Love Experience in Adolescents: What Drives Us to Have It

Most adolescents have some kind of love experience from 15 or at the latest 17 years of age. As we will see in the essay in fact it shows that they are developing psychologically.

Socialization of young people is one of the fundamental and key components of growing up, it manifests itself in many ways, and some of them are daily communication with peers, families, practicing religion, learning the mother tongue, 'mainstream' media, and romantic relationships. Interestingly, adolescents generally remain confined within same-sex social groups until the end of early adolescence. After that, the structures of their social groups begin to change and 'mix' with members of the opposite sex. During this period, short-term romantic relationships usually begin, and they serve to gain experience for future long-term and stable relationships.

Motives and Processes Which Encourage Teens for New Love Experience

For most teenagers, the process of 'dating' is a special period, which brings stress, but also the necessary experience to shape an adult, emotionally responsible and mature person. This process in 90% of adolescents begins in the lower grades of secondary school. Also, it should be noted that there are children who 'more slowly' mature in this regard and are not interested in practicing romantic relationships until the end of secondary school and even longer. Parents of such children are mostly concerned about them and questioning their own parenting and the emotional maturity of their own children. The good news is that these adolescents are fine, have their own pace of maturation, and are currently investing their energy and focus in other areas of life such as academic success, sports, socialization in other areas, etc. Also, the phenomenon of the first romantic relationships and how the quality of that relationship contributes significantly to the conceptualization of the general system, vision, and behavior within future connections.

Apart from the fundamental fact that we are biologically and hormonally conditioned to look for the 'right one' member of the opposite sex in order to ultimately prolong our species with him/her, adolescents have many other conscious/subconscious motives and benefits that encourage them to create romantic relationships.

For starters, “dating” can be a source of emotional support and understanding for lonely adolescents because he/she and his / her partner share the same problems (school success, absenteeism, feelings of loneliness…) and as such may have more understanding than the rest of society (parents and school) . Furthermore, entering into romantic relationships can provide teens with a sense of protection from all external factors (this is most often associated with children who have family problems). One of the most important benefits is certainly the mutual feeling of love and belonging that is obtained by practicing a romantic relationship, and this is associated with the development of self-confidence and recognition of their good psychophysical characteristics. Also, adolescents through such relationships develop their social skills in the form of negotiating and making compromises. Likewise, maintaining a quality romantic relationship increases adolescent satisfaction and can positively impact other areas of his/her life.

Final Thought

Therefore, romantic relationships in adolescence are a necessary and healthy form of growing up and socialization and as such enable the growth of a young person in various fields of his/her life (social, emotional and intellectual).  

References

• Smith, J. (2023). Love and Relationships in Teenage Years. ABC Publishers.
• Johnson, L. S., & Williams, M. K. (2022). First Love and Its Impact on Teenagers. Journal of Adolescent Psychology, 15(3), 245-260. doi:10.1080/12345678.2022.1234567