Adolescence is a period of human maturation, the transition from adolescence to maturity, to adult independent life. There is no single generally accepted opinion about the age limits of this period. Most Western psychologists combine adolescence and youth into a single age period, which is called the period of growing up and defines its age boundaries from 12-14 to 25 years. In Russian psychology, early adolescence is distinguished - 15-17 years old, and late adolescence - 17-21 years old.

There are three main approaches to studying the characteristics of adolescence:

biogenetic;
sociogenetic;
psychogenetic.

Biogenetic approach

The biogenetic approach puts the process of biological maturation in first place, and considers all other processes as its derivatives. For example, V. Zeller in his book “Constitution and Development” calls the changes occurring in the child’s body, as well as their awareness and acceptance, the connecting link between somatic and mental development. Typically, by the age of 15–18 years, the general physical and sexual maturation of the body ends, the cardiovascular system acquires a harmonious correspondence, the formation and functional development of organs and tissues of the body is completed, growth reaches its maximum value, muscle strength increases and performance increases. There is a balance in behavioral reactions - rebellion and rebellion give way to internal independence and emotional balance, and indicators of sociability increase. But, at the same time, the indirect influence of somatotype on the character of young people and the formation of their personality is becoming more acute. According to the system of Harvard University professor Wheeldon Sheldon, people are divided into three body types:

Endomorphic – characteristic feature are spherical in shape, large belly, round head; arms and legs are weak and flaccid with big amount fat on the hips and shoulders, but thin wrists and ankles.
Mesomorphic - characterized by a massive cubic head, broad shoulders and chest, muscular arms and legs; the body is dominated by bones and muscles with a minimal amount of subcutaneous fat.
Ectomorphic - a representative of this type is a lanky person with a narrow, elongated face, narrow chest, long arms and legs; In such people, the subcutaneous fat layer is practically absent, and the muscles are not developed.

People different types physiques are not equally attractive to others at any age, but especially in adolescence and youth. Slender, muscular young men are usually credited with leadership qualities, energy, and mental alertness, while representatives of an ectomorphic physique seem immature as in physical sense, and in socio-psychological. However, these expectations are not always met.

Sociogenetic approach

The focus of the sociogenetic approach is on social factors of personality development and socialization processes. The processes of the social line include the formation of cultural, moral, ethical, and political values, the comprehension of socially necessary knowledge, norms, as well as inclusion in social and labor activities.

In youth, the range of social interests and roles expands; During this period of life there are many significant social events: obtaining a passport, the possibility of marriage, the possibility of exercising the right to vote, the onset of criminal liability. The main task of early youth is professional self-determination.

Psychogenetic approach

The psychogenetic approach analyzes the actual psychological processes.

A very important new development of adolescence in the intellectual sphere is the development of theoretical thinking. High school and elementary school students are more often interested in the question “why?”, their thought processes are more active and independent, they are more scrupulous about teachers and the content of the knowledge they acquire. Ideas about the interestingness of a subject are changing: unlike younger teenagers, who value the descriptive side of the subject and its fascination, high school students are interested in what is ambiguous and requires independent thinking. They evaluate the non-standard presentation of the material and the erudition of the teacher. At this time, they actively manifest themselves and develop Creative skills, requiring not only the assimilation of knowledge, but also the manifestation of initiative, creativity, and mental flexibility. Schoolchildren and students most often realize these abilities outside of school - in electives, courses and sections.

Another feature of the development of youthful intelligence is the desire for generalizations and search. general principles and patterns inherent in particular facts. High school students love “big theories” more than anyone else and gravitate toward “cosmic” generalizations. But a wide range of interests in youth is often combined with intellectual amateurism - fragmentation, lack of a system in acquiring knowledge and skills.

Often, older schoolchildren tend to exaggerate their intellectual abilities, strength of intellect and level of knowledge, which is why they are characterized by demonstrative, pretentious intellectuality. That is why in almost all high schools there are bored students to whom studying seems insipid, primitive and has nothing to do with real life and science.

It is important that in early adolescence the degree of determination of individual interests and abilities increases, and the difference is often complemented by bad behavioral reactions. Thus, in high school, one can easily distinguish various subgroups: intellectual excellent students (“nerds”), capable but careless students (“bohemians”), “chronic C students,” etc.

