Adolescence is one of the most significant ages in people’s life. It is called the transitional age because during this period the transition from childhood to adulthood and from immaturity to maturity takes place. This period is characterized by the desire for self-expression, self-affirmation, demonstration of independence, decreased motivation and conflicts with parents and teachers. This paper hypothesizes that adolescent idealism, criticism, personal fable, and the imaginary audience may persist in adult life if the child is not given proper attention.
The idea of the idealism of the surrounding world is characteristic of the early adolescent period and is born out of parents’ attempts to protect the child from troubles and problems, projecting in his mind the image of an ideal world. However, when faced with a reality in adolescence, children often refuse to accept it, which may result in psychological problems, frustration, and criticism (Vandenkerckhove et al., 2019). In my adolescent period, I believed that people should always pay attention to my mood and soothe me when I was in the blues. I was deeply frustrated discovering that sometimes my classmates and teachers just did not care and went about their own business not paying attention to my sullenness. In the adolescent period, the child opposes himself to the environment, is critical, and hostile, and often violates discipline. Teenagers need to assert themselves as independent from their parents’ influence and severely criticize the surrounding world, while their values are yet to be formed. Thus, when I was a teenager, I often criticized my parents’ advice believing that I knew better.
Often, adolescents resort to personal fable when they describe their life or achievements to friends or classmates. They tend to make up interesting details and events that show themselves as superheroes or at least very clever and agile teenagers. A personal fable is born out of the need for recognition which becomes pressing at this age. As for me, I liked to tell my friends about my imaginary traveling to different countries to show that I had been everywhere and make them respect me.
In the adolescent period, mood swings with a predominance of discontent, irritation, and sullenness may be dominant in a teenager. Inner anxiety leads to the desire to stay alone and isolate oneself from people. Teenagers may talk to imaginary auditory to express their frustration with the world or to practice personal fable tales. Thus, before telling my friends about my traveling, I would sometimes practice the tale to an imaginary audience to see how it went.
Sometimes adolescent idealism, criticism, personal fable, and imaginary audience cognitive distortions may persist in adult life if a teenager is not given proper attention. The process of growing up and asserting one’s independence goes along with the formation of values and the ability to reflect and perceive one’s personality with an assessment of capabilities, abilities, and shortcomings (Poznyak et al., 2019). Teenager needs advice and encouragement to assert themselves, while critique and incomprehension may lead to the fact that cognitive disorders will not diminish and remain after the adolescent period is finished. In this case, immature behavior may continue during early adulthood (20- 29 years) until all the processes of self-determination and shaping values are finished.
Adolescence is considered one of the most difficult and responsible periods in the life of a teenager and their parents. The crisis of adolescence is associated with a change in the social situation, and the necessity to assert oneself and become independent from parents. This period is often characterized by idealism, criticism, personal fable, and imaginary audience cognitive distortions. Reasonable advice and support on the part of relatives and friends may help to mitigate these phenomena and not allow them to persist in adult life.
References
Poznyak, E., Morosan, L., Perroud, N., Speranza, M., Badoud, D., & Debbané, M. (2019). Roles of age, gender and psychological difficulties in adolescent mentalizing. Journal of Adolescence, 74, 120-129.
Vandenkerckhove, B., Brenning, K., Vansteenkiste, M., Luyten, P., & Soenens, B. (2019). The explanatory role of basic psychological need experiences in the relation between dependency, self-criticism and psychopathology in adolescence. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 41(4), 574-588.