Psychosocial means what?

NurseFirst · Mar 13, 2005

Hi! I'm doing an essay and presentation on 'what psychosocial changes occur in adolescence.
I have looked up the definition in my textbook abd dictionary , but I'm still not entirely sure what psychosocial means. Can anyone help?

Look at the kinds of changes described by either Erikson or Piaget (I *should* know which is which, but I forget). Those are psychosocial changes. Those are the ones everyone talks about. It has to do with what kinds of relationships people have--mostly with themselves, with their peers, and with their parents--but also with teachers, etc; what they are trying to do, what "developmental tasks" they need to accomplish at particular age spans in life.

NurseFirst

Fraggle · Mar 13, 2005

It's the way the psyche interacts with a person's social aspect. How do you develop your psychological self within the rules of the social structure? And then how do you adapt to the social structure while maintaining your inner self?

I think the one for teenagers is Identity and Role. They try to define themsevles (the inside) within their environment (social-the outside) of adults and peers, more responsibility, etc. They have to discover their own talents and start becoming independent. Yet they can't become totally independent due to maturity (inside) and the social structure (outside.) Hello, teenage angst! If you don't balance the two, then you suffer in the other one. You either get the outsider kid who makes up for it in young adult hood (or doesn't) or the kid who does everything "right" but doesn't know a thing about himself.

Hi! I'm doing an essay and presentation on 'what psychosocial changes occur in adolescence.
I have looked up the definition in my textbook abd dictionary , but I'm still not entirely sure what psychosocial means. Can anyone help?

Sirius Black · Mar 13, 2005

Look at the kinds of changes described by either Erikson or Piaget (I *should* know which is which, but I forget).

It was Erikson.

Thanks for the replies they both really help to understand psychosocial now.