The role of teachers in the identity formation of adolescents restrained in their becoming

Abstract

Certain adolescents are restrained in their becoming owing to a variety of family, school and relational factors, such as inappropriate adult role models, repeated failure and poor communication skills. Restrained adolescents display inadequate identity formation, partly because they are still endeavouring to define an own identity, instead of having reached the point of refining and stabilising their identity. Through their behaviour in family, school and other relationships they plead for assistance in the formation of their identity, especially at school, where their plea is often misinterpreted as misbehaviour or attention-seeking, if not completely ignored. They consequently resort to their own ineffective efforts towards a meaningful existence. As an aid to defining adolescents' identity formation, a list of criteria has been compiled, using the essences distilled from the literature study. Four original questionnaires have been devised with a view to investigating restrained adolescents' identity formation from the perspective of adolescents, their parents, and teachers. By means of a qualitative investigation, it was found that: The identity formation of restrained adolescents is on the whole unsatisfactory in every respect. That is to say, they attribute inadequate meaning to life, themselves and their problems; they are not sufficiently involved in what they do, and they are bound by the infantile experiencing of their life-world in.that they are controlled by their feelings and moods. Parents of restrained adolescents tend to be inadequate, particularly their fathers, who are non-available, either literally or figuratively. Alcoholism, neglect and abuse are common. Teachers of restrained adolescents are generally unaware of the significant role they can play in their identity formation, and need sensitisation and assistance in this area. Adolescents restrained in their becoming demonstrate specific identity formation needs, which concern themselves in various personal modalities and relationships. Teachers are in the position to provide support, not by means of additional scholastic or guidance programmes, but through their approach to these adolescents, to their teaching and education in general.