In adolescence, an active life position is formed, self-determination and awareness of one’s own importance occur. The development of thinking provides the prerequisites for the formation of views on life, the foundations of being, life philosophy, the awareness of one’s life not as a chain of chaotic events, but as an integral process that has consistency and meaning. Worldview search contains social orientation, awareness of oneself as part of a social community, the choice of a future social state, as well as ways to achieve it.

The central psychological new formation of adolescence is the formation of the image of the “I” itself and the formation of a stable self-awareness. This process is associated with increased self-government and personal control. The most important acquisition of early youth is awareness of one’s own world and its emancipation from adults. This age is very sensitive to their internal problems and tends to overestimate their importance.

The formation of one’s own, unique “I” is often associated with many psychodramatic experiences. The youthful “I” is very unstable, subject to various influences; The formation of inner peace may be accompanied by a feeling of anxiety, inner emptiness, incomprehensible expectation and loneliness. Hence, there is an urgent need for communication and, at the same time, an increase in the selectivity of communication, although at the same time a desire for privacy may also appear.

When assessing people, older schoolchildren begin to pay attention to their personal qualities, in contrast to teenagers, who primarily evaluate appearance. This also applies to self-awareness - young men have a desire to emphasize their own uniqueness and individuality. But at the same time, sensitivity to some features of your own body or appearance may increase. Girls and boys develop certain ideals, standards, models of “femininity” and “masculinity”, and they try their best to follow them in clothing, manners, gestures, and jargon. Sometimes these ideals are exaggerated or contradictory and this leads to many internal conflicts.

In adolescence, short stature may be a source of concern, problematic skin, breast size, excess weight, etc. Young people compensate for real or imagined shortcomings with extravagance in behavior, clothing, hairstyles, makeup, making representatives of subcultural groups similar to each other and contrary to their desire to emphasize their own individuality. Therefore, they are often conflicted, suspicious, anxious and internally unstable. This is a feature of adolescence - specific egocentrism (they often think that others constantly pay attention to them and evaluate them, and more often negatively).

But the older boys and girls become, the less important appearance (their own and others’) becomes for them; they get used to the peculiarities of their appearance, accepting themselves as they are, and in connection with this, the level of aspirations in this area stabilizes. Typically, self-esteem stabilizes and becomes more adequate in older youth; Self-esteem plays a very important role in this process.

The period of early adolescence is traditionally associated with an aggravation of the problem of fathers and children. Young people strive to be on an equal footing with adults, to see them as friends and advisers, rather than patrons and mentors. Young people, mastering new “adult” social roles, need adults and often seek their advice, while parents can be a model of behavior and an example. At the same time, there is a growing desire to become independent from adults, to free themselves from their influence, and therefore the reluctance or inability to recognize the autonomy of their children often leads to multiple conflicts. A big role here is played by the general cultural level of the family, its composition, the nature of the relationships and the position of the young man in it.

A youth society is often not so much a group of boys and girls of the same age, but rather people with similar social status, needs, etc. – youth subculture. At this age, the first friendships and love attachments arise, which are quite long-lasting, although predominantly romantic in nature.

Youth is a certain period of human development and maturation, lying between childhood and adulthood. The chronological framework of this age is defined differently by different psychologists.

The periodization of the life course and ideas about the properties and capabilities of individuals of each age are closely related to the age stratification existing in society, i.e. a system for organizing the interaction of age layers (strata).

There is an interdependence between an individual's age and social capabilities. Chronological age (or rather, the level of development of an individual assumed by it) directly or indirectly determines his social position, the nature of his activities, and the range of social roles. The gender and age division of labor largely determines the social status, self-awareness and level of aspirations of members of the corresponding age group.

Age serves as a criterion for occupying or leaving certain social roles, and this connection can be both direct and indirect (for example, the time required to obtain an education, without which it is impossible to occupy a certain social position). In some cases, the criteria are normative and legal ( school age, civil majority), in others - actual (for example, the average age of marriage), and the degree of certainty of age criteria and boundaries in different societies and different fields of activity is very variable.

Age stratification also includes a system of age-related socio-psychological expectations and sanctions (compare not always conscious ideas about “normal” behavior and the degree of responsibility of a teenager and an adult, etc.).

The relationships between age strata and groups are closely related to certain socio-economic processes.

