The world is constantly changing, and with it, psychological life-span development is ever-evolving. Nowadays, individuals live well into their eighties and early nineties, often remaining active in their careers well into their seventies. Many people get married and start families later in life. In terms of adolescent development, many do not enter young adulthood until their mid-twenties, regardless of whether they attend college. This shift in contemporary adolescent development is where I'd like to focus today.
In recent years, I've observed a significant number of teenage patients going off to college, only to return home within the first semester or by the end of their freshman year. Despite being cognitively and intellectually prepared, they often lack the emotional maturity and self-regulation skills to cope with adverse circumstances. Beyond college, many late teens face similar setbacks when entering the adult world. This does not mean they are lazy or entitled, a common but mistaken assumption.
At a conference a few years ago, I and others discussed this phenomenon, often referred to as extended adolescence. A neuroscientist explained that the brain develops from back to front. In the days of Boomers, Millennials, or older Gen X’ers, the absence of constant media and technological bombardment allowed the dorsal-frontal part of the brain to reach maturity between ages 18 and 21. However, today's adolescents face an overwhelming amount of information to process, delaying brain maturity to around age 25.
While exceptions exist, this explains why current adolescents may not be neurologically ready for adulthood despite their intelligence or goals. Adding a pandemic into the mix only exacerbates this challenge.
Regarding college, I’m not suggesting that adolescents shouldn’t apply or enroll after high school. Rather, parents should be educated and encouraged to prepare their teens to handle social, emotional, and adverse situations that might previously have been taken for granted. A psychologist, mentor, or life coach could be crucial in this preparation. Others might opt for gap years or community college to help adolescents develop self-regulation and emotional maturity. The common goal is to provide the necessary training our adolescents need to succeed, preventing the self-esteem blow from failing out of college and the potential anxiety or fear of returning.