Causes of an inferiority complex in adolescents
One of the main reasons that makes a teenager criticize himself is intense changes in appearance, the appearance of angularity in movements, acne on the face and body. Boys' voices break, and girls, unexpectedly for them, gain weight, and it begins to seem to them that they have gained not 1-2 extra kilograms, but at least 10.
Hormonal changes in the body and rapid physical development often occur at such a speed that the child psychologically simply cannot keep up with his body. Very often you can observe how an adult-looking guy plays ordinary children's games with children. At the same time, he often hears ridicule regarding his height and intelligence, which leads to alienation from friends and family.
Psychologists say that in adolescence it is very important for a child to become a member of some community, be it a company in the courtyard of a house, a subculture, or just a group on a social network. Not belonging to any group entails a feeling of loneliness and uselessness. As a result, the teenager develops an inferiority complex.
Inattention from parents can also cause an inferiority complex in a teenager. Even prosperous parents are too busy with their daily affairs, they do not devote proper time to their child, citing his “adulthood”. And the fragile child’s psyche perceives this as dislike on the part of the parents. At the same time, a feeling of loneliness in one’s own family appears; the teenager may withdraw into himself or become aggressive towards others. The same behavior can be observed due to unrequited love.
Quantity and quality
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, approximately 3.9% of all crimes solved in the country in 2019 were committed by teenagers or with their participation. A total of 37,953 juvenile offenders were identified. Statistically, they accounted for 41,548 offenses. On the one hand, the situation has improved compared to the previous year (40,860 teenagers prosecuted and 43,553 crimes). But there is a dangerous trend - the number of serious and especially serious crimes by minors is growing: if in 2018 there were 9,716, then in 2019 - 10,113.
It is worth mentioning that the statistics do not include cases where it was not possible to identify the culprit. Of course, latent crime is not reflected either.
Photo: RIA Novosti/Donat Sorokin
In the past year, 1,615 cases of minors being involved in criminal activities were registered, all of them were solved. Formally, a decrease in this dangerous indicator has been recorded, but analysts from the Ministry of Internal Affairs believe that there is nothing to rejoice at. The decline may be due to the ineffective work of security forces in identifying such facts.
What can be done?
Parents can help a teenager cope with any dissatisfaction with himself, including an inferiority complex. The first thing you need to understand is that it is very difficult for your child now, both morally and physically. His rudeness towards you most likely carries resentment precisely for your inattention; it is a consequence of disappointment in you. You urgently need to rehabilitate yourself in front of your child. Talk to him, consult and listen to his opinion on any matter. Offer your teenager a vacation together or some activity that you didn’t have time for before.
Keep in mind that a young body has a lot of energy that needs to be spent. Even if a teenager has not played sports before, now is the time when it is simply necessary. Firstly, by getting in shape, a teenager begins to like himself. Secondly, in the sports section he can find new friends with whom he will always have common interests. Well, and thirdly, sporting achievements and praise from the coach will help the teenager grow in his own eyes, nullifying any complexes.
Don't dismiss your child's first unrequited love. After all, for him this is a very important event in life. Worry with him and tell him how you went through it yourself. At this age there are no small things, everything takes on a global scale.
If your teenage daughter insists on her ugliness, take her to a beauty salon, get a new hairstyle or change her image, this will help overcome many psychological problems about appearance.
Almost all people go through an inferiority complex during adolescence. Only for some it has the character of outbreaks, that is, appearing from time to time, while for others, self-flagellation can result in a protracted depression, the traces of which a person can carry throughout his life. However, if you are attentive to your child from the very beginning, then this phase of life can be lived painlessly, only by strengthening the mutual understanding between you.
Regions where crime is getting younger
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The Republic of Tyva suffers the most from teenage crimes, where almost every 10th crime solved was committed by teenagers or with their participation. It is followed by Karelia (7.2% of the total disclosed). Things are a little better in the Sverdlovsk region, the Nenets Autonomous Okrug and the Trans-Baikal Territory. In 2020, Tyva also topped the ranking (7.9%), and the situation there, judging by data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, has only worsened. The situation has improved somewhat in Buryatia and the Khabarovsk Territory. Their places in the top ten were taken by the Vologda Region and Primorsky Territory.
There are also significant problems with juvenile delinquency in the Pskov, Novgorod, Ivanovo and Amur regions.
Guilt complex
How a complex is born...
“If it weren’t for you, your dad would never have left our family.”
When parents divorce, they often blame the child for this, since it is supposedly because of him that quarrels and scandals begin, which ultimately lead the couple to separation.
“I don’t want to listen to your explanations. Misha is crying and you must apologize to him for offending him.”
If the boys quarrel or fight, then, as a rule, the one who was the first to complain about or the one who brought the other to tears is blamed.
Possible consequences of a guilt complex:
A child who has developed a guilt complex will constantly feel guilty in various situations in adult life. I quarreled with my wife - it was my fault, since I could not resolve the conflict and fulfill her little whim. Problems at work - it’s my fault, because I didn’t detect in time that an employee was stealing money from the cash register. Of course, you need to apologize for your actions, but sometimes people with a guilt complex apologize even when they really are not to blame for anything. They are easy to manipulate and it honestly makes them look really pathetic.
