TOPIC 11
PROBLEMS AND CHALLENGES OF ADOLESCENT
11.1 Introduction
Development is a function of the interaction of many things. As a result, it is not a smooth
process in many cases and this leads to undesired forms of developments. These distorted
patterns of development lead to undesirable behaviours and interferences to the normal
developmental path. A good understanding of these problems and issues helps to plan for
development, thus circumventing some of these effects and leading to more desired
developmental patterns. It is critical especially for parents and teachers to understand how
these problems occur, how they can be detected and prevented, and how their effects can be
dealt with. In this topic, we will confine ourselves mainly to problems prevalent during the
adolescent period of development.
Objectives
By the end of this topic you should be able to:
• Describe forms of improper development.
Explain causes of improper development.
• Discuss remedies to improper development.
11.2 Sex Behaviour Problems
These include unwanted pregnancies, abortions, promiscuous sex, rape, incest, dating, date
rape, STIs, AIDS, trial marriages, early marriages etc. These problems come as a result of
experimentation, ignorance on sexuality, acceptance of sexual activity in today’s culture as
compared to traditional societies and the upsurge of sex hormones.
10.3 Juvenile Delinquency
Delinquency refers to behaviour patterns that are contrary to certain laws enacted by
constituted authority. It is law breaking by minors. These include violation of disciplinary
measures of parents, truancy, stealing, robbery, violence, student unrest, student protests and
vandalism. Delinquency can be caused by discrepancy of values in society, frustrations,
unmet needs, strained relationship between parents/teachers and adolescents due to extreme
authoritarian ideas at home, school or society.
11.4 Poor Communication with Parents and other Adults
This occurs when parents and adults impose their values and beliefs on the adolescent.
Adolescents have values and interests that are different and in conflict with those of parents
and authority. Since the young people see parents as old-fashioned, they may simply avoid
communicating with them which in turn may create feelings of guilt and anxiety or lack of
respect for those in authorities and even for parents.
11.5 Emotional Problems
Adolescents have fears, anxiety, and worry due to body appearance, performance in school,
social acceptance, sex etc. Anxiety and worry among adolescents can also emanate from
physical, biological and psychological changes, increasing demands and uncertainty about
their abilities and future. In addition, emotional turmoil may be accounted for by hormonal
upsurge and imbalance.
11.6 Choice of Friends
The adolescent is faced with questions such as who to associate with, whether or not to engage
in premarital sex, whether or not to get married and whom to marry etc. If the adolescent
associates with a deviant group of friends, it is very easy for him/her to be swayed to the same
kind of behaviour.
11.7 Education, School, and Career-Related Problems
Adolescents have problems in the choice of career, subjects, schools, and colleges because
they do not know their potentials. They have little knowledge about career options that are
open to them. There is also fear that they may fail to get employment since they see many
unemployed school leavers. There are also adjustment problems that occur due to the
transition from primary to secondary school and finally to college or university levels. There
is pressure of work and examinations. Lack of proper adjustment to these school challenges
may lead to disturbances, such as poor study habits, lack of concentration and anxiety. They
need proper guidance and counselling on these matters.
11.8 Adolescent Use of Drugs
Teenagers abuse a variety of drugs, both legal and illegal. Legally available drugs include
alcohol, prescribed medications, inhalants (fumes from glues, aerosols, and solvents) and
overthe-counter cough, cold, sleep, and diet medications. The most commonly used illegal
drugs are marijuana (pot), stimulants (cocaine, crack, and speed), LSD, opiates, and heroin.
The use of illegal drugs is increasing, especially among young teens. The average age of first
marijuana use is 14, and alcohol use can start before age 12. The use of marijuana and alcohol
in high school has become common.
Some of the reasons why adolescents use drugs include:
i. To experiment ii. To relax and cope with tension especially on
social occasions. iii. To
appear more adult especially when they are with their peers.
iv. To rebel against a society that prohibits use drugs among the adolescents, while allowing
their use among adults.
Teenagers at risk for developing serious alcohol and drug problems include those:
• with a family history of substance use disorders
• who are depressed
• who have low self-esteem, and
• who feel like they don't fit in or are out of the mainstream
Drug use is associated with a variety of negative consequences, including increased risk of
serious drug use later in life, school failure, and poor judgment which may put teens at risk for
accidents, violence, unplanned and unsafe sex, and suicide.