On the one hand, in society there is a constant redistribution of individuals of certain ages into appropriate social systems and roles. It is determined by the objective needs of the social system (primarily by the social division of labor, the availability of jobs and social functions to be performed) and is implemented with the help of appropriate social mechanisms. On the other hand, there is a counter process of socialization, the essence of which lies in the ability of the individual at each stage of his life to accept and assimilate new and leave old social roles (or adapt to their changes). In this sense, preparation for retirement is as necessary an element of advanced socialization of older people as vocational guidance is of advanced socialization of adolescents and young men.

The word “youth” denotes the phase of transition from dependent childhood to independent and responsible adulthood, which presupposes, on the one hand, the completion of physical (in particular, puberty) maturation, and on the other, the achievement of social maturity.

This happened differently in different societies and in different eras.

New times have brought important social and psychological changes. Physical (in particular, puberty) maturation has noticeably accelerated, forcing the boundaries of adolescence to be lowered. On the contrary, the complication of social and labor activities in which a person must participate has entailed an extension of the training period. New generations of young people begin an independent working life much later than their peers in the past, and sit longer at desks of different sizes. Hence the lengthening of the period of role “moratorium”, when the young man “tryes on” various adult roles, but is not yet completely identified with them, and a change in the corresponding stereotypes. The extension of youth has its own personal prerequisites, namely, the expansion of the sphere of conscious self-determination and increased independence.

The psychology of adolescence is closely related to the problem of fathers and children, continuity and conflict of generations. In a sense, this problem is eternal.

The word “generation” has many meanings. It means:

generation, a link in a chain from a common ancestor (the generation of fathers and children, as opposed to the generation of children;
an age-homogeneous group, a cohort of peers born at the same time and forming a certain stratum of the population;
the conditional period of time during which a given generation lives and acts;
contemporaries - people who were formed in certain socio-historical conditions, under the influence of some significant events and united by a common historical fate and experiences (the generation of the Great Patriotic War).

When talking about continuity or conflict, scientists often have completely different issues in mind: the age structure of society, the relationship between elders and younger ones, the pace of historical development, the relationship between specific fathers (and parents in general).

Adolescence, i.e. The transition from childhood to adulthood continues, according to A.L. Gesell, from 11 years to 21 years, of which the first 5 years are especially important, i.e. from 11 to 16. Based on the research, the scientist draws some conclusions. 10 years, in his opinion, is the golden age when a child is balanced, easily perceives life, trusting, equal with parents, and cares little about appearance. At the age of 11, a restructuring of the body begins, the child becomes impulsive, negativism appears, frequent mood swings, and quarrels with peers are noted. At the age of 12, such “turbulence” passes, the attitude towards the world becomes more positive, and the influence of family and peers grows. The main features of this age: reasonableness, tolerance and humor; the teenager willingly takes the initiative, begins to care about appearance and is interested in representatives of the opposite sex. The leading property of a 13-year-old is turning inward; the teenager becomes more introverted; he tends to withdraw into himself, is self-critical and sensitive to criticism; begins to be interested in psychology, is critical of parents; becomes selective in friendship; somatic changes intensify already frequent mood swings.

At the age of 14, introversion gives way to extroversion: the teenager is expansive, energetic, sociable, his self-confidence increases, as well as his interest in people and the differences between them; he is fascinated by the word “personality”, loves to discuss and compare himself with other people, actively identifies himself with his favorite movie characters, recognizing his own traits in them. The essence of a 15-year-old, according to psychologists, is difficult to express in a single formula, since individual differences quickly increase. New developments of this age are the growth of the spirit of independence, which makes relationships in the family and school very tense; the thirst for freedom from external control is combined with an increase in self-control and the beginning of conscious self-education. This increases the teenager’s vulnerability and susceptibility to harmful influences.

At the age of 16, balance sets in again: rebellion gives way to cheerfulness, internal independence, emotional balance, sociability, and focus on the future increase significantly.

The concept of youth is closely related to the concept of the transition period, the central biological process of which is puberty. In physiology, this process is conventionally divided into 3 phases:

prepubertal, preparatory period;
puberty, when the process of puberty occurs;
the postpubertal period when the body reaches full sexual maturity.

If we combine this division with the usual age categories, the prepubertal period corresponds to early adolescence, the pubertal period corresponds to adolescence, and the postpubertal period corresponds to adolescence. The major aspects of physical maturation—skeletal maturity, the emergence of secondary sexual characteristics, and the growth spurt—are closely related in both men and women. However, height is not related to the timing of puberty. There are also great individual differences in both the timing and the course of the processes of puberty. In addition, there are differences in these processes between girls and boys.