How to prevent a guilt complex?
In order not to provoke the appearance of a guilt complex in your child, never blame him for anything or scold him if the situation that occurred is not his fault. In the event of a divorce, it is obvious that the parents are to blame if they could not hold each other and improve the relationship. And in such a period, it is not that a child cannot be blamed; on the contrary, he needs to be given attention, care and love. Because for children, the divorce of their parents is a real stress that can seriously damage their psyche. But if your child got into a fight with the same Misha and defeated him in a fight, this does not mean that he is to blame for the quarrel. Perhaps Misha himself began to provoke him: taking away his toys, insulting the boy and his parents, or simply publicly humiliating him in front of everyone. But in the end it turns out that you also need to ask for forgiveness from Misha. Therefore, if a similar situation occurs, then it does not matter who was the winner in the fight, it is important to first figure out who provoked it.
Karelian tradition
Experts noted that the situation with child crime in Karelia is associated with the unfavorable socio-economic situation in the region, low incomes of the population and the lack of sports sections.
Dry statistics are eloquently illustrated by the story of a gang of teenagers from the children’s assistance center in the Lakhdenpokh district, which was cited as an example by the republican security forces back in 2017. Three accomplices committed 134 crimes. They were repeatedly detained, the investigation filed several petitions for arrest, but the court rejected them. The minors, already under investigation, continued their criminal activities and involved other teenagers in them. As a result, three teenagers accounted for 23% of all crimes in the area for the year. The Minister of Internal Affairs then noted the insufficient work of the commission on minors' affairs, guardianship and social protection authorities, educational institutions and health care.
Photo: Depositphotos
Criminologists note that this model is typical for all regions with high levels of child crime. Another typical feature of such places is child neglect.
“The number of illegitimate children and women who, having separated from their husbands, are raising children alone is growing. This means they take on the functions of breadwinners. There is no time left to maintain the hearth and a favorable environment in the house. Hence the problems with children. Teenagers are looking for understanding, participation, care on the side,” children’s rights activist Alexander Gezalov told Rossiyskaya Gazeta. The loneliness of a child in the family pushes him to go out onto the street - and from there he is not far from becoming involved in a criminal environment.
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The problem with this prevention
“Miscalculations and shortcomings in the implementation of preventive work with teenagers are one of the reasons for the growth of teenage crime for the first time in recent years,” said Primorsky Territory prosecutor Nikolai Pilipchuk at the final meeting of the board of the supervisory agency. In his opinion, the approach to preventive work should be changed and the activities of commissions on juvenile affairs should be carefully monitored.
“In my opinion, the control committees in Russia work ineffectively, since the commission members do not bear personal responsibility for their decisions. Child crime in the area of serious crimes is growing due to impunity for children, the high age of criminal responsibility, and the connivance of schools and police with juvenile offenders. As a result, they manage to avoid not only responsibility, but also basic censure,” says lawyer Maria Yarmush. In her opinion, crimes are often committed by children with mental disabilities, and it is not always possible to send such a child for treatment without the parents’ request.
In turn, Maria Novikova noted the difficulties in interdepartmental interaction with bodies called upon to deal with the prevention of teenage crime.
Photo: Getty Images/Slonov
“Now schools, for example, are not interested in many incidents becoming known to the juvenile affairs inspectorate. For example, cases of aggression between students. I want cooperation, but there is something to work on,” the expert said.
What's wrong with Tuva
A record surge in juvenile crime in the republic over the past 10 years was recorded in 2013, followed by a slight decline that lasted until 2020.
In 2020, the government of Tuva noted that teenagers’ crimes are mainly related to theft and drug trafficking.
In Tuva, of course, they are systematically working on the problem of juvenile delinquency. The strange thing is that the increase in juvenile crime occurs against the background of an overall significant decrease in the total number of crimes in the republic.
Photo: Depositphotos
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“It is possible that a critical indicator in the region, on the contrary, indicates a healthy law enforcement system in the region and honest statistics in the republic. I know that they have been closely monitoring juvenile offenders there for several years, hence the high detection rate of such crimes. At the same time, behind exemplary indicators there may be manipulation and connivance with minors for the sake of statistics. For example, in some places the prosecution of a minor is considered negative for the statistics of the regional police department. Hence the reluctance of security forces to get involved with the crimes of minors. This can be felt in cases related to drug trafficking - minors are reluctant to deal with them. People are most often brought to justice only in cases where there are victims. But ignoring the problem is not a solution to the problem,” a law enforcement official familiar with the intricacies of statistics shared with Izvestia.
“The region has a strong street gang culture. In many other places, this phenomenon has already died out,” Maria Novikova, candidate of psychological sciences, researcher at the laboratory for the prevention of antisocial behavior at the Higher School of Economics, told Izvestia.
She also connects high teenage crime in the region with the economic situation in Tuva, which occupies one of the last places in the ranking of the standard of living of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation.
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