The Adolescent

Abstract

Adolescence can mark both frustration and rebellion against norms and rules, as well as a
tacit and disguised clinging to the so comforting affectivity of puberty. Erik Erikson also believes that
adolescence represents the central crisis of all human development. Overcoming this crisis can have
both a positive effect, by forming a strong self-identity, and a negative effect by increasing the
confusion related to one’s own identity, the inability to make decisions, especially those related to the
vocational part. The individual is preparing to start life as an adult and that is why he feels the need to
look for an identity, i.e. those elements that define him, make him unique, differentiate him from others.
The behavior of teenagers is very malleable and due to this aspect, they can be easily prone to external
influences. Adolescence is a period marked by impulsivity, a predisposition for taking risks, teenagers
often ignoring the consequences of their own actions. They make hic et nunc decisions, based in this
case on emotion. Being a transitional stage, adolescence is characterized by conflict in thoughts,
decisions, between the child who begins to metamorphose, and the adult who is waiting to become.