The crisis of 17 years is one of the periods of abrupt and rapid development of a person, when his whole life becomes completely different from what it was before. It is associated with global changes in the range of interests, communication, and activities. Boys and girls are constantly faced with a choice, and therefore they are tense and stressed.
This crisis is characterized by such signs as stubbornness, youthful maximalism, temporary disorders of the autonomic and central nervous systems. After overcoming the crisis, the teenager turns into a young man (girl): he becomes more thoughtful, focused, logical and adequate.
Definition of the concept
In short, the crisis of 17 years in developmental psychology is another period of rapid development of a person, during which he begins to search for himself, changes relationships with others, acquires new goals in life and develops new behavioral strategies for himself. Despite the name, the age limits of the youth crisis are from 16 to 18 years, depending on the life situation and development of the child.
Causes of the crisis of adolescence
The main reason for the crisis of adolescence is the need and need for self-determination. Boys and girls constantly have to face a choice: with whom to communicate, what to do, what profession to choose, where to go to study. This situation is stressful for the child, so during this period he is in tension. Most often, high school students and school graduates encounter the following problems:
Unified State Exam
Final exams give schoolchildren a lot of trouble in choosing subjects and preparing for certification. The most unpleasant moment is the uncertainty until the very beginning of the exam. A person prepares using trial versions, but he never knows which one he will come across in the exam room. In addition, it takes 7-14 days to check the work, and all this time the graduate has to worry about his results.
Situation of choice
The older teenager chooses his future path after school; in his opinion, the rest of his life depends on this choice. Therefore, his nervous system becomes overexcited when thinking about where to go to study, what to become, whether to leave his hometown or stay, what form of education to choose, whether to combine study with work or to focus on one thing.
Expectations of the immediate environment
Parents, relatives and friends expect something from almost any child, even almost an adult. For example, that he will study well, be able to successfully pass exams, and enter a prestigious university. Society also makes its own demands, which are not so easy to meet. The graduate is constantly asked about what he will do, whether he is ready for exams, where he is going to enroll, what he wants to do. Most girls and boys in crisis at the age of 17 are still in a state of uncertainty, so such questions cause them some tension and irritation.
Changing your usual life
When entering an educational institution after school or getting a job, a young man is faced with conditions that are completely new to him. You have to take on more responsibility, join a new team, make your own decisions, perhaps learn to live separately from your parents, solve your own financial issues and housing problems. The adaptation period also turns out to be quite stressful.
All these situations aggravate the manifestations of the youth crisis.
Experts' opinions
Do you remember what problems your child had during the crisis period of 3 years? What did you do then? Almost all the advice and recommendations that you followed then are applicable to adolescence. What should parents do during the difficult crisis stage of a teenager’s growing up?
- Be attentive and sensitive to your child’s needs: accept his new friends, giving tactful advice, assist in self-realization and self-affirmation, share new interests, be sensitive to romantic feelings and experiences;
- Forget that there is a child in front of you and completely reconsider your attitude towards him and the way you communicate. Understand that this is an adult, serious person and treat his opinion accordingly, be able to listen, give practical, unobtrusive advice, trust him and behave in such a way as to win his trust.
- Solve problems by finding a compromise;
- Ensure equal requirements for compliance with the rules by all family members;
- Treat the teenager as an equal person, taking into account his opinion when making family decisions;
- Show by personal example how you can overcome emotions and feelings;
- Show genuine interest in new hobbies;
- Encourage and praise for successful endeavors and the desire to achieve new heights;
- Do not compare with others, but provide moral and psychological support in every possible way;
- Do not give critical assessments to negative words or statements.
Parents are faced with the difficult task of making sure that the crisis in the child’s life passes safely, so that, bypassing temporary difficulties in communication, they become a true friend to their child. To do this, give the teenager more freedom and the opportunity to make independent choices. Modern young people are more literate, smarter, and much stronger. They are mobile, sociable and goal-oriented. They need alternatives. They themselves are able to find the right solution; they just need to subtly point out short ways out of the problem situation.