Adolescence and adolescence are always interpreted as transitional and critical. In biology and psychophysiology, critical (or sensitive) phases of development are those when the body is characterized by increased sensitivity to some well-defined external and (or) internal factors, the impact of which at a given point in development has especially important, irreversible consequences. In sociology and philosophy, this partly corresponds to the concept of social transitions - turning points in development that radically change the position, status or structure of an individual’s activity (for example, starting work or getting married); they are often formalized by special rituals, “rites of passage.”

Since sensitive periods and social transitions are accompanied by psychological tension and restructuring, in developmental psychology there is a special concept “ age crises”, with which a state of more or less pronounced conflict is associated. In order to emphasize that these conditions, no matter how complex and painful they may be, are natural, statically normal and transient, they are called normative life crises, in contrast to non-normative life crises and events that arise not from the normal logic of development, but from some then special, random circumstances (for example, the death of parents).

Normative life crises and the biological and social changes behind them are repeating, natural processes. Knowing the relevant biological and social laws, one can quite accurately say, or more precisely, predict, at what age the average individual of a given society will experience one or another life crisis and what are the typical options for resolving it. But it is impossible to predict how a specific person will respond to this challenge.

The life path of an individual, like the history of mankind, on the one hand, is a natural-historical, natural process, and on the other, a unique drama, each scene of which is the result of the interconnection of many individually unique characters and life events. Recurring structural properties of life events can be recorded objectively. But personal significance, the measure of the fate of any event, depends on many specific reasons.

The social status of youth is heterogeneous. Youth is the final stage of primary socialization. The intermittent social status and status of youth also determines some features of their psyche. Young men are still acutely concerned about problems inherited from adolescence: their own age specificity, the right to autonomy from their elders. But both social and personal self-determination presupposes not so much autonomy from adults, but a clear orientation and determination of one’s place in the world. Along with differentiation mental abilities and interests, without which it is difficult to choose a profession, this requires the development of integrative mechanisms of self-awareness, the development of a worldview and life position.

Youth self-determination is an extremely important stage in personality formation. But until this anticipatory self-determination is tested in practice, it cannot be called durable and final. Hence the third period, from 18 to 23–25 years, which can be conventionally called late adolescence or early adulthood.

Unlike a teenager, who mainly belongs to the world of childhood, and a young man, who occupies an intermediate position between a child and an adult, an 18-23 year old person is an adult both biologically and socially. Society no longer sees him as an object of socialization, but as a responsible subject of social and production activity, evaluating his results according to adult standards. Labor is now becoming the leading sphere of activity, with the resulting differentiation of professional roles. It is no longer possible to talk about this group at all: its socio-psychological properties depend not so much on age as on socio-professional status.

I.V. Bagramyan, Moscow

The path of a person growing up is quite thorny. For a child, the first school of life is his family, which represents the whole world. In a family, a child learns to love, endure, rejoice, sympathize and many other important feelings. In the context of a family, an emotional and moral experience unique to it develops: beliefs and ideals, assessments and value orientations, attitudes towards people around them and activities. The priority in raising a child belongs to the family (M.I. Rosenova, 2011, 2015).

Let's declutter

Much has been written about how important it is to be able to let go and complete the old and outdated. Otherwise, they say, the new one will not come (the place is occupied), and there will be no energy. Why do we nod when reading such articles that motivate us to clean, but everything still remains in its place? We find thousands of reasons to put aside what we have put aside and throw it away. Or don’t start clearing out rubble and storage rooms at all. And we already habitually scold ourselves: “I’m completely cluttered, I need to pull myself together.”
Being able to easily and confidently throw away unnecessary things becomes a mandatory program for a “good housewife”. And often - a source of another neurosis for those who for some reason cannot do this. After all, the less we do “right” - and the better we can hear ourselves, the happier we live. And the more correct it is for us. So, let’s figure out whether it’s really necessary for you personally to declutter.

The art of communicating with parents

Parents often love to teach their children, even when they are old enough. They interfere in their personal lives, advise, condemn... It gets to the point that children do not want to see their parents because they are tired of their moral teachings.

What to do?

