Psychosocial Troubles of Adolescents

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1. Introduction

Adolescence, largely regarded as a period of time in a person’s life where he or she experiences major changes in terms of physical growth and mental development. It is a time in life, usually from the age 12-18 (Berk, 2010) where one has to go through many inevitable changes which may give him a certain level of discomfort. Adolescence was derived from the Latin word ‘adolescere’ which means growing up. There are various developmental issues faced during adolescence causes high levels of stress and anxiety in the youngsters. They undergo a sudden spurt in growth, experience hormonal changes and go through cognitive development. An individual usually faces a lot of challenges as he self discovers himself during this stage. However with a positive attitude and proper guidance, an adolescent will be able to develop into a successful young adult. This essay talks about the psychosocial troubles an adolescent faces and explains the reasons to some of the behaviours we may see in them.

2. Developmental Issue and Theory

2.1 Developmental Issue 1

Marcus, being an adolescent, is undergoing a major transition stage in his life. He is going through numerous physical and mental developments. He is also experiencing the impact of being introduced into a new culture and is depressed due to his family circumstances. He has just moved from another town and is rather unfamiliar with his current environment. Mann (2004) regards migration and adapting into a new culture as giving up your sense of identity. Therefore Marcus finds it rather difficult to adapt to the new culture and lifestyle. He feels very uncomfortable to socialise with people in his new town and prefers avoiding any contact with new faces. ...

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