Adolescence: Normalcy vs. Delinquency

Who Can Use This Information?

Parents, Teachers, Principals, Behavior Specialists, School Counselors,
Social Workers, and Psychologists

What is the Adolescent Experience?

Adolescence can be viewed as that stage of development between childhood and adulthood. It is analogous to the butterfly cocoon. The child is the caterpillar, adolescence is the cocoon and the adult is like the emerging butterfly. What goes on in the darkness of the adolescent cocoon is often very turbulent, difficult and of major concern for parents and caretakers. Adolescence can be divided into three (3) distinct but overlapping stages. They are Early Adolescence (12/13 - 15 years of age), Middle Adolescence (15/16 -18 years of age) and Late Adolescence (18 - 20 years of age).

"During these years adolescents are supposed to go from complete dependence of childhood to equality with their parents as adults. In the course of becoming independent, they are supposed to figure out who they are and what they stand for (identity and values), how to make deep friendships and form lifelong relationships, how to tame their sometimes overwhelming sexual urges, and what they want to do with their lives (education and career goals). Adolescents are supposed to accomplish all of these tasks while being successful in school and getting along with their families" (Barkley, 1995). Parents and authority figures should be aware that there are going to be problems as they struggle for freedom and independence.

Stages of the Adolescent Experience

Adolescence can be thought of as having three distinct sub-phases. They are early adolescence, middle adolescence and late adolescence.

Early adolescence generally spans the ages of 12 or 13 through 15 years of age. Early adolescence begins with the onset of puberty and the primary sexual characteristics. With the pubertal maturation sexual urges become prominent. New and different love feelings are directed to the self, some to people and some to other objects such as pets, automobiles, books or other things. For self, this love can take the form of narcissism or self-love to the exclusion of consideration of the feelings of others. In the case of love for another person it can take the form of feelings for a person who is likely to be considered uniquely beautiful, clever, interesting or noble. This person will be seen as more worthy of love than anyone else will. Love of an object will stimulate intense interest and that object/person will be seen as fascinating in every detail. The object (person) of love will soon become the focus for much dreaming and planning and a topic of enthusiastic discussion with peers.

Middle adolescence can be seen as the beginning of moving away from the family of origin. As such, for the young person, commitment to an ideal will help fill the void resulting from increasing independence from the parents. The peer group, who will have increasing influence of the child's behavior, will facilitate identity issues of looking for a sense of self apart from the family of origin. Up to this point the adolescent has accepted the values and morals of his family. Now the young person will decide which values to keep and those that will change by way of his peer group. Sexuality will also be a serious focus of concern for the middle adolescent. Earlier sex play was typically confined to kissing and casual dates. However, at this stage he may want to experiment with sexual activity as well as experiment with other things such as alcohol or drugs. Acting out of other feelings such as loneliness, fear, and rejection, is also likely to occur at this time. Power struggles with parents may escalate into verbal or physically aggressive behavior. These are attempts, on the part of the child, to assert a sense of independence and establish an identity separate from parents in order to establish their autonomy. This is a normal process but physical altercations are not normal.

More adult-like behaviors will mark late adolescence as he prepares to enter the adult world. The late adolescent may feel his independence and identity to be too tenuous to function on a coequal level with adults. At times he may be capable of altruism and self-sacrifice; he guards separateness and autonomy. It is still primarily the needs of the adolescent that count. His level of defensiveness will reveal whether or not he has genuinely accomplished the task of separation and independence from his parents. Strong feelings of dependency on parents arouse a high level of defensiveness in the adolescent. This is often expressed as rebelliousness. Rebellion can be viewed as a defensive behavior to compensate for a lack of perceived independence.

Normal vs Abnormal Characteristics of Adolescence

Adolescence is a time of introspection and pondering of questions that deal with "why am I here?", "what is the meaning of life?", the role they hope to play in society and what they can contribute. Also problems remaining from childhood are expressed, reworked and sometimes resolved. There will be rebellion and issues of power and control. They are "almost grown."

There is going to be "normal difficult behavior." These behaviors can include:

• Moodiness-grieving the loss of parents as primary support system
• Less affection shown toward parents-individuation
• Being greatly influenced by peers-looking for an identity outside of the family of origin
• Masturbation-beginning interest in sex
• Occasional experimentation with cigarettes and/or alcohol
• Extreme self-involvement-narcissism
• Self-consciousness
• Involvement with cliques-wants to be accepted (belongingness)
• Preoccupation with sex

While these normal difficulties are possible and likely, there are other behaviors that are not normal and should be viewed as "cries for help." These behaviors include but are not restricted to:

• Regular use of alcohol and/or drugs-escape from reality or self-medicating
• Sexual promiscuity-sometimes the result of sex abuse
• Lying, stealing
• Destructive, Delinquent, or Abusive behavior
• Poor school behavior
• Change in eating or sleeping habits
• Eating disorders-possible anorexia
• Intense fear of becoming obese-possible bulemia
• Frequent temper outbursts-possible repressed anger
• Suicidal ideas of attempts-possible depression

Benefits of the Adolescence: Normalcy vs. Delinquency Material

Today, teenagers are confronted with not only managing psychological and biological developments, but also with never-ending changes of knowledge, technology, communication, societal structures and demographic shifts, to name a few. All adolescents are vulnerable to rapid social changes. There are going to be problems as they struggle for freedom and independence. The Adolescence: Normalcy vs. Delinquency material offered on this website will discuss in detail this important period of a teenager's life. Below is the contents of the Adolescence: Normalcy vs. Delinquency material.

Adolescence: Normalcy vs. Delinquency Material Outline

I.	Stages of Adolescents
II.	Overview of the Adolescent Experience
III.	Biology of Adolescents
IV.	Psychological Development of Adolescent including: Personality, Psychosocial, Moral and Cognitive Development
V.	Normal v. Abnormal Characteristics of Adolescence
VI.	Psychodevelopmental Differences Between Non-Adjudicated Adolescent Males and Adjudicated Adolescent male Offenders
VII.	Suggestions for the Treatment of Juvenile Delinquency
VIII.	Recidivism
IX.	America's prison Generation

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Help a Child By Educating Yourself

Learn how to identify the "normal" and "abnormal" behaviors of adolescents and how to understand their stuggles and changes. Dr. Williams provides his in-depth and educational material in various formats, including manuals, audio books, videos, and work books. To order, click here on the links below to purchase your materials. To order educational materials on other behavioral disorders click on this link Behaviorial Disorders Manuals.

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Dr Earle H Williams II © 2008