Young people (children and adolescents under 18) need proper support and resources to develop and grow. Therefore, when working with youth, we must be aware of generational differences that can cause us to become disconnected from them and what they need.
To help develop better ways of working with younger people, we’ll discuss some of the broader contextual influences affecting the younger generation and share some ways to support them from a psychological perspective.
Modern societal challenges
Polish sociologist Zygmunt Bauman wrote extensively about how modern society is “liquid,” meaning we can no longer rely on it to be predictable. In a fragmented, digital world, we don’t necessarily have the same social institutions and relationships to support us. This instability can have problematic effects on younger generations.
Our society has evolved drastically, especially in the last four years since the pandemic. We often think of how this affects our physical and economic reality, but how has it affected young people? Younger generations are growing up in a fast-paced, uncertain and stressful world, which brings many challenges, including mental health.
In an unpredictable world, mental health challenges like depression and anxiety are widespread. For example, cyberbullying is a challenging aspect of the modern world, which is linked to our more significant use of technology to engage and build a sense of identity.
Understanding childhood development can help us better appreciate the various stages of childhood and adolescent development. We can also use generational theory to help us know what to be aware of when working with youth.
Insights from Generational Theory
Generational theory states that people are born into different generations based on their age and the sociohistorical period in which they grew up. It is a generalised approach that doesn’t account for individual and cultural differences.
However, generational theory can give us perspective on each peer group’s broader challenges and opportunities. Since we are focusing on youth, we will explore, Generation Z, or Gen Z, which makes up most of today’s younger population, and Generation Alpha which is starting or halfway through school. Gen Z refers to people born between 1997 and 2012 and Generation Alpha from 2010 to 2024.
Generation Z
According to McKinsey research, “Gen Z” are the first digital natives and don’t know a world without the Internet. Therefore, Gen Zers would be more concerned with curating an online presence and building friendships on online platforms.
However, Gen Z is also prone to mental health struggles, which social media and screen time might play a part in. Unfortunately, despite Gen Z’s ability to build relationships online, they do struggle with a high prevalence of mental illness and self-stigma.
Other characteristics of Gen Z include:
- A more pragmatic approach to working life, with an expectation that there will be economic struggles, given the current global economic climate
- An overall less positive life outlook, with lower levels of social and emotional wellbeing
- A desire to belong to an inclusive and supportive community
- Individualistic, with a strong sense of personal expression, both online and offline
- Strong political and social awareness
Generation Alpha
Generation Alpha is still being born, so we are still defining their characteristics. However, many of these children have or will have, millennial parents, which means that many millennial characteristics will shape them, including behaviours like social media use.
In addition to Gen Z’s immersion in the digital world, Generation Alpha is the first generation to use remote devices at school. Sociologists also point out that this generation, sometimes also called Generation C, is and will be heavily defined by the effects of the pandemic.
With this kind of insight into Gen Z and Generation Alpha, it’s up to educators and parents to make an effort to understand the challenges these generations face, including mental health issues and sometimes insidious societal pressures.
Youth and teen mental health challenges
With insight into Gen Z and Generation Alpha, we can see how society’s complex and unpredictable nature influences younger generations. Unfortunately, many young people are struggling with mental health challenges, including a disturbingly high rate of teen suicide (Gen Z).
Learning more about the younger generation is helpful, but finding ways to support youth is essential to ensure they don’t feel isolated and unheard. One way to do this is to provide helping skills and mental health first aid skills to people working with youth.
Learn more about youth counselling and mental health first aid
To assist young people, we must equip ourselves to help them deal with mental health challenges or refer them to qualified professionals. Mental health first aid is helpful, as it can help bridge the gap between immediate intervention offered by anyone and long-term care offered by trained professionals.
Some of the online workshops and short courses you can take at SACAP Global include:
- Youth Mental Health First Aid: Learn more about suicide and self-harming behaviour in young people, as well as how to assist a youth who is suicidal with the first step of the 5-step ALGEE model that mental health first aiders use in a crisis.
- Integrating Gestalt Therapy When Working with Children: Learn about the complex concepts behind Gestalt Theory that work well in child and adolescent counselling and build practical tools to provide emotional support to children and adolescents.
- Counselling in Children and Youth: Learn how to apply counselling strategies to address issues that affect children and young people, including family breakup, trauma, and bullying. Broaden your understanding of effective therapeutic processes and learn about the ethics of working with youth.
- Psychological Theories of Child & Adolescent Development: Learn about critical milestones that shape how children and adolescents view themselves and others. Explore the development theories of Freud, Erikson, Bowlby, Piaget, Bandura, Vygotsky, Kohlberg, and Maslow.
For information about what else we offer, browse our course list.