Adolescence is one of the riskiest stages due to peak excitability and cognitive immaturity.
In the political sphere, numerous legal measures are taken regarding the autonomy of adolescents. One example is the fact that, until a few years ago, a 13-year-old could freely consent to sexual relations with adults. These measures were adopted without considering the contributions of developmental psychology, just as they were not taken into account when setting the age of consent at 16, even though this age is more in line with scientific findings. But let's examine the basis for this assessment.
Identity and cognitive-emotional maturation
As we saw in the previous post, to move from one diffuse identity to crystallized the participation of social, family and neurobiological factors. Regarding the neurobiological factorsIt is known that the limbic system matures much more quickly than prefrontal systemThis is important to understand why we observe certain behaviors in adolescents. such high levels of emotionality and behaviors that we can consider not very thoughtful.
The neurobiological explanation lies in the imbalance that exists, until the end of adolescence, between the limbic system (regulator of emotional and behavioral control) and the prefrontal system (regulator of cognitive-executive controlThat is, until the end of adolescence there is an imbalance that will lead to predominance of excitability over rationality (cognition)((NOTE: This is especially relevant in cases where transcendental decisions have to be made for the future of the adolescent, such as the current desire for sex change.)) .
El limbic-prefrontal imbalance It can persist in some people beyond adolescence and is a neurofunctional characteristic of patients with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
The onset of puberty and the first stage of adolescence is the period of maximum risk, since they coincide with the maximum mesolimbic excitability with the greater prefrontal immaturity.
By understanding which aspects of behavior and emotions depend on the maturity of the prefrontal cortex, we can gain a more balanced perspective on the level of risk involved in adolescence. This brain structure is involved in:
- Impulse control, whether behavioral or cognitive impulsivity.
- Therefore, in the assessment prior to decision-making.
- Ability to anticipate the future based on strategic planning.
- Managing time in behavior and planning. People who struggle with time management tend to easily fall into procrastination or impulsiveness.
- Closely related to the mesolimbic system, it is the organ of values, the sense of responsibility, and empathic capacity.
- It gives us cognitive flexibility to correct ourselves on the fly based on the errors and/or successes of the tasks we implement to achieve objectives.
- It enables us to assess the consequences, both positive and negative, of our behavior.
Identity, maturation and risk in adolescence.
It's easy to understand that puberty/adolescence is a challenging stage, not only for parents and educators, but also for the adolescent themselves. Due to this confusion regarding their own identity, sometimes even accompanied by dissociative symptoms, they will face the demands of their environment and their own instincts without the necessary tools to ensure the security they would achieve if their coping mechanisms were sufficiently mature. Certain activities can even shape their future as individuals. In this regard, we know that drug use during early adolescence will produce irreversible brain changes.
However, in raising a teenager, it can't all be about permissiveness or prohibition. While finding the right balance between the two is the main challenge for educators, we can't forget that teenagers need to confront new situations on their own as the only way to gain confidence and self-esteem.
One of those great challenges, It is sexuality. Due to hormonal and brain changes, childhood sexuality becomes more focused on the genitals. It is no longer the platonic love of childhood, but rather sexual desire and fantasies emerge.
Another major dilemma that arises for some teenagers, It's the choiceWhile most, especially men more than women, will have a different orientation Heterosexual and their gender identity will match their biological sex. However, in a small number of cases, their sexual orientation will be homosexual or bisexual. The discordant identity It is much less frequent and in 60-70% of cases it usually resolves spontaneously between the onset of puberty and the first stage of adolescence. ((We insist on the inequity of the "Trans Law" recently approved in parliament.))
Desire to sexual satisfaction During adolescence it is very intense, hence the masturbation and/or the appearance of a compulsive sexuality be very frequent. The great danger that comes with this intense desire is the maintenance of erratic sexual relations and without protectionwhich entails an increase in sexually transmitted diseases and/or unwanted pregnancies.1
It is not uncommon that adults take advantage of immaturity adolescents' cognitive abilities, their sexual desire, and their ease in mythologizing them, seducing them, and maintaining sexual relations with them (ephebophilia).
Therefore, we could conclude that puberty and adolescence are simply stages of our lives in which we determine our future as adults. However, This should not be seen as a danger, since it depends more on the family environment and peer group than anything else. There are only a few exceptions: Those in which the adolescent must simultaneously face psychiatric pathologies: ADHD, early psychosis, PDD, etc…. But this is another matter.
Link to the photo of Judge Calatayud
- The so-called hypersexualization of current school programs on affective-sexual education being implemented by LGBTI groups is an objective danger that is contributing to the increase in the incidence of these diseases, including syphilis, a venereal disease that had practically become a thing of the past. [↩]
