How to manage behavior problems in adolescents? 6 tips

Adolescence is a stage of life marked by rebellion or, at least, by obvious distancing between the young people who pass through it, on the one hand, and the adults who care or supervise them, on the other. This makes the appearance of conflicts, frictions between two very common value systems very frequent. different priorities, priorities that have nothing to do with and, in general, complicated habits to fit between Yes.

In this article we will see how to manage behavior problems in adolescents from simple psychological principles also used in therapy and behavior modification programs in general.

• Related article: "The 3 stages of adolescence"

Tips for Managing Behavior Problems in Adolescents

Apply these parenting and educational guidelines to manage the misbehavior of a teenage son or daughter, taking into account that you must adapt these tips to the particular case of your family and the way of being of the young.

1. Define what the problem is

The first step is to put into words the problem to be addressed

. Do you spend too much time playing video games? Don't do your homework? Does he respond badly when you ask him for things? Leaving open the question of what is wrong usually leads to many errors, so it is It is important to go through this stage of analysis of the situation, which, on the other hand, does not usually lead to too much time.

2. Detect aspects of his life where he needs you

Look closely at what the adolescent's priorities are. Do not take anything for granted when considering what their tastes and interests are (something very common in parents who support poor communication with their children is to assume that they are interested in what usually interests most young people of that age).

Once you've done that, stop and think about what aspects of their life need you the most. In this way, you will know where to start when negotiating compliance with future rules of behavior.

3. Apply the rules of behavior

It is important that the adolescent feels that there is a before and after the application of this set of rules, since those that previously existed have not been met. This gives legitimacy to the new system of rules of behavior.

What's more, the implications of complying with them and not complying with them must be explained, and take advantage of the elements that we have learned in the previous point: what can we offer you in greater quantity if you do it well? And what will we start offering you less if you break the rules?

• You may be interested: "The 8 types of family conflicts and how to manage them"

4. Don't threaten punishment

In general, it is inadvisable to bet by way of punishment; adolescents see this as confirmation that they should not make an effort to satisfy their parents, that they are usually seen as too different from themselves to aspire to fulfill their expectations.

A punishment usually alienates the young person who suffers it, by increasing his hostility towards the person who has imposed that punitive measure. When they are used, it should only be in the face of very harmful behaviors, and always providing an explanation that clearly shows the reason for the situation.

5. Show your satisfaction with their progress

Congratulate him when he makes progress, notice that what he does has an immediate impact on your attitude towards him or her and it also increases your self-esteem. There is no use hiding that we are happy with what it achieves, in any case we are withdrawing incentives to continue.

6. Apply all of the above consistently

Avoid contradicting yourself as much as possible, make the rules of behavior vary radically, and in general show arbitrariness in your way of setting rules to follow. By doing so, you are showing that none of these measures are effective enough or make sense, and therefore no one should take them seriously.

Are you looking for professional help for your teenager?

If you live north of Madrid and you are the father or mother of an adolescent who has adopted problem behaviors, we invite you to contact our team of psychotherapy professionals in the middle Psychologists Majadahonda, which has offices in Majadahonda and Villanueva de la Cañada.

Going through a psychotherapy process helps the youngest to better manage their problem management, and counseling by of our team of psychologists allows families to adapt well to new parenting strategies to facilitate this change in conduct.

If you are interested in knowing more about what we offer, you can find more information about Psicólogos-Majadahonda by doing click here.

Bibliographic references:

• Danzer, G. (2014). Multidimensional Family Therapy in Theory and Practice. Child and Youth Services 35 (1), pp. 16 - 34.
• Dorn L.D.; Biro F. M. (2011). Puberty and Its Measurement: A Decade in Review. Journal of Research on Adolescence. 21 (1): pp. 180 - 195.
• Larson, R., & Wilson, S. (2004). Adolescence across place and time: Globalization and the changing pathways to adulthood. In R. Lerner and L. Steinberg Handbook of adolescent psychology. New York: Wiley.
• Ramírez, M.A. (2005). Parents and child development: parenting practices. Valdivia: Pedagogical Studies.