Parents who know the peculiarities of the period of adolescence growing up are able to help their child successfully overcome the difficult age period of personality development. Subject to the attentive and responsible attitude of parents, a teenager will enter adulthood with a set of excellent qualities and character traits that will allow him to correctly shape his future, express himself to the maximum in educational and professional activities, harmoniously build his personal life, become a full member of society, a self-sufficient happy person.
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Signs of an adolescent crisis
For most children of high school age, the crisis of 17 years manifests itself quite clearly, so parents may well notice it on their own, without special diagnostics. It is characterized by the following features:
The emergence of fears
The teenager begins to often express his worries about what will happen to him next. He is worried about the future and everything connected with it. He is afraid of making a mistake, making a mistake in choosing the path, not meeting the expectations of loved ones, and is worried about the emergence of new responsibilities and duties. If some of the fears are realized, for example, an insufficiently high score on the Unified State Exam, then the child may go into deep depression.
Nervous system disorders
These include problems of the autonomic system: dizziness, rapid heartbeat, nervous tics, pressure surges, dyspeptic disorders, chest pain and increased work of the sweat glands. Neurotic reactions also include emotional disorders: unstable mood, irritability, short temper, tearfulness, decreased performance, increased anxiety, increased self-criticism, decreased concentration, lack of confidence in one’s own strengths and capabilities, pessimism.
Youthful maximalism
This is the name of the symptom of the crisis of 17 years, in which a teenager sees the world in black and white: for him, either everything is good or everything is bad, he needs either everything or nothing. It is associated with rigidity of thinking, normal for age, selfishness and lack of life experience. Signs of youthful maximalism include:
- high categorical judgments;
- stubbornness;
- excessive self-confidence;
- the desire to stand out from other people as much as possible;
- inflated demands on people around you and on yourself;
- lack of desire to compromise;
- excessive emotionality when arguing and proving your point of view.
Features of the crisis
According to the cultural-historical theory of L.S. Vygotsky, the peculiarities of the course of the crisis of adolescence are expressed in changes in three components of the personality:
- Leading activity. From an intimate-personal one, which was in adolescence, it turns into an educational-professional one. During this period, a person needs to make a decision in life and get a profession, so normally most of his personal resources are directed to learning and learning new things. Communication with peers fades into the background, but does not completely disappear from the young man’s life.
- Social situation of development. Here, during a crisis, a huge number of changes also occur: the circle of communication, quality, goals, methods of interaction, new strategies of behavior in conflicts and disputes appear, a person learns to argue his point of view and work successfully in a team to solve common problems. The attitude of older people around them towards boys and girls is also becoming different: they are increasingly looked at not as children, but as adults, addressed as “you”, respected more and allowed to express themselves.
- The emergence of age-related neoplasms of early adolescence. The crisis of 17 years ends with new personality qualities, including:
- professional self-determination;
- formation of an individual thinking style;
- regulation of one’s own behavior based on values and meanings;
- formation of logical intelligence;
- awareness of one's own value and individuality;
- personal self-determination.
The contradiction of the crisis is 17 years old, according to the concept of L.S. Vygotsky is a confrontation between two opposing desires: to communicate and to isolate. A person still wants communication, but for self-realization he also has a need for solitude. His main task is to find a balance between these phenomena, without losing touch with society and without relegating the realization of his own capabilities to the background.
Briefly about the types
Adolescence is rich in a variety of behavioral manifestations. Based on this, several varieties can be distinguished.
Identities
It is at this age that the child first begins to think about his purpose and meaning in life . A mismatch between desires and needs can lead to serious emotional problems. It is also at this time that a person’s need for self-determination and questions about the future become more acute.
Independence
This form of crisis is often the most noticeable to others, since when it predominates, the teenager is prone to insubordination and disagreement with the opinions of adults. Such children are sometimes prone to displaying aggressive and deviant behavior.
Dependencies
With this form of crisis, the child may seem absolutely calm and balanced.
It is about such children that parents later say that they did not have any transitional age. But this statement is far from the truth. Such a child is terrified of standing out from society . His obedience and problem-free behavior are not associated with conscious decency, but with the fear of seeming wrong, strange. Such children often become outcasts in the classroom because they are incapable of leadership qualities.
