Helping a teen’s well-being in a school-setting: A comparative analysis
Identity formation is a lifelong developmental process that begins to become crucial during adolescence. Adolescence has been described as a “turbulent stage because of the dramatic physiological changes occurring at this time,” (Crain, 2011, p. 290). Not only are adolescents experiencing bodily changes, but are also trying to find their place in the larger world. According to Erickson, adolescence is the time where individuals begin to develop a new sense of ego identity, which can risk role confusion, moratorium, or identity foreclosure, and may result in consistent feelings of crisis (Crain, 2011). Furthermore, this is a time where an individual may begin to experience …show more content…
To specify, this approach is geared towards a general population and not exclusively, to individuals diagnosed with mental illness. When promoted in an adolescent sample, positive psychology is focused on influencing an individual’s well-being to help them flourish, in hopes of preventing the formation of future mental health issues (Norrish & Vella-Brodrick, 2009). Similarly, Melnyk, Kelly, and Lusk (2014) proposed a group therapy technique using cognitive behavioral interventions called COPE, which focuses on the importance of altering negative thought patterns, maladaptive beliefs, and other cognitive processes in attempt to promote behavioral and emotional change. Instead of focusing on adolescent groups as a whole, a trial was conducted on a sample of sixteen adolescents identified as having depression and/or anxiety symptoms (Melnyk, Kelly, & Lusk, 2014). Both positive psychology and COPE techniques are intended to improve emotional well-being in adolescents, however the purposes differ within the intended samples. While positive psychology intends to focus on adolescents as a whole, COPE emphasizes individuals experiencing symptoms of depression and/or
Identity formation is a lifelong developmental process that begins to become crucial during adolescence. Adolescence has been described as a “turbulent stage because of the dramatic physiological changes occurring at this time,” (Crain, 2011, p. 290). Not only are adolescents experiencing bodily changes, but are also trying to find their place in the larger world. According to Erickson, adolescence is the time where individuals begin to develop a new sense of ego identity, which can risk role confusion, moratorium, or identity foreclosure, and may result in consistent feelings of crisis (Crain, 2011). Furthermore, this is a time where an individual may begin to experience …show more content…
To specify, this approach is geared towards a general population and not exclusively, to individuals diagnosed with mental illness. When promoted in an adolescent sample, positive psychology is focused on influencing an individual’s well-being to help them flourish, in hopes of preventing the formation of future mental health issues (Norrish & Vella-Brodrick, 2009). Similarly, Melnyk, Kelly, and Lusk (2014) proposed a group therapy technique using cognitive behavioral interventions called COPE, which focuses on the importance of altering negative thought patterns, maladaptive beliefs, and other cognitive processes in attempt to promote behavioral and emotional change. Instead of focusing on adolescent groups as a whole, a trial was conducted on a sample of sixteen adolescents identified as having depression and/or anxiety symptoms (Melnyk, Kelly, & Lusk, 2014). Both positive psychology and COPE techniques are intended to improve emotional well-being in adolescents, however the purposes differ within the intended samples. While positive psychology intends to focus on adolescents as a whole, COPE emphasizes individuals experiencing symptoms of depression and/or