Development challenges in adolescence
Erickson’s theory of psychosocial development is useful in explaining development during the adolescence stage of life. According to this theory, the fifth stage of life, the identity vs role confusion stage, characterizes the adolescence stage of growth (Maree, 2022). When assessing this stage, focusing on the case study, it is notable that several connections can be made to the daily life of a regular teenager. The growth process of Benita had similarities that align with the fifth stage of development, as seen in Erickson’s development theory.
From the fifth stage of Erickson’s psychosocial development theory, growing individuals begin to think about themselves and their identity. Realizing oneself soon arises in their livelihoods, and problems begin to surface in their daily lives (Maree, 2022). According to the theory, three major categories characterize problems of adolescent growth. Adopting values to live by, choosing a career and occupation, and developing a satisfying sexual identity are the main challenges experienced at the adolescent stage of life development. As largely reported in empirical studies, many adolescents engage in fidelity to yield themselves a sense of belonging, such as being adored, group, companion or ideologies.
Making career choices has become the most challenging for many teenagers. This stage of development is characterized by uncertainty about belongingness within a society. The teenagers end up trying new things and exploring to fit in. The aspect of the development of sexual roles is notably a large aspect of an individual’s life, often rooted in their thinking and brains and would tremendously increase during the time of adolescent growth. Arguably, when a teenager gets an unstable development in any of the above areas, they are more likely to have consequences due to an assortment of bad decisions. Benita, for example, had a troubled childhood. This would influence the journey into adolescence and might adversely affect life choices.
When the adolescent stage of human development is delayed due to circumstances, with needs not being adequately fulfilled, the development process is likely to be hit by an offset of major developments. Moreover, independence and morality are established majorly at this stage of life (Okunev, 2022). It is worth noting that their experience of Benita as a child significantly impacted her growth and development through adolescence. As mentioned in the psychosocial theory of development by Erickson, the major challenges that Benita could have faced in this stage of development are more likely to pertain to making occupational choices, sexual identity and the formation of morals.
Benita is likely to experience several issues during her adolescent years of development. At teenage, adolescents are faced with the problem of identity formation. Adolescents are more likely to struggle with identity formation, including their beliefs, personality and values. Due to the significant growth and changes, both psychologically and physically, adolescents are more likely to question what they stand for and who they are, leading to an exploration of beliefs and values. This process entails social interaction and self-discovery (Orenstein & Lewis, 2021). In trying to realize identity, adolescents may explore different aspects of themselves. They may equally face pressure to conform to the norms of Society. Identity formation among teenagers is influenced by aspects such as peer groups, culture and family.
Another challenge likely to be experienced by teenagers during the adolescent stage of life development is self-esteem and body image. Adolescents are likely to have negative body image and insecurities as they go through physical changes and developments compared to others. With the efforts to fit in with peers, adolescents may feel insecure about the changes they experience in their bodies. Moreover, societal beauty standards would push adolescents into unrealistic dissatisfaction and expectations with their appearances for conformity. Caregivers, educators and parents can play a significant role in enhancing body image and self-esteem among teenagers by providing positive reinforcements.
Additionally, it is worth noting that career exploration is a major challenge of this developmental stage. At this stage in life, it is common practice among adolescents to think about their future and may end up struggling with a career path that fits their abilities and interests. Adolescents are faced with issues such as lack of information, readiness, negative affectivity, internal and external conflicts, and a commitment or choice anxiety. These aspects of life pose threats to career development options among teenagers (Orenstein & Lewis, 2021). Parents and guardians could be of great help in helping adolescents make career aspirations.
Reasons for challenges experienced by adolescents
Several reasons would yield the challenges experienced by adolescents. The adolescence period of growth is characterized by cognitive, physical, and emotional changes that could pose development challenges. Cognitive changes, including an increased capacity for abstract thinking, problem-solving and reasoning, are characteristic of the adolescent stage of growth. It can, however, be equally characterized by heightened self-awareness, questions of beliefs and values, as well as self-doubt, aspects that would pose challenges to an individual’s development.
The physical changes in an adolescent also create changes in their normal way of life. The adolescents experience significant physical changes, including changes in body composition, growth spurts and the onset of puberty. Such changes in the physical appearance of the body can lead to feelings of low self-esteem, self-consciousness and body image issues. With societal standards and peer groups, adolescents are more likely to experience challenges trying to fit in Society and to compare with their peers.
Cultural and environmental factors could also be a reason for the challenges experienced by adolescents in this stage of life development. Cultural and environmental factors such as societal expectations and standards, social norms, access to resources and even family dynamics would inform how an individual grows through the adolescent stage of life development. Moreover, social changes such as an increased desire for autonomy and independence, development of romantic relationships, and peer groups could lead to peer pressure, conflict with parents as well as feelings of isolation and loneliness. Overall, development challenges among adolescents are a natural aspect of life depicting a transition into adulthood that require adequate resources and support to allow the adolescents to navigate the stage of development.
Helping career explorations
In order to help adolescents to explore possible careers, various approaches can be advanced. Firstly, it would be proper to encourage self-reflection among teenagers. When adolescents think and reflect on their values, aspirations, interests and skills, they will be able to identify their strengths and weaknesses while weighing out career opportunities. It would be proper during this exercise to help the adolescents to identify potential careers that align with their aspirations, strengths and weaknesses.
Encouraging exploration would equally be an effective effort in enhancing career development among adolescents. Career exploration would entail encouraging adolescents to engage in activities such as volunteering, internships, and part-time jobs in a bid to explore various career paths. This can enrich their hands-on experience while enabling them to understand the requirements and skills of different careers. Moreover, fostering mentorship through the connection of adolescents with professionals in their fields of interest would allow for guidance and career inspiration.
An emphasis on a growth mindset would also come in handy in enhancing career options among adolescents. Considering adolescence as a crucial stage that characterizes growth from childhood to adulthood, teenagers experience several challenges and distractors. With significant cognitive and emotional development, it would be proper to encourage adolescents to adopt a development mindset, believing in their abilities and ensuring hard work and dedication. This approach would allow the teenagers to persevere through setbacks and challenges they would meet while pursuing their career goals. Provision of information regarding various career paths as well as the required education and training for the tasks such as job shadowing opportunities, enabling access to online resources and career fairs would also be of help.
Conclusively, the adolescent stage of life, characterizing growth from childhood into adulthood, is an interesting stage of human development. Several changes occur in an individual, not limited to cognitive aspects, emotional aspects and physical characteristics. Also, various challenges are experienced by teenagers when growing through this stage of life. Some of the notable challenges are making career choices, identity formation, self-esteem and body image coping. Society has a major role to play in helping adolescents develop their career aspirations amidst the challenges faced in growth. Some strategies would include fostering mentorship and career exploitations.
References
Maree, J. G. (2022). The psychosocial development theory of Erik Erikson: a critical overview. The Influence of Theorists and Pioneers on Early Childhood Education, pp. 119–133.
Okunev, R. (2022). Erikson’s Life and Psychosocial Developmental Stages. In The Psychology of Evolving Technology: How Social Media, Influencer Culture and New Technologies are Altering Society (pp. 49–56). Berkeley, CA: Apress.
Orenstein, G. A., & Lewis, L. (2021). Erikson stages of psychosocial development. In StatPearls [Internet]. StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK556096/
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