Parents can prevent their children from using drugs by talking to them about drugs, open
communication, role modeling, responsible behavior, and recognizing if problems are
developing.
Warning signs of teenage alcohol and drug use may include:
• Physical: Fatigue, repeated health complaints, red and glazed eyes, and a lasting
cough.
• Emotional: personality change, sudden mood changes, irritability, irresponsible
behavior, low self-esteem, poor judgment, depression, and a general lack of interest.
• Family: starting arguments, breaking rules, or withdrawing from the family.
• School: decreased interest, negative attitude, drop in grades, many absences, truancy,
and discipline problems.
• Social problems: new friends who are less interested in school activities, problems
with the law, and changes to less conventional styles in dress and music.
Common terms and concepts:
• Physical Dependency - the state when a body has got used to a substance and its use
has become part of the normal functioning of the body
• Psychological Dependence - compulsion to take a substance even when not physically
dependent upon it.
• Drug Addiction - compulsive need for a drug. Can be either physically and
psychologically dependence on a substance over a long period.
• Tolerance – the body’s ability to withstand the effect of a drug. The process by which
the body increasingly adapts to a substance, requiring larger and larger doses to obtain
the same effects.
• Withdrawal - This is also part of physical dependence and refers to unpleasant
physical and psychological symptoms that people experience when they stop using a
substance on which they have become dependent, symptoms include anxiety, craving,
nausea, headaches, shaking, irritability, and hallucinations
• Craving - the very strong desire to consume a substance.
• Psychoactive Drugs - drugs that affect mood and behaviour.
• Toxicity - the level at which a drug becomes poisonous to the body, causing either
temporary or permanent damage.
• Resiliency - ability to recover or adjust after stoppage.
• A Relapse - is when someone has managed to stop using the substance and then
returns to it.
• Doing Drugs – Act of taking illicit drugs.
11.9 Adolescent Suicide
Suicides among adolescents continue to be a serious problem. For example, in each year in the
U.S. thousands of teenagers commit suicide. Suicide is the third leading cause of death for 15-
to24-year-olds.
Teenagers experience strong feelings of stress, confusion, self-doubt, pressure to succeed,
financial uncertainty, and other fears while growing up.
Experts have found a number of warning signs that should alert a family and friends that a
young person may be becoming dangerously overwhelmed with emotional difficulties:
i. A decline in school attendance and achievement especially for students of above
average ability.
ii. A break in sexual relationships, which is a precipitating event for many adolescent
suicides.
iii. Withdrawal from social relationships. Adolescents, who decide to take their lives,
sometimes seem less stressed or anxious than previously and may cheerfully say
something to the effect that they need to be alone.
iv. An attempted suicide however weak it might seem, is the final effort to communicate
and has to be taken seriously. If nothing changes in the adolescent’s social world, an
attempted suicide will probably turn out to have been trial for the real thing. Almost all
adolescent suicides follow failed attempts. In addition to defeat that leads to the
adolescent contemplating suicide, the important factor in converting this consideration
into action is precisely the sense that nothing can change; a sense of optimism.
v. a psychological disorder, especially depression, bipolar disorder, and alcohol and drug
use (in fact, approximately 95% of people who die by suicide have a psychological
disorder at the time of death)
vi. feelings of distress, irritability, or agitation
vii. feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness that often accompany depression viii. a
previous suicide attempt ix. a family history of depression or suicide x.
emotional, physical, or sexual abuse
xi. lack of a support network, poor relationships with parents or peers, and feelings of
social isolation
xii. unusual neglect of personal appearance
Suicide rates differ between boys and girls. Girls think about and attempt suicide about twice
as often as boys, and tend to attempt suicide by overdosing on drugs or cutting themselves.
Yet boys die by suicide about four times as often than girls, perhaps because they tend to use
more lethal methods, such as firearms, hanging, or jumping from heights.