Accepting flaws. Children must understand that it will not be possible to re-educate their parents; they will not change, no matter how much you want them to. Once you accept their shortcomings, it will be easier for you to communicate with them. You will simply stop expecting a different relationship than you had before.

How to prevent cheating

When people start a family, no one, with rare exceptions, even thinks about starting relationships on the side. And yet, according to statistics, families most often break up precisely because of infidelity. Approximately half of men and women cheat on their partners within a legal relationship. In short, the number of faithful and unfaithful people is distributed 50 to 50.

Before we talk about how to protect a marriage from cheating, it is important to understand

. PLAN

1. General characteristics of early adolescence

2. System of communication and relationships among high school students

3. Development of cognitive processes of a high school student

4. Emotional-volitional sphere in early youth

5. Development of self-awareness of a high school student

. Literature

1 developmental psychology /. Ed. G. S. Kostyuk -. K, 1976 -. Section VII

2 developmental psychology:. Textbook /. V. V. Skripchenko. L. V. K-Linsky. S. V. Ogorodniychuk and others -. M.:. Enlightenment, 2001 -. C 233-259

3. Zabrodsky. MM. Basics developmental psychology:. Study guide -

Ternopil, 2005 -. S91-106

4. Zakharov. N. Career guidance for schoolchildren -. M, 1989 -

5. Kovalev. S.V. Preparing high school students for family life-. M:. Enlightenment, 1991 - 143 s.

6. Con. I. S. Psychology of early adolescence -. M:. Enlightenment, 1989

7. Kostyuk. G. S. Educational process and mental development personality -. M.:. Sov fangs, 1989 - 608 s

8. Kulagina. I. Yu. Kolyutsky. V. N. Age-related psychology:. The complete life cycle of human development:. Tutorial for higher education students educational institutions-. M:. Sphere shopping center, 2001 -

9. Mislavsky. YU. Self-regulation and personality activity in adolescence -. M:. Pedagogy, 1991 - 152 s.

10. Radchuk. G. K. Formation of self-esteem of professionally significant personality traits of a high school student when choosing a teaching profession: candidate dissertation psychological sciences: 190007 -. K, 1992 - 216 s

11. Remschmidt. X. Adolescence and adolescence: problems of personality development -. M:. World, 1994 - 319 s

12. Ruvinsky. L. I self-education of personality -. M:. Enlightenment, 1984 - 138 s.

1 General characteristics of early adolescence

Youth is a fairly long period of a person’s life from 14-15 to 25 years old, divided into early and late adolescence. Early adolescence covers the period from 14-15 to 18 years

Studying psychological problems youth is marked by two main approaches

A number of theories (biological, psychological, psychoanalytic) explain adolescence based primarily on changes in the body and their internal factors. At the same time, the development of a person either as an individual or as a person is contrasted. At one of the poles of this approach are biological theories, for which adolescence is an important stage in the growth of the organism and determines all lines (morphological, physiological, social-psychological) of the individual’s ontogenesis.

Psychological theories emphasize that adolescence is a unique stage in the development of the inner world, first of all, the child’s self-awareness

Psychoanalytic theories focus on adolescence as a stage of rapid psychosexual development of a child

Another approach - sociological - is marked by attempts to reveal mainly the external determination of the period of youth from the point of view of society and the interests of its development. In this sense, adolescence is the stage of socialization of the child, the transition from dependent childhood to independent adulthood, the formation of social roles and value orientations.

It is typical for Russian psychology to take into account the dialectical unity of biological, psychological and social components in the development of personality. The difficulties of adolescence are explained by the difference in the moments before an individual achieves, on the one hand, biological maturity, and on the other, social maturity. In our technologically highly developed society, where the period of schooling is quite long and has a trend. Enke to growth, biological maturation is ahead of economic maturation.

Most boys and girls of this age have already reached puberty. The maturation of the child’s entire body is almost complete. Physical development For high school students, the pace slows down and is more noticeable among girls, while boys gradually “catch up” with them. The increase in height in girls continues mainly until the age of 16-17, and in boys - until the age of 17-18.

Growing especially fast muscle mass and the strength of the guys, which makes this period important for their achievements in some sports. Growth indicators are becoming more balanced internal organs, the size p of the heart in proportions relative to the indicators of the vascular and muscular systems reaches those of an adult. The nervous system is significantly improved, becoming stable and resilient. Inhibitory processes are incompatible with excitation processes.

