Korea Institute of Psycho-education: [Mother Therapy] Teenagers' psychological problems

3/29/2022

[Mother Therapy] Teenagers' psychological problems

Teenagers are still in the process of developing psychology differently from adults, who have already formed psychology and their own thought standards. Therefore, teenagers do not develop psychological disorders, which are fixated psychological conditions. Teenagers are learning and forming their own thought standards constantly making trials and errors. They develop mild psychological problems often since they have not yet completed forming psychology.

When teenagers' psychological problems are addressed in the way as adults' psychological disorders are addressed through diagnosis and treatment, their psychological problems only deteriorate. Parents must understand this mechanism and must not be too anxious about correcting teenagers' psychological problems as quickly as possible. When parents become anxious and too worried about teenagers' psychological problems, teenagers are negatively affected by their parents' unstable psychological state. Parents can help them understand what is going on and build right thought standards through open discussion.

Teenagers do not have formed thought standards yet, so they may not fully understand what is right and wrong from adults' point of view. When they are forced to follow as they are told by adults without clear understanding, they may rebel and behave in the opposite way from adults' guidance. Teenagers can build healthy psychology when they can understand from their own point of view.

When teenagers have healthy body and stable psychology, they will naturally develop intellectual appetite. Also, they will naturally develop desire for building skills and abilities for pursuing values and career, which is the manifestation of the energy of passion in mind. Healthy teenagers will voluntarily try to develop themselves in a constructive way to be able to pursue self-actualization when they become adults.