According to Piaget`s theory, adolescence is the period of the fourth stage of the cognitive development. The formal stage is a stage of cognitive development during which the individual learn to think abstractly, to use concepts; combinatorial mental ability develops. Analyzing an event, a phenomenon, an individual can take into account all aspects of this phenomenon(Wood, Smith & Grossniklaus, 2001).
Three key features of adolescent thinking are (1) the ability to combine different variable when searching for the solution to the problem, (2) the ability to guess about how one phenomenon influences others, (3) the ability to join and split variables in hypothetical-deductive-bonds ("If X is given, then Y follows ») (Craig, 1996, p. 498).
Researchers indicate that the number of quarreling and conflicts between parents and their children increases during the period when children become teens. The reason for these “fights” may seem insignificant, senseless. However, such “small” conflicts within a family give teens chances to try being independent and to learn to defend the own opinion.
Intense rapid changes characterize the physical development of adolescents. Teens tend to experience intense and different emotions regarding these changes. For them, it is critical how significant people, friends, peers react to their bodies` changes. Also, for them, it is very important how much their look meets to the ideals of appearance, common in society (Craig, 1996, p. 495).
Studies show that adolescent behavior cannot always be called problematic. How will manifest itself teenager depends on many biological and social factors. For example, teenagers from dysfunctional families can begin to show delinquency and adolescents from families with a "healthy" relationship can be more quietly experience age crises.
Some egocentricity also characterizes the way of teenager's thinking. The teens can often suppose that other people treat and see them in the same way teens see and treat themselves. It can be very harmful to them to identify what others think about them because their identity has not yet been formed. Sometimes adolescents cannot distinguish between own and other people`s interests. Teens often believe in their super-uniqueness. According to the concept of Elkins, belief in the own super-uniqueness can become the reason of risky behavior. Teens often do not think about sad consequence (for instance, unplanned pregnancy, traumatization, forming of addictions, etc.) when they act insecure, because they believe that they are so special and unique so nothing bad can happen to them (Craig, 1996, p. 543).
For individuals in adolescence interactions with peer`s group become the most important. Also, the teenagers tend to find ideals and role models among the famous people and peers.
As Craig pointed out approximately 20% of teens in this age are lonely and do not belong to any group. Distinguishing between the causes of the loneliness of teenagers is necessary. In the first case, a teenager can consciously choose solitude because he enjoys privacy, various creative activities, etc.. In the second case, a teenager can be lonely if the group of peers for some reason does not accept him/her. In this case, the intervention of psychologists, teachers, and parents may be necessary to help teen overcome his/her difficulties associated with relations with peers (Craig, 1996, p. 540).
In adolescence, it is also important that young people begin to feel sympathy and sexual attraction to the individuals of opposite sex. Roscoe and his colleagues identify several functions of dating in this period. On dates with girlfriend/boyfriend adolescents have chances to learn establishing intimate relationship with peers, to get sexual experience, to improve own status among peers, to learn more about a person of opposite sex, etc.
Erikson describes eight stages of person`s development. He identifies two opposing elements on every stage of development: syntonic (positive) and dystonic (negative) elements. He claims that if a child achieves syntonic “pole” of the developmental stage, so it means that a child develops successfully, and positive self-concept of a child is shaping (Nicholson& Ayers, 2004, p.4).
According to Erikson`s epigenetic theory, adolescence is the stage of conflict between role confusion and identity formation. Before this fifth stage, child come through other four phases. During the period of infancy, a child develops a balance between trust and mistrust. The second stage is the period of conflict between autonomy versus doubt and shame. Third stage`s central task is an achievement of initiative versus guilt. The fourth stage continues from starting secondary school till puberty. During this time a child develops industry versus inferiority Nicholson& Ayers, 2004, p.5).
Marcia recognizes four models of teen`s identify challenges. Foreclosure individuals are those adolescents who have adherence to the family`s norms and values but don`t have self-exploration and exploration of own identity. Moratorium teens explore their identity issues, test their roles and values intensively, but they remain uncommitted to particular norms or values. Identify-confused individuals are not involved in self-exploration and do not have adherence. Identity-achieved teens have stability because they defined their identity, roles and values through self-examination and they have a commitment to these established values, etc. (Nicholson & Ayers, 2004, p. 6).
References
Nicholson, D., & Ayers, H. (2004). Adolescent Problems : A Practical Guide for Parents, Teachers and Counsellors. London: David Fulton Publishers.
Wood, K. C., Smith, H., Grossniklaus, D. 2001. Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. [Online] Available at: http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/
Craig, G. J. (1996). Human development . Prentice-Hall, Inc.
