The Adolescence

Abstract

In the first place the main task of the adolescent is described, i.e. growing up, which implies anxiety. On the one hand, the adolescent has to find his place in a world still unknown, therefore threatening. On the other hand, he has to give up the
infantile situation of being dependent and protected. The rôle played by parents in this growing up is stressed, and, as en extension
of it, althougs to a lesser degree, that played by the world of the adult. Growing up is, in fact, a bi-lateral dynamic process.
The importance of body changes is underlined, with the corresponding increase of narcissism and the need to adapt a new body scheme to the surrounding world. As an expression of the difficulties of bringing about this change within themselves, its proyection may be observed and the appearance of attitudes of reform. Finally, feelings of being opposed, of loneliness and boredom are analyzed too. The difficulties of that period of life are related to the reexperiencing of the Oedipus complex, this being considered as the basic conflict that the adolescent has to solve. This re-appearance of the Oedipus complex is compared to the first and its
various modalities in the dynamic and conflictual inter-relation between parents and children are studied.