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Adolescent Psychology Issues
There will always be some conflict between adolescents and their parents because growing up means finding one's own way -- relating to the world through youthful, sometimes naive eyes -- while also being instructed and guided by one's parents. But the intensity of conflict and the reasons for conflict in this parent-adolescent genre differ dramatically, and have different impacts on adolescents as they grow and mature. The research article by Barbara Allison and Jerelyn Schultz delves into the parent-adolescent conflict during the "early years" of adolescence, which the authors claim has received "much less attention" than the adolescent years (12 to 18).
Parent-Adolescent Conflict in Early Adolescence
According to Allison et al., their checklist given to 357 young people (grades 6, 7, and 8) revealed many conflicts with parents "…over a sizable number of issues." And during this period of adolescent -- parental contentiousness, Allison's research shows that the greatest number of conflicts between youthful offspring and parents occurred while the adolescents in this survey were in 7th grade (Allison, 2004, p 101). The exchanges between daughters and parents were "…consistently more intense" than those arguments between sons and parents.
The authors present a number of research projects that have been published, which shows consistently that the "highest levels" of conflict happen in early adolescence and the lowest levels of parent-adolescent conflict occurs "…in late adolescence" (Allison,...
The work of several research projects shows that conflict has often been linked to "the degree and/or timing of pubertal maturation" and not necessarily age, Allison continues. Other studies show on a consistent basis that gender enters into the dynamics of parent-adolescent tensions; in fact, more often than not, the conflict involving parents and adolescents is between mothers and their adolescent children -- and in particular, the conflict is a "daughter-mother dyad" (Allison, 102).
The authors complain that little research has been done on the early adolescent years; the reason why Allison and Schultz take this position is because the early years of adolescence are "associated with relational changes in the family." Those family changes tend to exacerbate the existing tensions, and hence, the authors' disappointment in the dearth of research during that important window of time, so the fact that there is a lack of research in this specific age is puzzling to the authors.
A significant amount of the previous research that Allison references the fact that puberty (and the psychological changes occurring at that time) may be at least one contributing factor to the conflicts. Other research (Steinberg and Hill, 1978) reflects that there are "…heightened levels of conflict, oppositional behavior, and emotional distancing" -- along with "lower levels" of satisfaction experienced by parents -- that are quite apart from pubertal maturation issues (Allison, 103). During this time, the research shows, the issues tend to be more combative…
Works Cited
Allison, Barbara N., and Schultz, Jerelyn B. (2004). Parent-Adolescent Conflict In Early
Adolescence. Adolescence, 39(153), 101-117.
All too often, these adolescents end up taking their own lives when their depression gets too painful for them and they have not received the help that they need. Even the medications that are designed to help them get through the depression can sometimes make things worse, as various medications for depression and anxiety carry a risk of suicide when people are just starting or just getting off of
There are multiple stages of development that all children go through. The depth and breadth of these developmental changes ebb and flow greatly as growing children move from one stage of development to the next. Overall, there are several major developmental stages in the life of a child. There are the toddler years, the prepubescent years and the adolescent/teenage years. The brief literature review that follows in this report shall
relationship of Mark, an adolescent boy age 17, and his father. Up until his mid-teens Mark was an underachiever and was overweight. He was relatively unmotivated in school, did not asset himself, and shied from confrontations. These aspects of his life affected his relationship with his peers and family. In his mid-teens several events occurred that resulted in Mark becoming more assertive and developing a more identified sense of
The loss of Buck precisely at the period of adolescence where Conrad most needed the security, companionship, and leadership of his older brother would have been extremely difficult for Conrad, even under more ordinary circumstances. The tragic coincidental combination of the psychologically devastating circumstances of Buck's death with the loss of his companionship prove to be more than Conrad is capable of dealing with. Just as Conrad seems to be making
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The key years during which experimentation occurs - between 13 and 16. Kobus discusses influences that launch an adolescent's smoking habit from several perspectives. First, the "social learning theory": relationships that are "more intimate" and that are developed "earlier in the youth's experiences" and thought to be more important; and youths are more likely to "imitate the smoking habits" (or non-smoking habits) of those with whom they have the closes