. But careful conversation during joint activities will bring results.
Don't raise your tone. Calm conversations are more effective than shouting and scandals.
Praise. Due to their insecurity, teenagers really need praise and approval.
Communicate with your child via instant messengers and social networks. Children spend a lot of time on smartphones and tablets. Correspondence in instant messengers is familiar to them. Communication in such an environment will allow conversations to take place in a direction that is comfortable for the child.

Even correct behavior on the part of parents does not exclude the possibility of conflict, aggression and disobedience in a teenager. However, a respectful attitude towards the individual and the appropriate manner of communication between adults can reduce the severity of crisis signs and their intensity.