Ego States and Emotional Development in Adolescence

Abstract

Adolescence is often described by parents, caregivers, and adolescents themselves as a tumultuous time. The author suggests that adolescence is not fundamentally tumultuous but, rather, another systematic, organized life passage similar to other transitions experienced over the course of a lifetime. As in nature, development in adolescence proceeds from the same organizing principle that produces the repeating seasons of the year. Even though each year is different, the fundamental seasonal structure remains constant. The lens of ego state development reveals that the underlying foundation of adolescence has the same cyclical structure as other developmental passages and all of life. The author maintains that the apparent chaos of adolescence can be represented with the model quantum physics uses to represent the order that underlies chaos. That model can be referred to by the term fractals. This can be seen as each ego state is reenergized to carry out and integrate the seven developmental tasks of adolescence, three of which are detailed by the author to demonstrate this principle. This perspective on adolescence can be beneficial to adolescents, their caregivers, and any person or organization working through issues from this seemingly confusing age.