How Do Students Express Themselves When They Are Teenagers?

The most important psychological feature of the teenage period is the emerging sense of adulthood. The level of aspirations of a teenager anticipates his future position, which he actually has not yet reached, and far exceeds his capabilities. This is expressed in a pronounced desire to defend their independence and rights, while at the same time expecting approval, help, protection, and support from adults.

Teenage students express themselves with the help of excessive emotions. Of the latter, the following characteristic features can be distinguished:

• demonstrativeness in everything (behavior, appearance);
• emotional instability (impulsivity, mood swings, increased vulnerability, resentment);
• rapid growth, development, and restructuring of the body, uneven physical development;
• increased sensitivity to the assessment of strangers;
• need for acceptance by peers;
• the desire to oppose themselves to adults, to defend their independence and rights;
• decrease in parental authority;
• rebellion against parents’ and teachers’ control, and at the same time the need for guidance and expectation of support;
• dependence of self-esteem on the style of relationships with peers and adults.

For teenage students, it is very important that parents and teachers recognize the equality of their rights with adults. If something, even the tiniest thing, doesn’t go well in the relationship between adults and a teenager, here come the difficulties – but it is never too late to change everything. It is true, however, that the older the student, the more adults need to make an effort.

Students’ expressions to watch out for

• Often sad mood, feeling of loneliness, worthlessness;
• The desire for risky actions, unjustified and reckless actions, denial of problems;
• Direct statements like “I can’t stand this subject”, “I’m tired of this life”, “I won’t be a problem for anyone anymore”, “There is no point in living on”, and “It will all be over soon”;

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• Uncharacteristic behavior for a student: a decrease in social activity in a previously sociable teenager or vice versa, increased sociability for a quiet girl, an unusual desire for solitude, a preference for mourning or mournful music, a sudden interest that manifests itself indirectly or directly in toxic substances, distribution of personal belongings, loss of interest in once-loved classes;
• Talk about the lack of value in life;
• Statements like “Never mind, you will soon take a break from me”, “He (she) will very soon regret that he (she) rejected me”, and “Whatever, it will all be over for me soon.” Needless to say, that the context of each of the above statement must be carefully taken into account.
• Unhappy love. Adults often consider teenage love frivolous. With an unsuccessful “love” experience, a young student may decide that he (she) is a loser, no one needs them in this world;
• Problems in relationships with peers. A teenager may feel like a scapegoat, an outcast with whom no one wants to communicate. At school, this is a very dangerous situation with direct negative outcomes for class grades and students’ emotional and physical health.

The main need of this age is the need to communicate with peers. Communication is the knowledge of oneself through others, the search for oneself, attention to one’s inner life, and self-affirmation of the individual. Since social, outside-campus communication prevails, there comes a colossal decrease in the motivation for learning. Teenagers are interested in everything, but not in educational activities.

An attentive teacher or a parent can spot the above signs in students’ expressions and undertake the necessary measures (usually direct communication with a student, psychological education, etc.) to help such students to achieve success in and outside classes.