OMU expert highlights adolescence as a key period of emotional and mental transformation

Prof. Dr. Koray Karabekiroğlu, a faculty member of the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Faculty of Medicine of Ondokuz Mayıs University (OMU), stated that during adolescence, individuals’ personalities are significantly shaped and important progress takes place.

Stating that healthy communication is extremely important for individuals in adolescence, Prof. Dr. Karabekiroğlu said, “Especially under the influence of hormones, the rapidly changing body and brain make their final preparations before adulthood in this process, during which conflicts from early childhood resurface and the individual turns toward new relationships. Although adolescence evokes in many of us a stormy and difficult period, it can actually also be seen as a highly important period of opportunity. In this process, where personality is shaped and the search for identity intensifies, the young individual tries to reinterpret themselves, their environment, and life. Family relationships, peer groups, school life, and social expectations create important effects in the adolescent’s psychological world.”

“At the same time, adolescence is a process of emotional and mental transformation”

Prof. Dr. Karabekiroğlu stated that adolescents who grow up in a supportive family and social environment where healthy communication is established go through this period without problems and said, “The adolescent, moving from the concrete to the abstract, from the individual to the universal, from singularity to plurality, becomes one of the most dynamic elements of society with the influence of newly encountered concepts and emotions. In this period, when questions about life increase, young people begin to think more about concepts such as justice, freedom, belonging, success, and the future. Therefore, adolescence is not only a period in which physical changes take place, but also a process of emotional and mental transformation. It is most open to change, but also highly sensitive. It is free and enterprising, but also dependent and fearful. While the desire for independence increases on the one hand, the need to be understood and accepted continues on the other. This situation may sometimes bring about family conflicts, emotional ups and downs, and behavioral changes. However, these fluctuations are often natural parts of the developmental process.”

“It is not correct to evaluate adolescence within a single mold”

Prof. Dr. Karabekiroğlu said, “Since it is a period experienced by every person who has reached adulthood, we may have many misleading views and prejudices about adolescence by generalizing our individual experiences. However, each adolescent’s developmental process, personality traits, family structure, and social environment are different from one another. Therefore, it is not correct to evaluate adolescence within a single mold. In addition, all kinds of sensational news about adolescents in the media, and marginal adolescents we encounter in TV series and films, can further distort our perception of adolescence. This situation may lead to the formation of a false perception in society that adolescents are only individuals who cause problems, are rebellious, or display risky behaviors. However, adolescents who grow up in a supportive family and social environment where healthy communication is established can develop as productive, creative, sensitive individuals who contribute to society.”