Cognitive Biases Of Adolescence
Adolescence is a complex phase, with great changes at all levels. Adolescents’ physical, intellectual, social and emotional development reaches some great milestones. However, if we are not informed about the processes inherent in this phase, we may end up seeing teenagers as incomprehensible beings. So that that doesn’t happen, today we’re going to talk about teenagers’ way of thinking and their cognitive biases.
Upon reaching puberty, children begin to think, feel and behave very differently than they used to. Many parents watch in astonishment as their loving and obedient child suddenly becomes a stubborn and independent person. However, this is a normal transition that, if we can understand, we will be able to follow our children without fear.
Adolescent self-centeredness
With the arrival of adolescence, young people reach the stage of formal operations, as postulated by Piaget. This implies greater cognitive development, with teenagers being able to use abstract reasoning, as well as to build hypotheses and deduce consequences. However, this phase is also accompanied by so-called teenage self-centeredness.
This is based on a confusion between the elements of internal thought and external reality. Thus, young people can be overconfident in their own ideas, without concrete facts to support them. This intellectual self-centeredness gives rise to various cognitive biases, which lead to distorted beliefs.
The cognitive biases of adolescence
imaginary audience
Teenagers have an exaggerated self-awareness. They spend most of their time thinking about themselves and assume that others are doing the same: that is, they are always on the lookout for them. This is why they often feel that they are the center of all eyes, that they are being watched and judged by others all the time.
An example of this phenomenon would be the teenager who goes to a meeting with friends completely distressed because she couldn’t hide a pimple with makeup. Her enormous discomfort comes from the thought that everyone present will be looking at this imperfection as much as she is.
This effect is called imaginary audience, because all this external attention exists only in the teenager’s mind. Probably, each young person in the room will be occupied with their own concerns and will not even notice this problem that worries our protagonist so much.
However, this feeling of being constantly evaluated creates enormous pressure on young people, leading them to act inappropriately, with the aim of gaining acceptance and social recognition.
personal fable
It is very common to hear teenagers say that no one understands them, that they feel misunderstood. This comes from personal fable. Due to this bias in thinking, the young person considers himself unique, as well as the events that happen to him. So he gets the feeling that his personal experiences are truly special, that no one has ever been in the same situation before.
For this reason, for example, when faced with a sentimental breakup, the teenager can say that no one understands the pain he feels, because no one loved him as much as he did. Because no one has had a love like this before. Because their relationship was special and unique, as was their suffering.
invincibility fable
Because they feel special and unique, teenagers feel that nothing bad will ever happen to them. They also believe that rules are not for them and that dangers are not a concern. Thus, they risk taking unnecessary risks with the firm conviction that they will never get pregnant, will never have a traffic accident, or will never develop a drug addiction.
Temporary cognitive biases
All of these distorted beliefs are characteristic of the stage of life that teenagers are going through. As you develop your identity and accumulate experiences, these biases will stop working and your thinking will be more in line with reality. However, it is important that adults around you, especially parents, know about the existence of these thought phenomena.
That way, it will be easier to understand young people without judging or blaming them. On the contrary, we will be able to understand and guide them in a more loving and respectful way. After all, this is part of the process they are going through.
