Adolescent Personality Development: Key Stages and Identity
Adolescent Personality Development
Personality development in adolescence is an integrated process. Personality refers to a set of interconnected behavioral systems, distinguished by individual differences in reactions and behaviors. The concept also relates to self-knowledge, interpersonal recognition, and the presentation of social identity. Personality is an evolutionary process, especially significant during adolescence, impacting various integrated systems.
From a psychological perspective, adolescence is a transitional period from childhood to adulthood, involving:
- Active reconstruction of personal history.
- Designing and building a future from potential possibilities.
During this time, adolescents grapple with vital issues concerning their environment and personal experiences. The characteristics of adolescence are shaped by culture. Adolescence is a social construct, a product of modern industrial societies. While puberty is a physiological event, adolescence is transcultural, representing a psychosocial process.
This process varies across cultures. Adolescence extends over a period where individuals are biologically ready for sexual activity and work but are considered socially immature. Puberty has a clear chronology, but adolescence lacks defined chronological limits. The core issue is the adolescent’s personality, ego development, and personal identity, linked to their history. Adolescence is when individuals begin to weave their personal story, forming the foundation of their individual identity. It’s a time for searching and implementing individual identity and a psychosocial stage.
Types of Identity
- Achieved Identity: Individuals who, after a period of crisis, have clear vital projects.
- Foreclosed Identity: Individuals who have adopted ideologies and life plans based on paternal decisions.
- Moratorium Identity: Individuals in a state of identity crisis.
- Diffused Identity: Adolescents who are undecided in ideological direction and vocation.
Self-Concept
Self-concept is a crucial element of personal identity, referring to oneself in various aspects: physical body, behavior, relationships, and social situations. It involves self-knowledge, representations, and cognitive processes.
Sexual Behavior
Sexual behavior often highlights the problematic nature of adolescence as a transitional age.