TED AFYON COLLEGE / 9-C
The Metamorphosis Within: Psychological Shifts in Growth
Ceren SİNAN ‣
18
Growing up is usually defined as a physical process. There is a visible growth from childhood to adolescence and from adolescence to adulthood. However, beneath our changing bodies lies a distinct psychological transformation that shapes our identities and perceptions. This internal evolution, which is especially important during our formative years, is just as crucial as our physical development.
Our brains become cognitively limited as we grow. The child’ s simple comprehension is overshadowed by a feeling of ambiguity. Vague ideas come into focus, critical thinking gets better and deeper reflection becomes possible. That intellectual development means we are challenging, interrogating and forming our own opinions rather than just uncritically accepting what was handed to us.
And our identity is always being shaped as we change and develop. Early childhood is a period in which one’ s identity is largely formed through the family. Peer relations, life events and social contacts become more important in shaping our identity as we get older. This search for self, one often characterized by self-discovery and adventure, is a psychological journey of extreme importance. However, it’ s also crucial not to get lost on this path. Many people, in their search for identity, find themselves unable to find answers to their own questions and fall into mentally weak positions. To prevent this, before defining an identity for ourselves, we must know what we like and dislike and get to know ourselves. We can also seek help from those around us without isolating ourselves on this path, because striving not to get lost in our search for our true self is also part of this journey.
At the same time, our emotional terrain is hugely transformed. Childhood feelings can be very strong, but at the same time, temporary. As you grow even older, emotions become more complex and stronger; empathy grows; coping mechanisms develop. Learning to successfully wade through those stormy seas of adolescence, for example, means dealing with newfangled feelings, deciphering middle school politics and commencing to build a unique sense of emotional self.
In short, growth is not just a physical process, it’ s also an ongoing mental evolution. It is everything that we think, feel and believe, and moulds our very perceptions of the world and who we are within. Welcoming such internal changes is vital to negotiating the exhilarating, sometimes rocky road of personal growth.