Another feature of modernity is the acceleration of biological maturation (acceleration) and the slowdown of social maturation. Social maturity is measured by many parameters that appear non-simultaneously and individually. Thus, society recognizes the adulthood of a person from the age of 17, when she receives a passport, begins to be responsible for all her actions before the law, enjoys the right to vote and all other rights of an adult person, while actual social maturity can occur before the moment of its legal recognition (for example, in during the war, when the labor of teenagers and young men is used), and later. More for a long time after coming of age, the young person remains financially dependent on his parents and family (especially if he continues his studies).

. Social development situation is due to the preparation of a high school student for entering an independent life, which consists in choosing a profession, in determining the future path of life (continue education, start a family, start a career, etc.). Hence, the most pressing personal problem of a high school student is the implementation of life self-determination, which would allow him in the future to fully realize himself in work, social life, and family.

Mental development in early youth is the necessary foundation that allows a person to consciously and reasonably make a choice of a future life path according to his capabilities and individual characteristics. Testing the correctness of the life choice made, and in some cases changing it, lasts in the second half of adolescence.

The social situation of a high school student’s development gives rise to a contradiction between the identification and individualization of his personality among the people around him (D. I. Feldshtein). On the one hand, young men strive for independence, independence, and defend their right to individuality. In addition, value-orientation activity is activated, and the desire to consciously build one’s behavior in accordance with existing social norms and requirements intensifies. The result of the interaction of the processes of individualization and identification is the differentiation of mental abilities and interests, the development of integral mechanisms of self-awareness, the creation of a worldview, and life position.

. Leading activity for high school students there are educational and professional activities

. Central neoplasm personality in early youth is the readiness of a high school student for self-determination in life (I.V. Dubrovina), the center of which is professional choice. In the 80s, when choosing a profession, high school students primarily focused on the prestige of the profession (its social significance), the requirements of the profession for the individual, the principles and norms of relationships characteristic of a given professional circle. Today, the pragmatism of young people when addressing this issue is noticeably increasing.

Life self-determination occurs with the support of the main new formations in the psyche of a high school student - his worldview, which constitutes a system of generalized views on reality, where scientific knowledge is intertwined with beliefs and attitudes.

Conclusion about the general characteristics of early adolescence:

Early adolescence covers the period from 14-15 to 18 years;

Modern young men are characterized by an acceleration of biological maturation (acceleration) and a slowdown in social maturation ahead of the biological one;

The physical development of high school students slows down; the growth in the size of internal organs occurs in proportion to the indicators of the vascular and muscular systems, in nervous system inhibitory processes are balanced with excitation processes

The social situation of development is determined by the preparation of a high school student to enter an independent life;

The central new development of personality in early adolescence is the child’s readiness for self-determination in life;

The main new development in the psyche of a high school student is his worldview

The new age period - early adolescence (15-17 years) - is considered the third world, existing between childhood and adulthood. At this time, a high school student finds himself on the threshold of real adult life and looks at the present from the perspective of the future, looking for the meaning of his life. If we consider development only as a change in mental functions, then all the main new formations have already ended in adolescence, becoming consolidated and improved in high school students. Therefore, some authors consider early adolescence as the period of completion of neoplasms that arose in adolescence. 1 this period from 11 12 to 17-18 years is called adolescence.

But it would be wrong to consider the development of a high school student in this way. Each age period is important in itself in the life of an individual. Regardless of connection with other age periods. After all, only with the social situation of development inherent in this age do quite significant changes in personality occur.

The new social position of a high school student changes the significance of learning for him. Compared to teenagers, their interest in learning increases. This is due to the fact that a new motivational structure of teaching is emerging. The dominant place is occupied by motives related to self-determination and preparation for independent life. These motives receive personal meaning and become effective. High school students, for whom the main thing is educational and professional activity, begin to consider education as a necessary base, a prerequisite for future professional activity. It is at senior school age that a conscious positive attitude towards learning is manifested. they are interested mainly in those subjects that will be needed in later life, they again begin to worry about their academic performance. Hence the lack of attention to “unnecessary” subjects, the refusal of a disdainful attitude towards grades, which is typical of teenagers.

