Adolescence Overview (11-19 years)
Coping
13
Within the psychological literature, developments in coping behaviour tend to be either summarised across the entire adolescence age range, or associated with early, middle or late adolescence. We provide a description of general trends and features in adolescence followed by a tabulated developmental sequence.
Independent Coping ■■
increased self-reliance
■■
uses meta-cognitive strategies for coping o reflects
on their own cognitive processes, emotions and actions when selecting the best coping strategy
o considers
long term social and emotional consequences of possible coping behaviours
o considers
the effects of their actions on, and coordinates their actions with, others
o allows
the adolescent to choose the coping strategy that will result in the most positive emotional and social consequences for themselves and others (e.g. choosing to seek information rather than withdraw themselves from a family problem, in order to tackle the issue and reduce stress for themselves and other family members)
■■
more sophisticated problem solving skills result in improved coping (see Cognitive Development)
■■
increased knowledge results in quicker, better informed and more useful responses to stressful events o generates
more response options to a problem
o considers
the effects of their actions on themselves and others
o identifies
the salient features of a problem and uses their knowledge of possible responses to co-ordinate the most effective coping strategy
o integrates
information from different sources and perspectives to develop the best plan of action
■■
coping becomes more differentiated to different stressors as the adolescent gets older
■■
insightful coping - uses moral character and personal philosophy when choosing coping strategies
■■
may meditate or use guided relaxation as a form of distraction coping
■■
coping style can affect self-esteem (see Self-Esteem)
Metacognition
Awareness and understanding of, and reflection upon one’s own thought processes
