Theories play a significant role in explaining, predicting, and giving an understanding of a phenomenon as well as challenging the existing knowledge. A personal theoretical framework is a structure that helps describe or support theories and enable an individual to understand and execute a given task or research appropriately. The personal conceptual framework also introduces and describes theories that explain why individuals do things in a particular manner. Developing a personal theoretical framework of working with adolescents is critical because, at this stage, the teenagers are in the journey of self-discovery and need to adjust to new experiences and changes. The context below describes a personal theoretical framework that guides interaction and working with adolescents.
The majority of the people describe young people in the adolescent age range as rebellious, challenging to understand, self-centered, and trouble makers (Vijayakumar, de Macks, & Shirtcliff, 2018). At this stage, a child experience some level of freedom accelerated growth and independence. Even though teenagers at the adolescent stage are difficult to understand and make a lot of trouble, they need to navigate these years and become healthy adults successfully. The adults and parents must understand the goals of the adolescents and work with them by providing the support they need for their growth and development. Adopting theory such as Social Learning Theory (SLT) in adolescent development is crucial because it helps explain the desirable and undesirable outcome of teen behavior.
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The theory believes that achieving a positive outcome of the behavior is imperative to avoid the activities or actions that lead to negative consequences. Social Learning Theory plays a significant role in adolescents because it explains different forms of development, such as substance abuse, among other bad behaviors (Holmes, Kim-Spoon, & Deater-Deckard, 2016). Therefore, the model is essential in addressing behavioral changes in teenagers and advising them appropriately to enhance positive outcomes. Some of the limitations of SLT include the inability to explain certain behaviors, hard to observe, and model some of the practices.
Transitional Teens Theory (TTT) is another crucial model that provides a framework that helps understand changes and trajectories, such as substance abuse and underage impaired driving (UID) (Curtis, 2015). It is essential to have a better understanding of adolescents and their interaction with the environment to enable proper supervision and guidance. In a short period, numerous biological and physical changes take place during the adolescence stage. These complex changes can be confusing to adolescents, making it hard to identify the support they require for proper development (Luyckx, 2014). Transitional Teens Theory has four primary elements that influence the behavior of a teenager. Developmental dynamics and status of the youth is the first element, while the second is influence from the parent or guardian. Influence by peers is the third element, while the fourth elements include social, environmental, and community influence. TTT plays a significant role in adolescents because it provides a framework that helps understand and deliver solutions to underage impaired driving. The willingness of the community to enforce laws and proper supervision by the parents are essential methods of mitigating potential risks that are likely to happen during the transitional stage.
Incorporating Acquired Preparedness Model (APM) in the personal framework of working with adolescents is crucial because it provides a better understanding of their various forms of development (Bernal Romero, Melendro, & Charry, 2020). It is essential to have a comprehensive understanding of adolescent development because this is critical in ensuring effective working with teenagers. Effective operation with adolescents requires proper communication because they develop differently and have different decision-making capacity. Maintaining proper supervision enables one to gain knowledge and understanding about development in youth and find solutions to the problems that might arise during the developmental process (Verhulp, Stevens, & Pels, 2017). One of the strengths of the Acquired Preparedness Model is that it incorporates a crucial stage of adolescent development that involves the task of differentiating oneself from the family, parents, or community and widening the range of experience. During this stage, the teenagers confront challenges of managing risky behaviors and controlling the urges amidst social and interpersonal experiences. The limitation behind the Acquired Preparedness Model is that it only applies to a high-risk sub-group of adolescents but not all adolescents.
Another critical theory that explains the dysfunction and mal-adaptation in teenagers is the Problem Behavior Theory (PBT). The interaction between behavioral, personality, and perceive environment systems forms the basis of PBT. Problem Behavior Theory believes that behavioral problems manifest when there is a clash between the perceived environment system and personality system (Vries, Hoeve, Stams, & Asscher, 2016). The theory is crucial when handling adolescents because it incorporates protective and risk factors into the personal framework. Protective factors are crucial since they help prevent or mitigate the behavioral problem by including parental support and adult role models. The resilience of society and family connectedness contributes to the ability of the adolescent to adapt and have a successful transition from the complicated adolescent stage. The risk factors that support or increase the chances of behavioral problems in teenagers include peer pressure, deviancy, and exposure to conditions that force one to engage in problem behaviors.
The application of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in the personal theoretical framework for working with adolescents is crucial. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy uses those principles to modify or change the behavior, thoughts, and emotions through altering the cognitive process. The therapy is also essential because it provides a connection between the behavior, thoughts, and feelings. CBT plays a significant role in enabling teens to identify the thoughts that are not healthy and likely to cause mental health problems (Meeus, 2016). Behavioral therapy also allows teens to learn how to interact with the environment without having much negative impact on the activities. CBT is also crucial to teens, especially those experiencing challenges with self-regulation because they will learn the techniques necessary in controlling their emotions, reactions, and actions. Therapy enables adolescents to learn how to control instincts instead of allowing it to rule them.
Effective communication between adolescents is also critical in this framework. It enhances the sharing of problems and ideas that may help provide solutions to various challenges that the teens experience. Another strength of this framework is that it encourages the act of responsibility among the teens enabling them to make decisions and avoid overdependence on their parents or guardians in making decisions. Promoting independence among adolescents is another advantage of this theoretical framework allowing them to make sound decisions. One of the weaknesses of this conceptual framework is its complexity and requires an excellent understanding to enable one to utilize the structure appropriately. Another weakness of the framework is that teenagers at the adolescent stage exhibit different behaviors and reactions that demand different methods to provide solutions, making it complex to use this framework to answer all the teenagers' needs.
Adolescence is one of the most sensitive stages in human development, and developing theoretical frameworks that guide the interaction, and working with these individuals is paramount. Different models and theories play a significant role in providing an understanding of the behavior and reactions of teenagers, and this is important because it helps in solving some of the challenges that the teens experience. For example, transitional Teens Theory plays a significant role in ensuring that teenagers have a successful transition to adulthood. At the same time, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy enables adolescents to identify unhealthy thoughts that can lead to mental health problems. The theoretical framework has both strengths and weaknesses when addressing different behaviors of adolescents.
References
Bernal Romero, T., Melendro, M., & Charry, C. (2020). Transition to Adulthood Autonomy Scale for Young People: Design and Validation. Frontiers in psychology, 11 , 457.
Curtis, A. C. (2015). Defining adolescence. Journal of adolescent and family health, 7(2) , 2.
Holmes, C. J., Kim-Spoon, J., & Deater-Deckard, K. (2016). Linking executive function and peer problems from early childhood through middle adolescence. Journal of abnormal child psychology, 44(1) , 31-42.
Luyckx, K. T. (2014). Identity processes and personality traits and types in adolescence: Directionality of effects and developmental trajectories. Developmental Psychology, 50(8) , 2144–2153.
Meeus, W. (2016). Adolescent psychosocial development:A review of longitudinal models and research. . Developmental Psychology, 52(12) , 1969–1993.
Verhulp, E. E., Stevens, G. W., & Pels, T. V. (2017). Lay beliefs about emotional problems and attitudes toward mental health care among parents and adolescents: Exploring the impact of immigration. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 23(2) , 269–280.
Vijayakumar, N., de Macks, Z. O., & Shirtcliff. (2018). Puberty and the human brain: insights into adolescent development. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 92 , 417-436.
Vries, S. L., Hoeve, M., Stams, G. J., & Asscher, J. J. (2016). Adolescent-parent attachment and externalizing behavior: The mediating role of individual and social factors. Journal of abnormal child psychology, 44(2) , 283-294.
