Be Supportive!

The most important thing for parents, teachers, counselors, peers, and anyone who has a relationship with young people is to be understanding and supportive of their social and emotional development.  Everyone goes through these changes to some degree and understanding the perspective of an adolescent will help them develop in a healthy manner.  Here are some good ways to be supportive and help with development.

• Be a Role Model:  Young people observe and look up to the adults that they have relationships with.  They will pick up on and emulate the actions and patterns that they observe.  Adolescents will develop respect, empathy, and positive relationships naturally if they are exposed to those things on a regular basis.  Adults can have a significant impact on development simply by exhibiting positive characteristics.
• Listen to Them:  Take an interest in what is important to them.  When a young person wants to talk and open up to you be supportive and attention.  Let them know that you care and are there to help.  Make time in your schedule to communicate and share with them.  Your support and care will help them deal with their emotions and challenges.
• Be Open About Your Feelings:  Communicate about how their actions and decisions make you feel.  This will help adolescents understand that their actions and decisions affect others in both positive and negative ways.  Also model for them how you deal with your emotions and challenges; they will pattern your actions!
• Get to Know Their Social Group:  Take an interest in their group of friends and get to know them.  This will help you keep in touch with their social relationships.  This will also show that you care about their sense of self and you recognize the importance and value their friendships.

Having supportive role models and positive relationships plays a major role in the social and emotional development of young people.  Look for ways to help and be understanding of the changes of adolescence and how you can help with their social and emotional development.

Changes in Relationships!

As adolescents develop socially and emotionally, changes in their relationships will occur.  Parents, teachers, friends, and others will notice that as teens progress socially and emotionally, their relationships will evolve to reflect the development.

• Spending More Time with Friends:  Teens will start spending less time with their families and more time socially with their friends.  This is a sign of their social development desire for more freedom and independence.  
• Developing Different Beliefs:  Part of development is the ability to think more abstractly and question points of view.  Adolescents become aware of new ideas and perspectives that are different from the ones they have been exposed to the most during childhood.  Young people will begin to develop their own independent thoughts and beliefs.
• Conflict:  As young people develop more independence and opinions they will become more confident in themselves.  Adolescents will stand up for what they believe to be their freedoms and opinions which can lead to conflict.  Differences in opinion will occur and combined with the new stronger feelings and emotions, conflict will follow as the young person learns to control their emotions while also standing for their new-found beliefs.

Relationships will develop as young people move through adolescence.  As growth occurs, it is important to allow the relationship to develop in a healthy way that both encourages the teen to grow but also helps them avoid bad decisions and costly mistakes.  As parents, teachers, counselors, and role models, it is important to recognize that relationships will change and help make the transition a positive part of development.

Emotional Changes!

Here are some emotional changes that teens may experience during development.

• Self-Consciousness:  As young people develop, their bodies change as well.  It is normal for adolescents to compare themselves to their peers and friends.  They will care more about their physical appearance than they have in the past.
• Invincibility:  Decision making skills are developing during this period.  Teens are still learning about consequences and in many cases they do not believe that anything bad could happen to them.
• Greater Sensitivity:  As they develop, adolescents improve their skills of reading and recognizing feelings and emotions in others.  They can still misread body language and expression but they are better able to show care and empathy to others.
• Mood Swings:  Teen brains are still learning to process and deal with intense emotional feelings.  It can be very difficult to control.  Adolescents can be overwhelmed by the strong feelings and it takes time to learn to deal with and process these emotions in a safe and healthy way.
• Showing Strong Feelings:  The intense feelings that accompany adolescence take time to adjust to and learn how to control.  Teens will more easily express their emotions through their actions.

These are just a few of the emotional changes that young people can undergo.  As parents, teachers, counselors, and role models it is important to remember our role in the decisions that teens make and set a good example for young people to follow!

Social Changes!

I want to focus on a few social changes that teens undergo during development.

• Finding Their Identity:  Adolescents are working to find out who they are!  This can be influenced by gender, friends, school, family, media, etc.  They are searching for how they fit into the world and who they want to be.
• Seeking More Responsibility:  Teens often feel ready to accept more responsibilities both at home and at school.  As they grow toward adulthood, they want to experience what they believe to be "adult" responsibilities and independence.
• New Methods of Communicating:  Social media, cell phones, and the internet have become the method that young people use to communicate with each other as well as learn about the world.
• Developing Morals:  Part of the responsibility that adolescents seek is also a responsibility for their actions.  As they make decisions they will begin to consider the consequences and develop a sense of "wrong" and "right."
• Developing Sexual Identity:  Romantic feelings and a desire to "date" often emerge during adolescence.  These types of relationships may be long lasting, but the experience can shape future relationships.  Some young people do not develop sexual relationships until late in life.
• Searching for New Experiences:  This can be a period of trial and error as identity develops.  Young people are still gaining control over their impulses and can engage in more risk-taking.

These are just a few social changes that young people can undergo.  As parents, teachers, counselors, and role models it is important to remember our role in the decisions that teens make and set a good example for young people to follow!

Influences on Social and Emotional Development!

Social and emotional development is influenced by a myriad of factors in every individual's life.  Experiences and environment are two of the most important influences that play a role in the development of young people.  Unique experiences and surroundings play a part in creating the identity of an individual and how that person interacts with others.  The graphic above shows several influences that impact the social and emotional development of young people.  It is important to remember that everyone has different backgrounds and perspectives.  As a helpful professional, one must always take into consideration a young person's specific experiences and environment in order to understand their perspective and help them work through their problems.

Welcome!!

Hello all!  The purpose of this blog is to provide helpful information about social and emotional development in adolescents.  This can be a difficult period of time in a person's life and adjusting to changes both socially and emotionally can be challenging.  It is very important for young people to understand that they are not alone in this process and it is important for parents, teachers, counselors, co-workers, friends, and adults in general to be knowledgeable of the social and emotional development that young people go through and how to help them through the process.  It is my goal to provide information regarding the social and emotional development of adolescents and helpful strategies to work through the challenges that are included with these changes!