Adolescence as an age stage

Adolescence is an important stage in a person's life, where the outlines of their complete personality begin to take shape and continue with them throughout their life. It is a stage characterized by rapid growth and continuous renewal in all developmental aspects. It is the beginning of the individual's ascent to the stage of maturity and full growth, and it lies between two stages; the smooth and affectionate childhood stage and the stage of maturity and complete growth. The male begins to transition from childhood to manhood, and similarly, the female moves towards the stage of complete femininity, and from there to the stage of youth and maturity.

concept of adolescence

Adolescence is a noun that comes from the verb "rahaqa" which means to become an adolescent. It refers to the stage in a person's life when they are approaching adulthood and is characterized by numerous developmental changes, with puberty being one of the most significant. Adolescence is a time of transition for both males and females, with males experiencing the onset of ejaculation and females experiencing the onset of menstruation.

Beginning of adolescence

Human development is divided into several developmental stages, each with its own physiological, social, and psychological characteristics that distinguish it from the others. However, these stages are interconnected and build upon each other, with each one based on the previous one. The stage of adolescence, in particular, is characterized by a clear acceleration in growth in all its aspects. Adolescence typically begins at the age of twelve and lasts until the age of twenty-one, with females usually starting a year earlier than males. However, these ages vary from society to society and from individual to individual, in addition to the important role of individual differences. The stage of adolescence has been divided into time periods to facilitate the study of its characteristics, with the division as follows:

Early adolescence stage.

This age corresponds to the pre-adolescent stage, characterized by rapid growth in all areas of physical, emotional, and sexual development. The process of puberty and its organic indicators and the appearance of sexual characteristics begin. The continuation of these developments exposes the teenager to a lot of psychological pressures. They may experience difficulty adapting to themselves, their family, and their community, leaning towards introversion and isolation. They become highly sensitive to any remark directed at them, especially regarding their appearance. In addition, there may be cases of imbalance and exaggerated emotional outbursts.

Middle adolescence stage

This period is met with the high school stage, after the adolescent has gone through the previous stage with many disturbances and internal rapid growth, the adolescent in this period becomes more calm and adaptable as growth continues but at a slower pace. Additionally, their preferences and directions become clearer, with feelings of rebellion towards higher authority in the home, school, or anyone who interferes with their independence. They seek independence and maintain it through a sense of social responsibility and a tendency to assist others, and they realize that they play an important role in their environment.

Late adolescence.

This period corresponds to the university stage, where the adolescent reaches sexual and physical maturity, but their mental growth continues until the end of this stage. Additionally, their fitness level increases, and the adolescent attempts to regulate their emotions and responses, strive for the integration of their personality aspects, feel independence, and assume responsibilities. They develop the skill of independent decision-making and determine their goals that they seek to achieve. Furthermore, their interest in achieving social and personal harmony increases, and social and religious values crystallize during this stage.

Important guidelines in dealing with teenagers.

Parents and educators must adopt a sound, calm, and balanced approach in dealing with teenagers and the obstacles and problems they will encounter. Among the most important things to be aware of are the following:

The teenager should be helped to care about their appearance and not be ridiculed, and enough space should be given to them to present themselves in the way they want and to have the choice.

Focusing on the teenager's positives and achievements, and praising them.

Surrounding the teenager with an atmosphere of emotion and warmth, expressing love directly, and loving and respecting their friends.

Avoiding giving advice in a lengthy and direct manner, as it is better to provide brief guidance that reaches a specific goal.

Sharing their interests and talking to them about them, and opening up their horizons to what they love, so that the teenager feels that the father is treating him as a friend and not in a position of authority, which makes the father a respected figure in the teenager's mind.

Being honest with the teenager and building effective communication, as when the father talks about his concerns in a wise and appropriate manner, he will gain his son's trust and his son will reciprocate the feeling and share and express his problems.

Not giving directions or remarks in front of others, or belittling their abilities in a certain skill, or mentioning their mistakes.

Respecting the teenager's personal life, privacy, and only monitoring from a distance without interfering or intruding.

Encouraging him to increase his self-confidence by delegating some important tasks that responsible people do, and holding him accountable for them, and not correcting mistakes directly if they occur.

Accepting the opinions of the teenager and opening up space for them to talk about what's inside them, in addition to appreciating these opinions and showing their importance.

Providing proper and good nutrition for the teenager; as they are in a rapid growth stage where they need healthy and appropriate food, in addition to ensuring their comfort in case they feel tired.