The efficiency of methods of fight of parents against smoking and drinking by their teenagers of alcohol depends on understanding of motivation of such behavior of children. Therefore in the article I place emphasis on those requirements which are satisfied by teenagers, beginning to smoke a cigarette or drinking alcohol.
At teenage, and even earlier age, some children begin to try to smoke cigarettes and to drink alcoholic beverages. Not all are engaged in it, of course, but the majority. Kind of their parents abused how they forbade, most often everything appears without results. Instead of stopping, children begin it to hide even more carefully. So to undertake to parents in such situation?
Before taking measures to the child, it is important to understand what pushed your child to these actions. The reasons for such behavior at the teenager can be a little. Any given requirement which the teenager decided to satisfy through smoking and drinking of alcohol is the cornerstone of each reason.
1. The need to seem to adults
I think, for most of parents not a secret that in representation of children smoking and binge are attributes of adulthood. Such representation in consciousness of children is formed by parents. Quite so explain to children: you still small for this purpose, here when will become an adult, here then do that you want. The teenager perfectly understands that he yet not the adult. He is not capable to provide himself financially, many problems which are not able to solve, has no opportunity to live separately from parents. But, at the same time, he does not consider himself and the child any more. He wants to seem to adults. And to smoke and drink is just by means of what he can seem to adults very easily.
2. Need for emancipation
Except other, nihilism peculiar to teenagers, a trend to protest against all bans, to assert the right to be an independent personality. In it its trend of emancipation (separation) from parents, an exit from under their influence is implemented. In the way to realize this requirement teenagers can show in attempts to smoke and drink. Doing it contrary to the bans, it just also realizes this, to peculiar this age period, orientation.
3. The need to establish communications with peers
The third reason pushing the teenager to smoking and drinking of alcohol – characteristic to this age change of the leading activity. The leading activity in psychology, is that primary activity in which the person during any given period of the development is engaged. In the early childhood it is a game, at the age of elementary school – training, and in teenage – communication with peers.
To be admitted to any given group of teenagers, to become her member if among those who in her enter to eat smokers the teenager, most likely, too begins to smoke. You smoke – "one of us means,", you do not smoke – "you to us the stranger". The request to treat with a cigarette or, on the contrary, to treat with it the teenager, can act as a reason for emergence of contact, dialogue setting, demonstration of the fact that "I – same as you I – one of you".
4. The need to gain authority on group of peers
Except other, smoking can act for the teenager as attribute of demonstration of the hierarchical situation in group of peers: "I smoke, so I am more senior than you, I am more main than you, I have big rights and privileges in group, than you".
5. The need to be included in category "adult"
Other important condition of the beginning of smoking and drinking of alcohol is presence of such habits at significant adults: relatives, neighbors, teachers … Imitating them, trying to rise kind of with them on "one step" of maturity, to be included in a circle of significant adults, it can choose too a way – to smoke and drink. To consider itself included in a circle of these significant adults, it is not obligatory for it to do it at their presence at all.
6. The need to resemble the significant adult
The following factor which can influence familiarizing of the teenager with smoking and binge – imitation idols, favourite characters (movies, games, books …). Identifying itself with it, it adopts not only a manner of behavior, a slang, clothes style of this character, but also his habit.
7. The need to leave from under pressure of parents
Seldom, but nevertheless also such situation when the child begins to smoke with the purpose to express a protest to excessively strict education of parents meets. Usually it does it defiantly as moves it the aspiration to show that he is not going to submit to their requirements.
8. The need to draw to itself attention of indifferent parents
The aspiration of the teenager to draw to itself attention of parents who, in contrast above to the described case, on the contrary, do not notice the child acts as also not often found factor do not pay attention to it, do not find for it time. Beginning to smoke or drink, knowing that these habits are not approved, he waits for reaction of parents. And for him living in a condition of a communicative and emotional deprivation does not matter what character interest in it will be shown by parents, the main thing that they noticed, at last, its presence at their life, came in it into contact.
I listed basic needs of teenagers which they satisfy through familiarizing with alcohol and smoking. These requirements act as the factors affecting behavior of teenagers, the reasons of familiarizing with smoking and alcohol. As you can see, the reasons can be different. Each of teenagers has the. And, respectively, to parents before beginning a campaign for fight against these addictions of the child, it is important to find out what pushed him to such acts.
The requirements pushing teenagers to smoking and drinking of alcohol, at the same time, are also resource bases to prevent teenagers to join these habits. The task of parents in this case is showing to the teenager that realize each of the listed above requirements the child can also without cigarettes and alcohol.