Adolescent Sexual and Emotional Development: The Role of Romantic Relationships

AbstractThe physiological processes occurring during adolescence, often so abrupt, threaten the permanence of the previously constructed sense of identity, questioning the patterns and representations that had governed the relations of the teenager with his body and with his relational systems. Although puberty is not only reduced to sexual transformations, definitions centered mainly on this aspect can be found in the literature. In fact, pubertal development is the acquisition disclosure index of adult reproductive capacity.ObjectiveExplore the process of increasing involvement of the adolescent in an emotional and sexual relationship with a partner. Methodology: It will try to understand the adolescent process in the relational and ecological perspective, taking into account the mediation of individual and contextual factors that may influence this process. Critical discussion and conclusions: Carried out examination shows the importance of considering the multiplicity of issues coming into play in the process of psycho-social adaptation of the adolescent, interacting between them over time, enhancing each other or canceling protective or risk factors. Particularly, romantic relationships, whether lived quietly, may represent a growth factor for the teenager and play an important role in the developmental tasks of this stage of life