Adolescence marks a pivotal period characterized by profound cognitive, emotional, and social transformations. Within this age of formation, the psychosocial development theory by Erik Erikson manifests the complicated relationship between the person and the external elements. Central to Erikson’s theory, we find the struggle “Identity versus Role Dilemma,” a stage that highlights identity and societal role development. This essay delves into the significance of adolescent peer relationships in shaping stress management and emotional awareness, elucidating how Erikson’s theory provides a lens through which to comprehend these dynamics.
Adolescence and Identity Development:
Erikson theorized that a person’s identity is spiritually strengthened in the context of the ethical-identity crisis, which is one of the most important period in a teenage life. Young people in this course face the important questions concerning one´s self-identity and attempt to find one´s place in the universe (Orenstein & Lewis, 2020). Peer relations play the role of influential factors in this self-exploration process where teens bump into themselves nakedly. When adolescents engage in a reciprocated relationship with individuals who like them, they are prone to establishment of a healthy identity and define themselves as resilient persons. They become capable of overcoming life’s challenges successfully. On the other hand, undesirable things that groups can put pressure on a person can not only alter someone’s identity but also stress points and block the emotional development of a person.
Observations from Placement Experience:
In my placement experience, I experienced the amazing variety of adolescent peer dynamics’ effects on stress management and emotional intelligence development. Social networks of adolescents with supportive peer members were a sure thing around noble stress coping mechanisms and high level skills in emotional intelligence. For example, the circle of friends demonstrated high emotional resilience even in times of academic strains and personal hardships, thanks to sustained friendly interpersonal communication of a supportive nature. In another instance, students may present an enhanced demand for stress management with lowered emotional regulation skills when they are dealing with peer conflicts and social exclusion among other factors.
Navigating Crises and Building Resilience:
Adolescents need to commit into an ego-syntonic integration of the various roles (Ragelienė, 2016), that they play in their identity development and not to settle for “identity versus role confusion” which can lead to serious challenges in the years to come. Networking with positive peers comes as a challenging experience for students, as it provides beneficial support and validation that aids them in going through this hectic time. Teens who garner approvals from their peers are hence prone to the better organized coherence of self-identity so that they subsequently can deal with stressful factors more efficiently.
Literature Review and Research Insights:
Peer interaction in the adolescent stage, is one aspect of human development that should be noted, which is emphasized by Mitic et al. (2020). Calhoun, et al (2022) raise the issue of nonexistence of positive links in social support, but instead having them helps personal wellbeing and development of coping strategies. Through a combination of Erikson’s theoretical foundation with the factual analysis, the more comprehensive comprehension is achieved—one that underscores the critical function of the peer interactions in the process of stress handling, and emotion awareness during adolescence. For instance, Ozbay et.al.(2007) found that, adolescents who communicated well with their peer friends and had companions exhibited lower cortisol levels, a stress hormone, during stressful events. This is a clear and practical demonstration of the way in which the psychosocial aspects influence the stress-responses of the physiological systems.
In conclusion, studying the intersection of adolescent peer relationships, stress management, and emotional awareness through the prism of Erikson’s theory has brought about a great deal of knowledge. Through my placement, I have gained insight into the role of peer relationships in shaping the development of teenagers. It revealed the importance of creating enabling environments and fostering of resilience to ensure for the good youth outcomes. Additionally, I am excited to use this knowledge in my future position as a psychotherapist to benefit adolescents in their identity development by employing the principles of Erikson theory.
References
Calhoun, C. D., Stone, K. J., Cobb, A. R., Patterson, M. W., Danielson, C. K., & Bendezú, J. J. (2022). The role of social support in coping with psychological trauma: An integrated biopsychosocial model for posttraumatic stress recovery. Psychiatric Quarterly, 93(4), 949-970. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-022-10003-w
Mitic, M., Woodcock, K., Amering, M., Krammer, I., Stiehl, K., Zehetmayer, S., & Schrank, B. (2020). Toward an integrated model of supportive peer relationships in early adolescence: A systematic review and exploratory meta-analysis. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/kry65
Orenstein, G. A., & Lewis, L. (2020). Eriksons Stages of Psychosocial Development. StatPearls [Internet]. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK556096/
Ozbay, F., Johnson, D. C., Dimoulas, E., Morgan, C. A., Charney, D., & Southwick, S. (2007). Social Support and Resilience to Stress From Neurobiology to Clinical Practice. Psychiatry (Edgmont), 4(5), 35-40.
Ragelienė, T. (2016). Links of Adolescents Identity Development and Relationship with Peers: A Systematic Literature Review. J Can Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry, 25(2), 97–105. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4879949/#:~:text=According%20to%20Erikson%20(1968)%2C,people%20(Chen%2C%20Lay%2C%20Wu
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