5 Myths of Adolescence That You Need To Know
Adolescent development, the most thrilling period in human development, is often misunderstood. It is complex, it is when brain development occurs most rapidly in teen brains.
For a better understanding of adolescence is to dive deeper into the nature of human development. It is a unique and exciting period for every individual for it is the time we discover characteristics that separate us from other species such as with the discovery of consciousness, self-awareness, judgment, insight, and romance. Let us abolish common myths.
1. Teenage Behavior Is the Same All Over the World
True, adolescence therapy or different types of psychotherapy offers the youth the tendency to be more open, straightforward and impetuous than older ones. Does this imply that a significant portion of the youth or even its entirety act in a similar manner? Of course not.
Here are two examples of different upbringing towards adolescence: The first example is an American student with a middle-class family, this individual has no other serious obligations than to study hard and finish one’s high school and college education.
Compared to a Saudi Arabian Bedouin who marries at the age of 14 and is already a parent of three children by the age of 18. It is evident that the lifestyles and attitudes of these individuals are distinct from one other. (On a side note: Saudi Arabia has no legal minimum age of consent/marriage.)
2. Teenagers Are Selfish
Teenagers are no more selfish than anyone else- this is not of great prevalence and present occurrence. If an occurrence of teenage rebellion or selfishness exists among them, it could be the cause of their upbringing.
And why does that happen? In our world today, we measure the worth of everything based on its cash value. It is with no doubt that children are parents’ greatest investment: the cost of supporting a child from birth to graduation is costly. It is often said that “Two children are more expensive than a house and car combined.”
Children have to be nurtured, protected and safeguarded like royalty making them expensive. Spoiling does no one a service.
3. Adolescents Don’t Respect Boundaries; They Are Always Testing Limits
One of the common myths about adolescence is that it's about learning respect. However, this is not necessarily the case, for this is the time for exploration, curiosity, and novelty.
Nothing can be intended to be a substitute for professional help, always better to have medical advice or an advice diagnosis. It is helpful to seek guidance from published work by psychologists such as Jeremy D. Jewell, Michael I. Axelrod, Stephen Hupp as well as Mitchell J. Prinstein regarding this matter if the concepts of curiosity and novelty are rather unclear.
Curiosity grows exponentially in adolescence. This is because the reward circuits of the brain are developing. These circuits drive motivation and agency—and with them, enormous connections between brain structures that allow for more and more complex and purposeful thinking, feeling, and acting. For numerous children, creativity is discovered in adolescence and their personality is based on their teenage experiences in addition to the lessons they learned.
4. Adolescents Live in the Present
In reality, they’re living in the vision of their future-in their dreams and what they plan to achieve in life. And they are always thinking about what is coming next—graduation, college, who they will be, where they will go, who they will go with. They have a huge future focus. Unfortunately, this is one of the adverse effects of the pandemic with this age group, with a number of rites of passage such as proms, homecomings, graduation ceremonies either postponed, altered, or cancelled.
An increasing number of individual therapy sessions were needed by young adults during these times to take care of their mental health. This is surely an effective treatment even for any child and adolescent. The American Academy of Child is one great evidence-based example of this. It is adolescent psychiatry for both children and adolescents.
5. Adolescence Are Full of Impulsive, Risk-Taking Behavior Because Hormones Are Raging
It is true that hormones are raging during this time because there are a lot of biological processes happening inside the brain. In adolescence, the brain is transforming - removing neutral connections that aren’t used and developing concrete and specialized neural connections among the neurons that remain. This is the time their capacities for reflecting, discovery, and self-awareness are renowned, preparing them to be independent adults and integral parts of society.
Key Insights
The changes adolescents are experiencing in terms of the development of the brain are unique and will not happen at any other time in their lives, solidifying their way of thinking, being, reasoning, relating, focusing, and making decisions.
In a place like Los Angeles, where things move at a very fast pace and there is always a lot going on, things can be especially daunting for adolescents. It is therefore important to abolish these mentioned great myths of adolescence.
It is of utmost importance to take into consideration the environment in which young people learn and grow. It should be a safe space where they are given opportunities for strong, trusting and lasting relationships. These relationships will play a part in discovering who they are and make them knowledgeable about the future longing for them.
There’s no myth in that; it's the truth.
