The idea of ​​crisis in adolescence has come such a long way that some have come to claim that its absence signals a prognosis of imbalance to come in adulthood.

It all starts with a theory established by Stanley Hall at the beginning of the XNUMXth century which cannot conceive of adolescence without ” a long and arduous path of ascension ” marked by ” storm and stress experiences “,” moments of turbulence and uncertainty “Or” forms of behavior, from the most unstable and unpredictable to the most morbid and disturbed. »

Peter Blos follows suit, emphasizing ” the inevitable tensions and conflicts caused by the adolescent’s need for independence from his parents “, As well as some specialists in social sciences (Coleman then Keniston) for whom the adolescent experience inevitably leads to” conflicts between young people and their parents and between the generation of adolescents and the generations of adults ».

In 1936, Debesse published The crisis of youthful originality which definitively seals the image of the adolescent, violent, masturbator, disrespectful and disturbing. Reinforced by ” the belief that generations of adolescents become entangled in destructive conflict », The presuppositions about this identity crisis during adolescence are then imposed slowly but surely, without regard for the voices which appear in the opposite direction.

However, associating the term “crisis”, which refers to ” sudden worsening of a pathological condition », To a passage of life, can seem unseemly, even brutal. The clinical psychologist Julian Dalmasso thus prefers the idea of ​​the moment ” decisive which can be perilous ” rather ” serious and regrettable ». 

In reality, empirical research, which has provided a very large amount of data, does not in any way validate the reality of the crisis in adolescence. On the contrary, these are favorable to a certain emotional stability of adolescents, which goes against the image of stressed, violent and disrespectful young people provided by Hall, Freud and many others.

The famous conflict operating between the teenager and the parents does not seem more realistic according to the studies which confirm that ” the typical pattern of relationship between the generations of adolescents and adults has more harmony than strife, more affection than alienation and more devotion than rejection of family life “. The conquest of autonomy and identity does not therefore necessarily involve rupture and detachment. On the contrary, authors like Petersen, Rutter or Raja have started to bring together “ accentuated conflict with parents “,” the constant devaluation of the family “,” weak attachment to parents during adolescence »« antisocial behavior “, from ” situations of persistent depression ” and of ” good indicators of psychological maladjustment ».

The repercussions of the discourse centered on the idea of ​​crisis are numerous. It is estimated that this theory would have conditioned ” strongly thought of specialized mental medicine personnel “And would contribute to” not recognizing all the new potentialities offered by the psychological process that is adolescence, with the risk of not seeing its positive elements; apprehend adolescence only superficially “. Unfortunately, as Weiner writes, “ as soon as the myths flourish, it is extremely difficult to dispel them. “

The adolescent is subject to multiple transformations, whether physiological, psychological or behavioral:

In the girl : development of breasts, genitalia, hair growth, onset of first menstruation.

In the boy : voice change, hair growth, bone growth and height, spermatogenesis.

In both sexes : modification of the shape of the body, increase in muscle capacity, physical strength, remodeling of the body image, fixation on the external bodily appearance, various tendencies to excess, to questionable hygiene and to instability, need to break with one’s childhood, with its desires, its ideals, its models of identification, profound transformations on the cognitive and moral level, acquisition of formal operational thought (a type of reasoning qualified as abstract, hypothetical -deductive, combinatorial and propositional).

Adolescent health problems

Adolescence is a period which predisposes people to certain ailments, of which here are some of the most common.

Les dysmorphophobies. Linked to pubertal transformations, they designate a psychological disorder characterized by an excessive preoccupation or obsession with a defect in appearance, even a slight imperfection although it is real. If an anatomical element does not seem to him to conform, the teenager will tend to focus on it and to dramatize.

Spasmophilia. Characterized by tingling skin, contractures and breathing difficulties, it worries the teenager a lot.

Headaches and abdominal pain. These can appear after a conflict or an episode of depression.

Digestive disorders and back pain. They are said to affect nearly a quarter of adolescents repeatedly.

Sleep disorders. Responsible in part for the feelings of great fatigue of which they claim to be victims, sleep disorders are manifested mainly by difficulty falling asleep and upon waking up.

Sprains, fractures, dizziness, panic attacks, sweating and sore throats complete the classic adolescent picture.