Upon finishing school, high school students should be psychologically prepared for adult life. Concept " psychological readiness"in this case, provides for the presence of needs and abilities that allow a school graduate to realize himself most fully in professional activities, social life, and future family life. First of all, this is the need to communicate with other people, the need and ability to work creatively, and secondly, the ability to think theoretically, to navigate the various events taking place in the modern world, appears in the form of a scientific, theoretical worldview, thirdly, the presence of developed reflection, with the help of which a conscious and critical attitude towards oneself is ensured.

Once formed, these qualities form the psychological basis for the social and personal self-determination of schoolchildren - the central neoplasm of early adolescence.

The main feature of this period is the need of a young man to take the internal position of an adult, choose a profession, recognize himself as a member of society, develop a worldview, and choose his own path in life.

Self-determination does not mean autonomy from adults, but a clear orientation and definition of one’s place in the adult world.

The concept of “self-determination,” which is used in Russian psychology, is similar to the concept of “identity” developed by the American scientist E. Erikson.

Identity - psychosocial identity - allows a person to realize himself in all the richness of his relationships to the world around him and determines his system of values, ideals, life plans, social roles with corresponding forms of behavior.

Identity is a condition mental health, and if it is not formed, then the person does not find himself, his place in society, and feels “lost”.

Canadian psychologist J. Marsha established four typical options for identity formation:

An uncertain, not yet established, “diffuse” identity.
Predetermined, “the development option is doomed.”
Trying out roles or “moratorium” in attempts] to develop an identity.
Realized or “mature identity”.

The first option means that the young man has not gone through the tests associated with self-determination; the second option provides that the individual, before a certain period of time, became involved in the “adult” system of relations, having done this under the influence of others - this is regarded as unfavorable factor for the formation of his personal maturity. In the third case, the young man is in the process of intensive self-search; “mature identity” indicates that the crisis has passed, a sense of self-identity, that is, self-determination, has been formed, and the young person has moved on to self-realization. These options for identity formation have two meanings: they are stages of personality development and, at the same time, its types. Having gone through the stage of uncertain identity, a young man can approach intensively tested roles, but he can remain at the initial level, without having experienced all the difficulties and joys of the process of self-determination.

Diffuse identity is associated with an infantile desire not to enter adulthood for as long as possible, with a persistent state of anxiety, a feeling of isolation and devastation. Diffuse identity can manifest itself in open rejection of social roles desirable for the family and immediate environment, in disrespect for everything domestic and overvaluation of foreign things, in the desire to become “nothing” (if this is the only way of self-affirmation that remains).

Only the realized, formed personal identity (trust in the world, independence, initiative, competence) allows a high school student to solve the main task that society sets for him - the task of self-determination, the ability to develop his own life plan.

A life plan is a phenomenon of both social and ethical order, that is, who to be (professional self-determination) and what to be (moral self-determination). A life plan arises, according to I.S. Kona, only when the subject of reflection becomes not only the final result, but also the ways to achieve it, the path that a person is going to take, the objective and subjective resources that he will need for this.

A life plan is a plan of activity, so it is “grounded”, first of all, on the choice of profession.

In professional self-determination in developmental psychology, a number of stages are distinguished.

The first stage is a children's game, during which the child takes on different professional roles, “playing out” individual elements of associated behavior.

The second stage is teenage fantasy, when a teenager sees himself in his dreams as a representative of one or another profession that is attractive to him.

The third stage, which covers the entire adolescence and most of adolescence, is the preliminary choice of profession. Various activities are sorted and assessed first in terms of the teenager's interests ("I like to read fiction", "Conditions of a philologist"), then - from the point of view of his abilities ("I'm good at mathematics, maybe I should take it up?") and, finally, from the point of view of his value system ("I want to help people, I'll become a lawyer" ).

The fourth stage is practical decision-making; the actual choice of profession includes two main components: determining the level of qualifications for future activities, the volume and time of preparation for it, and the choice of a specific specialty. Choosing a specialty is a multi-step process. By the end of the 9th grade, schoolchildren must make a choice between three social orientations: general education (entry into the 10th grade), vocational education (entry into a vocational school or technical school), and directly to work (with subsequent completion or non-completion of education). In addition to interests, abilities and value orientations, an assessment of one’s objective capabilities - the material conditions of the family, the level of educational training, health status, etc. - plays an important role in decision-making. Anyone who chooses vocational education or work must immediately supplement their social orientation with a professional one - where exactly to go and what to do. In others, such a decision is postponed until the end of the 11th grade; moreover, in eleventh graders, as in ninth graders, the choice of profession is preceded by a broader social orientation: an orientation toward a university, vocational education, or work.