Traits of each type of crisis can be intertwined in one person. For example, a child with a dependent form in relation to peers may exhibit strong rebellious behavior in relations with parents.
Risks of adolescence crisis
The crisis of adolescence in psychology is a normal period of human development, but their future life depends on how a boy or girl comes out of it. Sometimes a crisis turns out to be a very risky phenomenon, the reason for which is often the absence of understanding and sensible people nearby who are able to adequately perceive what is happening to the child and help him cope with it.
One of the unpleasant consequences of the crisis of adolescence may be incorrect professional self-determination. The reasons are different: a mistake with the choice, insistence on the part of the parents; enrolling not where you wanted, but where they took you or where you came without real motivation; admission “for the company.” Regardless of the reasons, after 1-3 years of study a person realizes that he did not take the path he wanted. In this case, there are two ways: quit and start all over again, or continue to study in a specialty that does not bring moral satisfaction. In the first case, time and resources are wasted on what turns out to be unnecessary training; in the second, a person spends his entire life feeling out of place and experiences constant discomfort in the professional sphere.
Another risk is the occurrence of deviations. As a result of constant stress, some older teenagers, following the example of older relatives or peers, may begin to “relieve stress” through smoking, drinking alcohol and psychoactive substances.
If you have problems with self-esteem and establishing contacts, there is a risk of difficulties in adapting to new conditions: the team, teachers, forms of certification and knowledge testing.
My advice to parents
The main thing that parents can do to help in a crisis of adolescence is to give the child more independence and responsibility. During this period, a person expects understanding, support, trust and, most importantly, respect from his parents. He benefits from his parents listening to his opinion, discussing key family issues with him, and making friendly statements about the correctness of his chosen path.
It will not be possible to become a child’s friend during this period: he will find friends among his peers. The role of a parent is mentoring, but without intrusiveness, excessive demands and reproaches. The young man expects his parents to insure him in case of failure, but not to interfere in his affairs without asking. Senior high school students and freshmen are treated with respect if they feel the same about themselves. Otherwise, during the crisis of 17 years, you can completely ruin your relationship with your grown-up child.
Main phases of the crisis period
- Phase 1 is called precritical or negative. This period is characterized by the fact that stereotypes collapse in the minds of a teenager. Parents often do not understand what is happening to their child, so many disagreements arise in the family.
- Phase 2 is the climax of the crisis. Most often this happens at the age of 13-15. For some this period is stormy, for others it is more calm and gentle. Phase 2 is characterized by children’s addiction to informal culture; they join different groups or “get involved” with bad companies.
- Phase 3 is called post-critical. At this stage, new relationships are formed with peers, with family and with society.
Ways to develop a teenage crisis
Tips: Parents need to show maximum patience and understanding. Never engage in confrontation
It is important to create a psychological climate at home in which the teenager will feel comfortable. He should feel loved by his family
Dad and mother need to understand that their son or daughter has begun to grow up, that the opinion of their child must be taken into account.
The teenage crisis is expressed in two types - dependence and independence.
Type of crisis: independence
Crisis phenomena are expressed in the fact that the child very sharply rejects those around him and his family. Hence the name - independent. Characteristic features of independence are the manifestation of self-will, devaluation of the opinions of the older generation, and denial of their demands.
Crisis of independence - manifestations
More sharply and straightforwardly, manifestations of independence are noticeable at the age of 13-15. The crisis of 17 years manifests itself in more hidden forms. The symptoms of a crisis period will not go away on their own. It does not appear all the time, but in periods. Parents should not aggravate relations at this time.
Psychology advises to approach the age crisis with understanding. It is difficult for a child to survive contradictions, his psyche cannot cope with emotions, he does not know how to manage feelings. If you enter into confrontation, the teenager may snap or become withdrawn.
A sign of crisis is distance from parents
There is no need to lecture him, teach him, and you should not talk to him like you would to a child in an instructive tone. Otherwise, the situation will only get worse. You can overcome a problematic age only with the help of patience and love for your child.
Some parents use force. For a young nihilist, such an attitude will only provoke negative reactions.
