Introduction
Developmental psychology is a science that helps to understand the changes in a person at the physical, cognitive, and socio-emotional levels with age. Cognitive features like perception, attention, memory, and intelligence develop from childhood to late adulthood. People at different stages of life experience cognitive development differently, with a sharp development and growth of cognitive capabilities at the beginning of life and then a decline over time.
Primary Needs of Individuals in Adolescence
Adolescence also has its peculiarities of cognitive development, which differ in different periods of youth. Belonging to society and autonomy are the basic needs of individuals in adolescence, which can be achieved by giving them responsibility, creating social communities of interest, and supporting the development of self-expression.
Such skills as attention, information processing speed, memory, and critical thinking develop gradually during adolescence. At the beginning of youth, their thinking is more concrete, based on physical experience, but over time, they rely less on concreteness and more on abstraction. The adolescent egocentrism that emerges at 14-15 assures adolescents that people around them think the same way about them as they do (George et al., n.d.). This leads to the fact that teenagers make decisions according to how their imaginary audience would treat them.
Activities Fostering Healthy Developmental Outcomes Based on Adolescent Needs
Social Engagement
Teenagers with their self-centeredness will be helped by involvement in social communities, as they will be able to understand that not all thoughts revolve around them. An acknowledgment that other people have their own needs and points of view will come through adolescents’ communication. In addition, participation in social communities allows adolescents to relate to others and learn to understand their emotions, feelings, and experiences.
Support of Self-Expression
Another idea for improving developmental outcomes is to support adolescents’ self-expression. A comfortable environment for expression will help them gain self-confidence, develop communication skills, and understand their identity. Thus, the paramount need of adolescents is to belong to society and to expect good acceptance from other people, and this can be achieved through the creation of social groups and by fostering the ability to express oneself freely.
Providing with Responsibility
Another consequence of adolescent egocentrism is the desire to do everything independently and the false notion of invincibility. Teenagers are more likely to think that they don’t need to listen to adult advice and that they know better what to do. Although they know that bad things happen to people, they are confident that it will not happen to them. Adolescents often have a sense of invulnerability and immortality (George et al., n.d.). As a result, they often make poor decisions and take more significant risks.
To fulfill the need for independence, it can be helpful to give teenagers responsibility for specific tasks and reinforce the significance of adhering to rules. An example of a responsible task could be assigning individuals to manage a particular part of a school event. Engagement like that will help develop independence and feel important in the community.
Reminding teenagers about the rules and the purpose of their creation is also essential. It is crucial to emphasize that the rules were made to keep everyone safe or secure. By understanding this information, adolescents will be less confident in their immortality and more cautious; by giving the individual responsibility, the lack of opportunity to exercise independence will be satisfied.
Conclusion
Adolescence is when people become more self-focused, which is reflected in egocentrism, the lack of concern for others, the desire to make decisions independently, and the false idea of unique invincibility. Thus, people of different ages have different levels of cognitive development and different needs. These needs can be met by creating a comfortable social environment for adolescents, supporting their ways of expressing themselves, and reminding them of the importance of following rules and the benefits of doing so.
References
George, S., Kelley, B. and Piferi, R. (n.d.). Introduction to psychology from a Christian worldview. 2nd ed. Kendall Hunt Publishing, Co. Web.