Warning Signs
Suicide among teens often occurs following a stressful life event, such as problems at
school, a breakup with a boyfriend or girlfriend, the death of a loved one, poor academic
performance, a divorce, or a major family conflict. Teens who are contemplating suicide
might:
• talk about suicide or death in general
• give hints that they might not be around anymore
• talk about feeling hopeless or feeling guilty
• pull away from friends or family
• write songs, poems, or letters about death, separation, and loss
• start giving away treasured possessions to siblings or friends
• lose the desire to take part in favorite things or activities
• have trouble concentrating or thinking clearly
• experience changes in eating or sleeping habits
• engage in risk-taking behaviors
• lose interest in school or sports
11.10 Development of identity
Many adolescents lack the ability to consistently define themselves as unique individuals in
terms of roles, attitudes, beliefs, interests, aspirations etc. They are unable to discover an
identity. They don’t know what is expected of them. They worry and observe themselves on
mirrors in search of an identity. They experiment on various things and delay in making
serious commitments and therefore, experience a prolonged adolescence period. Many
adolescents experience identity crisis (uncertainty about themselves) because they are not sure
of their abilities and lack self awareness. When they get overwhelmed by the identity crisis,
they may give up the struggle to discover themselves, become withdrawn, apathetic, and
aimless. They may have very low ambitions and doubt whether they will ever make it in life.
The identity diffusion/confusion may result to prolonged adolescence in which uncertainty
and lack of commitment persist into adulthood. This may be reflected in people who move
from one job to another or inability to establish enduring relationships.
Learning activities:
i Adolescence is thought of as a period of_______________________.
ii Why do adolescents assume and discard roles and values so easily? Answers:
i Identity crisis. ii It’s part of the normal development
of a sense of identity.
11.11 The Role of the Parent
Research has found that parenting styles influences how well a young person copes with the
identity crisis and other problems of adolescence. Parenting styles have been seen to be falling
into seven possible categories ranging from total parental control over every aspect of the
adolescent’s life, to no control at all. These styles are:
i. Autocratic - Here adolescents are not allowed to express opinion or to make decisions
about any aspect of their life.
ii. Authoritarian - Although young people can contribute opinions, parents always make
final decisions according to their own judgment.
iii. Democratic - Adolescents contribute freely to the discussion of issues relevant to their
behaviour and make some of their own decision, but the final decisions are often
formulated by the parent and are always subject to the parental approval.
iv. Equalitarian - Parents and adolescents play essentially a similar role contributing
equally in decision making.
v. Permissive - The adolescents assume a more active and influential position in
formulating decisions, but a lot always abiding by parental opinions.
vi. Laissez-faire - Young people can decide to consider or ignore parental wishes in
making their own decisions. vii. Ignoring - The parents play no role and evidence no
interest in directing their adolescents’ behaviour.
Studies have found that young people begin to become more assertive in form of reaction
when physical changes of puberty occur. In many families, the parents’ first reaction is to
increase their own astuteness but they gradually yield recognizing that their child is becoming
an adult. Families in which psychological problems occurred in adolescent had the following
characteristics:
i. Enmeshment - Each family member is entangled in the others’ lives and problems,
thus not allowing the development of one’s own individuality.
ii. Over Protectiveness - Whenever one of the members has a problem or is in a
disadvantaged position, family members show mutual responses by crying, getting
sick, and not eating, while others respond with extreme protectiveness. iii. Rigidity - In
these families are firm traditions which “must” be adhered to in such aspects as
behaviour, career choices, etc. Change is very difficult for these families and during
adolescence, parents and their children have trouble adjusting to the development of
the child.
iv. Conflict Avoidance - In these families, the principal concern is to set and
maintain a harmonious relationship among members. The families avoid
conflict either by insisting that all is in harmony even in the face of conflict, or
by diffusing problems so that none are solved.
v. Child Involvement in Parental Conflict - In some families, parents expose
their children to their differences and conflicts causing serious psychological
and emotional problems. Children become ill in order to distract their parents
from problems in the marital relationship, or are called upon to take sides with
one parent or another.
Summary
• Development is not always smooth, it has challenges.
• Adolescents have difficulties making sexual decisions.
• Improper learning may lead one to develop juvenile delinquency.
• Educational decisions and those related to careers form the bulk of developmental
problems of schooling individuals.
Self-Assessment and Revision Questions
1. Explain various parenting styles and how they affect resolution of adolescent crisis.
2. What signs can a teacher use to detect an adolescent who has suicidal tendencies?
3. Describe various forms of developmental problems.
4. What is juvenile delinquency and how does it manifest itself?
5. Discuss the use of drugs as a social problem among adolescents in society.
6. Discuss the role of parents in problems of adolescence.
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