Adolescent Relationships
Adolescence is a time of change for teenagers as they explore their identities and relationships with others. During this time, it's important that parents provide positive role models to help guide them through these changes.
Many adolescents may not have reliable parental examples to follow. In such cases, they might turn to their peers, media, or other sources for guidance. This can lead to the construction of alternative relational models which may be more unreliable than those provided by parents.
If an adolescent sees his father abusing his mother and he has no other positive male figure to look up to, he may try to learn from his friends who show him how to treat women. The problem with this approach is that these friendships may not always be healthy or beneficial.
Alternative Relationship Models
When adolescents don't have reliable parental examples to emulate, they may seek out alternative relationship models in order to construct their own identities. These alternative models could come from peers, media, or other sources. Peer pressure can play a major role in the development of these alternative models. Friends may influence one another by encouraging certain behaviors or attitudes towards sex, intimacy, dating, and romance. This can lead to unhealthy relationships and even unsafe practices like sexual activity at an early age. Media can also play a role in shaping relationships, often portraying exaggerated and unrealistic versions of love and romance. Adolescents who rely on these models for their understanding of relationships may find themselves confused about what real-life relationships should look like.
Constructing Unreliable Relationships
Unreliable relational models can cause serious problems for adolescents. They may end up engaging in risky behavior such as promiscuity or drug use without fully understanding the consequences. They may also form unhealthy attachments to people who are not good influences or partners. In some cases, these relationships may even become abusive. It's important for parents to be aware of the potential negative effects of these alternative models and help guide their teenagers towards more positive examples. Parents should model healthy relationships within their own marriage or family unit and teach their children how to identify unhealthy relationships. If a parent is struggling with their own relationships, they should seek professional help so that their child doesn't learn an unreliable example from them.
When adolescents don't have reliable parental examples to follow, they may turn to peers, media, or other sources for guidance. This can lead to the construction of unreliable relationship models which can have harmful consequences. It's important for parents to provide positive role models and support their teenagers through this transition period. By doing so, parents can help ensure that their children develop healthy, lasting relationships based on trust, respect, and communication.
How do adolescents construct alternative relational models in response to unreliable parental examples?
Adolescence is often a period of significant exploration, experimentation, and rebellion against authority figures. Parental relationships may be particularly strained during this time as children seek greater autonomy, independence, and freedom from their parents' control. In response to unreliable parental examples, adolescents may begin to form alternative relational models that are not based on traditional family structures.