The boundaries of adolescence rather vague (from 9–11 to 14–15 years). Some children enter adolescence earlier, others later.
The social situation of development.
Adolescence "begins" with the change of social situation of development. In psychology, this is called a transitional period, a difficult, critical age.
This age has been studied by many prominent psychologists. For the first time described the psychological characteristics of adolescence S. Hall, who pointed to the contradictory behavior of the adolescent (e.g., intensive communication is replaced by insularity, self–confidence turns into uncertainty and self–doubt, etc.). He introduced the idea of the psychology of adolescence as a period of crisis. The crisis, the negative phenomena of adolescence S. Hall, connected with the transition, interim period of ontogenesis. It came from the idea of biological conditionality of development processes in adolescence.
Adolescence is characterized by rapid changes in the anatomy and physiology of a teenager. It is growing rapidly, increasing body weight, the skeleton is growing rapidly (faster than muscle) develops cardiovascular system. There is puberty. In the course of restructuring the body of a teenager can be a feeling of anxiety, irritability, depression. Many are beginning to feel awkward, clumsy, there are concerns about appearance, low (boys), high (girls) growth, etc.
Adolescence is essentially a crisis.
To do this, there are both external and internal (biological and psychological) conditions.
External background. The changing nature of learning activities: multidisciplinary, educational material contents are the theoretical basis of sciences offered to assimilate abstraction, causing a qualitatively new cognitive attitude to knowledge; there is no unity of requirements: how many teachers, so many different environmental assessments of fact, the child's behavior, its activities, views, attitudes, personality traits. From here – the need to own position, emancipation from the direct influence of adults; the introduction of socially – useful work in school education. In adolescents there is awareness of oneself as a member of public – employment; new demands in the family (household help, a teenager starting to consult); teenager begins to reflect on itself.
Domestic premises. In this period the rapid physical growth and sexual maturation (there are new hormones in the blood, there is an influence on the nervous system, there is a rapid growth of the tissues and systems of the body). Pronounced uneven ripening of various organic systems in this period leads to increased fatigue, irritability, irritability, negativism.
From the point of view of internal psychological preconditions is the key issue of interest and their development in the transition to adulthood.
L. Vygotsky identifies several groups of teenage interests in dominants:
Researcher psychology of adolescents M. Klee development tasks in adolescence articulates around four main areas: body, mind, social life, self – consciousness.
Pubertal development. In a relatively short period of a teenager's body undergoes significant changes. This involves the development of two main tasks:
Cognitive development. The development of intellectual sphere of teenagers is characterized by qualitative and quantitative changes that distinguish it from the children's ways of knowing the world. Formation of cognitive abilities marked by two major developments:
Conversion of socialization. The overwhelming influence of the family in adolescence gradually replaced the influence of peer groups, is the source of reference standards of conduct and to obtain a certain status. These changes take place in the two directions, according to the two objectives of:
Identity Formation. Formation of psychosocial identity of the underlying phenomenon of adolescent self–consciousness involves three main development objectives:
Central tumors.
Against the background of the dominant activity is the development of tumors of the central age, covering the period of the development of all aspects of the subjective: the changes taking place in the moral sphere, in terms of sexual maturation, in terms of development of higher mental functions in the emotional sphere.
Thus, in the moral sphere it should be noted two features: the revaluation of moral values; stable "autonomous" moral views, judgments and estimates that are independent of random influences.
However, the teenager does not have the moral support in the moral convictions, it has not yet formed in the outlook, so it can easily be changed under the influence of peers.
As a condition for enhancing moral stability, it appears ideal. Perceived or child created an ideal means having his permanent motive. Moral ideals as the development of the child becoming more generalized and begin to act as a deliberately chosen pattern for behavior. Central tumors: abstract thinking; self–awareness; gender identity; sense of "adulthood" revaluation of values, autonomous morality.
L. Vygotsky central and specific neoplasm that age felt a sense of adulthood – there is an idea of ourselves as no longer a child. The teenager begins to feel like an adult, and aims to be considered an adult, which is manifested in the views, estimates, in behavior, as well as in relationships with peers and adults.
T. Dragunova notes the following symptoms in the development of the adolescent adulthood:
Leading the activity.
Leading positions are beginning to engage in public – benefit activity and intimate – personal communication with peers.
Public benefit activities for a teenager is the sphere where it can realize its increased capacity, the desire for independence, to meet the needs of recognition on the part of adults.
Teen characterized by a strong need to communicate with their peers. The leading motive of behavior of a teenager is striving to find their place among peers. The absence of such a possibility very often leads to social and unadjusted offenses. Estimates comrades began to acquire greater importance than the scores of teachers and adults. Teenager maximum certified influence the group and its values; he has a great concern if endangered his popularity among his peers.
In trying to establish themselves in a new social position, the teenager tries to go beyond the student affairs in another sphere, having social significance.
It is in adolescence, new motives teachings associated with the ideal professional intentions. Doctrine gains for many teens personal meaning.
Thinking.
Begin to form the elements of theoretical thinking. The arguments go from general to specific. The teenager operates a hypothesis in solving intellectual problems. This is an important acquisition in the analysis of reality. Develop operations such as classification, analysis, and synthesis. Develops reflective thinking. The subject of attention and evaluation of the adolescent become its own intellectual operations. Teen gets adult logic thinking.
Memory is developing in the direction of intellectualization. It uses no sense, and rote memorization.
Speech
Teen easily picks up the wrong or non–standard forms of speech, and their teachers, parents, finds a violation of indisputable rules of speech in books, newspapers, speeches, radio announcer and television.
Teenager in force characteristics of adults able to vary his speech depending on the style of communication and the identity of the interlocutor.
For teenagers important cultural authority of a native speaker. Personal comprehension of language, its values and meanings individualizes the identity of a teenager. It is in the individualization of identity through language is the highest point of development.
Of particular significance for the teenage subculture is slang. Slang in teenage associations – language game, a mask, a "second life", which expresses the need and the opportunity to escape from social control, to isolate themselves, giving special meaning to his association. There are developed special forms of slang speech that not only erased the individual distance between communicating teenagers, but also briefly express the philosophy of life.
Self – awareness.
Formation of consciousness of a teenager is that he gradually begins to highlight the quality of certain types of activities and actions, synthesize and interpret them as features of their behavior, and then the quality of his personality. The subject of evaluation and self–esteem, self–awareness and consciousness is a quality of the person, associated primarily with the training activities and relationships with others. This is the central point of the transitional age.
V.Slobodchikov notes that despite all the difficulties of determining specific ways to overcome the crisis of development in adolescence can be formulated as a general psychology – pedagogical requirements of its successful resolution – the existence of commonality, compatibility of the child and the adult life, cooperation between them, in the course of which is the establishment of new ways of social interaction. Building a community of life in adults and adolescents, expanding the scope of their cooperation and substantial contacts constitute the conditions necessary to overcome the crisis of adolescence.
Control questions