Pubescence

Abstract

The period of pubescence is associated with turmoil, crises, wide mood swings, alterations in behavior, and rapid changes in attitude, thinking, and feeling. It is a time of multiple psychological changes, intertwined with the noticeable physiological changes that are a direct consequence of hormonal activity. The developmental events that have preceded these dramatic occurrences influence the manner in which the resulting body ego experiences are represented. It is especially important to define the specific intrapsychic and interactional events of pubescence because they appear to be related to the processes involved when change is effected in a therapeutic interaction. The developmental task of pubescence is one of replacing the representations of infantile attachments to an object and attaining freedom from their influence. A psychotherapeutic process is faced with a similar task because a significant factor in the development of pathology is the tenacity with which infantile attachments are maintained. Understanding the means by which the developmental step of replacing the infantile attachment to an object is negotiated expands the view of how a therapeutic interaction can be instrumental in facilitating structural change.