Nouvelles normalités Nouvelles pathologies Nouvelles ... - Psynem

6° 6éme Congresso Congrès Européen Europeo de di Psicopatologia Psychopathologie dell’Infanzia de l’Enfance e et dell’Adolescenza
de l’Adolescence
Nuove Nouvelles normalità normalités Nuove Nouvelles patologie pathologies Nuove pratiche Nouvelles pratiques
FRIDAY, May 6 POSTER SESSIONS
Poster session 6 Interventions in different situations.
Gli adolescenti problematici e la loro presa in carico
5 - ROAD MAP OF THE TASKS & CHALLENGES OF ADOLESCENCE: A FAMILY AFFAIR
Chantal Séjourné-Daitch Orange County Health Care Agency/ Children & Youth Services, (US)
Adolescence is characterized by the transition
from childhood to adulthood. During adolescence
puberty takes place as well as a second
separation-individuation from parental figures.
Adolescence is often qualified as a “crisis”. In
Chinese, the word crisis is spelled with two different
characters. One means danger, and the
other opportunity. Indeed, adolescence is the
time when severe mental pathology emerges,
but also is the time when youngsters become
increasing independent and embrace interdependence.
The tasks and challenges of adolescence
are a family affair. The positive or negative
outcome of adolescence is the result of the collaboration
or the opposition between the different
protagonists in a socio cultural context.
THE CHALLENGE OF PUBERTY. In boys,
puberty is marked by growth of the testicles and
penis, the emergence of fertility, the apparition
of pubic, body, and facial hair, voice changes,
the increase of musculature, apparition of and
android body shape, a rapid growth in stature,
the apparition of stronger body odor and acne
under the influence of increased secretion of testosterone.
In girls, puberty is marked by breast
development, growth of pubic and axillary hair,
the maturation of the uterus, ovaries and vagina
leading to the emergence of fertility and the apparition
of leucorrhea and menarche, a rapid growth
in stature with a curvy body shape, a stronger
body odor and the apparition of acne. These
physical changes are under the influence of both
the estrogens and female androgens. Boys and
girls, in order to enter school, are required to control
their body functions. During their elementary
school years, mastery and control are emphasized,
and children learn by mimicking and imitating
adults they idealize and strive to resemble.
When puberty hits them, youngsters have to
adjust and adapt to their body they may expe-
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rience as foreign, strange, and out of control.
The emergence of sexual urges and the beginning
of menstruation are often anxiety provoking
and experienced as embarrassing, even shameful
due partly to their incontrollable nature. The
procreative ability in adolescents is addressed in
traditional patriarchal societies, in a quite different
manner according to the gender. As a rule,
patriarchal societies value female virginity, fidelity,
and chastity to ensure that the off- springs of
a married couple are, in fact, the husband’s children.
On the other hand, sexual experiences are
considered as desirable in young men and may
earn them the “manly” epithet. The double standard
attitude leads to confusion and anger in the
youngsters, especially girls, and is anxiety provoking
in their parents. Parents of adolescents
fear mostly that their daughter will become pregnant
out of wedlock, which is considered in traditional
patriarchal societies as the “worse family
shame”. Consequently,, “good parents”, in such
societies, attempt to control and restrict their
daughter’s sexuality to prevent such an occurrence
and preserve their daughter’s virginity until
marriage.
THE CHALLENGE OF SEPARATION- INDI-
VIDUATION. The separation individuation taking
place during adolescence could be considered
as a second episode, the first episode of this
process, being called “the terrible twos”. During
toddler hood, the first episode of the separation
individuation process lasts a few months
to about a year. On the other hand, the second
episode of this process lasts for several years.
The changes taking place during adolescence
are comparable to a metamorphosis affecting,
not only the youngsters, , but also their parents.
During adolescence, the child who was respectful,
invested in following the rules and seeing
them respected by others, comes to question