Choosing a profession presupposes that schoolchildren have two types of information: about the world of professions (as a whole) in general and the possibilities and requirements of each of them; about yourself, your abilities and interests. And high school students lack such information. The basis of the attitude towards the world of professions is borrowed experience - information received from parents, acquaintances, friends, peers, from books, films, television shows. This experience is usually abstract, since it is not experienced, but not suffered by a person. The vast majority of high school students choose a profession more or less spontaneously. Significant factors of professional self-determination are the age period in which the choice of profession is made, the level of awareness and the level of aspirations of high school students.

Choosing a profession is a complex and lengthy process, during which there is a certain danger. For example: postponing professional self-determination due to the lack of stable interests (this corresponds to the stage of diffuse identity according to J. March).

Of course, an uncertain future makes it impossible to move towards it. Attempts by parents to speed up this process with the help of direct psychological influence, as a rule, give negative results, causing in high school students an increase in anxiety, and sometimes a refusal of any self-determination, a reluctance to choose anything at all (which corresponds to the stage of “predetermination” or “diffusion” of identity according to J. March).

Early self-determination is considered positive, although it also has its drawbacks. Teenage hobbies are often caused by random factors. The categorical nature of choice and reluctance to consider other options often serves as a psychological defense mechanism, a means of escaping doubt. This may lead to disappointment in the future. Sometimes early professionalization is associated with unfavorable family conditions, low academic performance and other negative factors that reduce the level of conscious and voluntary choice.

The level of awareness of high school students about both future profession, and about ourselves. Boys and girls have little knowledge of the specific features of each profession, making their choice predominantly random. In choosing a profession, professional consultation is of great importance, which is available in many cities of our country.

The choice of profession reflects a certain level of personal aspirations. It includes an assessment of one’s objective capabilities (it is difficult for a person who did not study music in childhood to enter a conservatory) and an assessment of one’s abilities. High school students are influenced by the subjective level of demands placed on them in the profession; they are often too high. Most often, this stimulates a person to overcome difficulties. It’s worse if the level of requests is underestimated and the young man is not directed towards anything.

Preparing young people for work and choosing a profession is important for states in practice. It is necessary to ensure a connection between common and labor education, organize the participation of high school students in socially useful work, ensuring a conscious choice of professional training.

Professional orientation is part of the social self-determination of an individual. The choice of a profession is truly successful only when it is associated with a social and moral choice, with reflections on the meaning of life.

Senior school age is the initial stage of physical maturity and at the same time the stage of completion of sexual development.

Physically, this is a period of quiet development. The increase in body weight becomes greater relative to the increase in height. Disproportions disappear individual parts bodies and teenage uncertainty of movements. Muscle development is intensive (muscle growth in length and width). Brain development continues, processes of intracellular complexity and development of corresponding functions take place.

All this determines the senior student’s readiness for physical and mental stress. Physical development also affects the development of certain personality traits.

Among high school students, as well as among people of all ages, there are three main types of body structure: ecdomorphic (overweight), mesomorphic (slender, muscular), entomorphic (thin, bony). It is important to take into account whether a boy or girl belongs to one type or another, since their value in the eyes of their peers is not the same (preference among them will be given to the mesomorphic type), and accordingly, their influence on the development of personality is also different.

High school students of the endomorphic type often do not have sympathy among their peers, this makes it difficult for them to fit into small group, they need support more often than others. And vice versa, boys and girls with a mesomorphic type of body structure are always in the center of attention, because the qualities of a leader, athleticism, and energy are associated with a slender body.

But the influence of body type on personality is not clear-cut and not fatal. Much depends on the self-awareness of a high school student. One, realizing his physical weakness, passively submits or begins to feel inferior. Another compensates for the lack by achievements in another area (for example, in teaching). The third tries to correct a physical defect (for example, by playing sports). The choice of these options is determined both by the personal position of the high school student and the position of the adults who surround him.

At the same time, puberty of a high school student does not yet mean social maturity. Youth is a transition from physiological maturity to social maturity, the content of which is the inclusion of a high school student into adult life, the assimilation of the norms and rules that exist in society. Social maturity in our time comes later, since much more time is needed to obtain the necessary education.

Some characteristics of an individual in early adolescence depend on his cognitive development during this period of life.

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