How To Deal With Teenagers With A High Level Of Conflict

What exactly are teenagers with a high level of conflict? What does this term mean? Is there anything parents can do about it? There are many types of youth rebellion, such as defiance and disobedience. However, there are only two types of rebellion, roughly speaking.

The first type of rebellion appears around preschool age and increases gradually during the developmental stage. On the other hand, the second type appears after the age of ten and is usually related to the beginning of upper secondary school. In the latter case, some environmental variables or hormonal changes may explain the teenagers’ conflicting attitudes.

What you should know about teenagers with a high level of conflict

Today’s article will provide some guidelines for interaction with children or teens. Finally, we will describe a specific therapy that shows promising results in this population group.

Behavioral problems

Let us answer the following questions before entering into the guidelines. How does a troubled teenager behave? You have already read about rebellion above, which can manifest itself as aggression, lies and disrespect.

Remember that teenagers are at a complicated stage on an emotional level because in addition to the change in hormones that the arrival of this new stage entails, they undergo important hormonal changes and a strong identity crisis.

Therefore, try to be careful and empathetic when communicating with them, even if it is not always easy. However, be aware that serious cases may require professional help. Keep reading to find out how to spot them.

How to detect this behavior

Parents are often the ones who notice a change in the behavior of their children. This translates, for example, into the rejection of certain activities or goals that previously motivated them. Then there are cases where the conflict translates into strong resistance on the part of the teenager. It is also quite easy to spot changes just by analyzing their behavior.

When it comes to a higher level of conflict, some teens cause problems inside and outside the home. They may either get into trouble, feel lost or have a serious identity crisis.

One can also detect these conflicting attitudes through lies, loss of hope or sadness. This is important for parents to discover. This is because young people may hide other emotions such as fear, insecurity, loneliness or sadness during their aggression or rebellion.

Interaction with adolescents with high levels of conflict

How should a parent interact with conflicting youth? Well, it depends on their role in your life. That is, it is not the same to be their father, mother, brother or sister as their psychologist or teacher.

The following are generic guidelines only:

• Encourage space for communication with them.
• Work on your connection with them.
• Find out what is happening to them (often sadness lies behind aggressive behavior).
• Set aside time for them.
• Negotiate with them.
• Do not judge them.
• Set boundaries, but be flexible.
• Use behavior change techniques (this is important to reinforce appropriate behaviors).
• Strengthen their self-esteem, show them that you value them.
• Talk to them with empathy (put yourself in their situation).
• Consult a specialist (especially in more severe cases).

• Be consistent.
• Lead by example.

Furthermore, some guides on teen behaviors suggest a number of strategies that focus on giving them integrated attention during a consultation. Mainly medical, although it can also be psychotherapeutic.

Some of them are:

• Respect for confidentiality. Everything that happens during a consultation should be there (except in cases where the teenager is a risk to himself or others).
• Give young people an intimate and safe space where they can freely ask questions and express doubts.
• Provide information about health resources and services available to them.
• Pay attention and show interest and respect for what they say to promote a therapeutic alliance.
• Explain their development and achievements, both to them and their parents, and to the teenager’s responsibility to take care of their own health.

• Finally, encourage collaboration with family and teachers to ensure interdisciplinary care.

Scene-based psychodramatic family therapy

Stage-based psychodramatic family therapy (SB-PFT) is an innovative intervention that is beginning to show positive results in troubled adolescents. In particular, professionals use it to improve personal relationships between troubled youth and their parents. It is a type of therapy that integrates the principles of systemic family therapy and psychodrama through a group with several family methods.

A study published in the journal Family Process developed by Barbara Lorence, a researcher at the University of Huelva , proved the effectiveness of such an intervention.

One of the keys to this method is that the teen voice is very important. Furthermore , different family systems intervene in the sessions with them as well. What is the content of this treatment? Basically two main themes:

• The conflict between parents and conflict-ridden teenagers.
• The search for possible solutions to the conflicts.

Final reflection on teenagers with a high level of conflict

This article contributed some basic ideas on how to interact with teens with high levels of conflict from a perspective of empathy and understanding. However, the problem is often much more complex than some guides professionals can establish. As you may already know, adolescence is a complicated phase of life. People are still learning to deal with it, and behavioral disorders or changes, drug-related disorders (eg drugs), mood disorders, etc. may appear as a result of this and other factors.

Every disorder or problem will require specialized treatment. Therefore, it is both a challenge and a necessity to be there for them as parents or teachers. So approach your teenager as a friend, as a helping hand, and as a motivator to help them get better. It will be very useful in this process. Do not forget that this important stage in life will define their identity.