The Human Relations Project: a Social Psychological Approach to Adolescent Interaction and Development

Abstract

Adolescence is a time of great physiological and psychological change. Individuals have to progress from the dependence of childhood to the independence and maturity of the adult state whilst they are still regarded by many adults as predominantly children. Adolescents have to cope with the central problem of identity and of motivation and ambitions. They have to come to terms with the perceptions and judgements of other people on them and often experience stress in situations where they feel they are unable to reach the ideals of themselves or of others. Relationships with the opposite sex and acceptance by friends become crucial since they are the only means of judging one’s self-value until the individual has achieved a reasonable degree of confidence and self-integration. This dependence on the opinions of others or on perhaps inappropriate ideals can lead to strong feelings of insecurity or inadequacy in adolescents. Adults obviously face similar problems but the myriad of physical and physiological changes which adolescents experience serve to heighten their emotional sensitivity. As a consequence of these adjustment problems, adolescence is often a period of unrest, of questioning and sometimes of outright rebellion and hostility.