Behavioural problems of adolescents

Pages: 238-244
Asif Hasan and Akbar Husain (Department of Psychology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh)

Adolescence is often associated with behavioural problems. Student disruption, aggression and academic failure are a problem in schools across nation. Problems behaviour is socially defined as a problem which is undesirable by the social and/or legal norms of accustomed society and its institutions of authority. This behaviour often brings out some form of social control response, either minimal, such as a statement of disapproval, or extreme, such as incarceration. A number of evidences have revealed that young people tend to get involve in offending, substance abuse and truanting, which signify that they are at risk of developing a constant pattern of problem behaviour. In the present article, we discuss externalizing and internalizing behavioural problems associated with adolescents. Beside, forms of externalizing behavioural problems such as aggression and delinquency; internalizing behavioural problems such as anxiety, depression, psychosomatic complaints, and substance abuse have also been discussed.