Unlocking Teen Personalities: 8 Key Benefits!

Introduction

Sometimes it may seem that understanding teen’s personality is a mountain that is difficult to scale but in reality, it really isn’t when you grasp the basics of teen personality and understand them better. The importance of teenage years cannot be stressed enough as it molds an individual from a child to a young adult with unique personalities and tastes. Not only does it help reduce the friction caused during the transition but it also helps in ensuring your bond with them grows stronger and unbreakable! Read on to know more about how to support your child during this important milestone!

What can we learn more about this?

Let’s start from the base level! What is personality, you may ask, put in simple terms personality is the different character traits that one possesses that makes up for who they are. In human psychology there are different psychologists who introduce different ways to determine a persons personality such as Allports Personality traits which had more than 4,000 different personality traits, then came Cattels 16 traits some of them being apprehension, emotional stability, openness to change, self-reliance, and sensitivity and then that was then narrowed down to Eysenck’s 3 trait which comprised of extraversion/introversion and emotional stability/emotional instability.

The modern version of it comprises of just 5 personality traits, also known as the Big 5 personality traits which includes mainly Agreeablenes, Conscientiousness, Extroversion, Neuroticism and Openness. With the different levels of the different elements present in different people the factor of understanding teen’s personality is absolutely important for overall wellness of your teen. The mental health of your teen includes understanding and accepting this teenage personality change. On analysis it has also been found that individuals who are high on impulsiveness need more attention as they tend to have shorter life spans. 

Benefits of understanding your personality

Let’s take a look at the 8 benefits linked to understanding teen’s personality more:

1. A better relationship with your teen

The initial teen years especially being a roller coaster of emotions and exploration, it is important to understand not just the physiological changes but also the psychological changes that take place in your teens life. It is important to accept that they are no longer a child and if your teen has an extroverted personality then they will want to spend a lot of time socializing, and if they are introverted it is important to accept that they prefer their own company sometimes and their space is respected.

2. See the world maybe in a different way

Your teen’s personality may help you see things in a different light! They are still exploring the world but maybe if they are empathetic especially you may be introduced to a better view of life and those around you. 

3. It is a learning process for you as well

Its easy to be closed off to new ideas and get too carried away trying to get our teens to fulfil our dreams through them. Little do we as parents understand the true importance of teenage years of an individual. It shapes not just their core values but it also helps them discover what they love doing! Being open to newness is a very important aspect of parenting a teenager because it is important to understand that they are a totally different person from us and deserve the same respect we’d give them regardless of their choices being different from what we consider the normative.

4. Personality helps shapes career

Understanding teens personality not only helps in keeping them happy and content but it also helps in them figuring out what they would love to do one day. Research would show you that when your job doesn’t match your personality it negatively affects one and leads to a sense of cognitive dissonance or a mismatch between what they want to do and what they are doing which leads to negative mental health and dissatisfaction on the job front. For example, an individual who is introverted and more on the creative side would hate being a doctor or a salesman who would have to meet and talk to different people all day.

5. Creates long lasting bonds

Creating a safe space for your teen to explore their identity and personality is extremely important so that any negative emotions like shame can be avoided. Doing so ensures open communication and no hesitation in asking you for help. It is okay for your child to have hiccups when exploring their new look at the world and themselves, but what wouldn’t be okay is for them to face it all alone without the safe space you can provide by being their safety net.

6. Learning to make room for mistakes

Your child isn’t perfect, nor are you. Its the bitter truth that parenting is actually two fold. You learn from your child and vice versa. Maybe a part of your childs personality is being fearless and independent, it is important to encourage positive traits such as that regardless of our own personal fears. This leaves room for your adolescents personality development. Unlearning is the biggest tool.

7. Lays the foundation for your childs future relationships

Your childs attachment styles also solidify during this time frame as they learn important skills that can help in self soothing. Every teenagers personality is different when it comes to handling themselves and relationships around them so it is important to create a nurturing environment that makes them independent as well as shape healthy coping mechanisms. It also helps in building strong social skills and letting your teens personality shine through.

8. Being their best friend

Even though letting go of your child and giving them a sense of independence may seem hard in the beginning, it is all fruitful. As years pass by the gap between the parent and child either positively decreases or it negatively increases. Growing up, your child will sooner or later realise everyone is human and so are their parents. 

Conclusion

Being there for your teenager through this part of their life not only sets a solid foundation for their future but also for your relationship with them. Understanding teen’s personality helps you open your eyes to acceptance, a trait that is vital in all relationships. As scary as it may get, adolescent personality development is just important stepping stone to them building their own self that is separate from us and more them!