Growing Infantilism in Modern Adolescents and Young People: Symptoms and Causes

In the 21st century, in the era of growing infantilism, one of the important tasks of modern psychology and pedagogy is to solve the problem of educating and developing the responsibility of adolescents and young people. There are various hypotheses about the emergence of infantilism and irresponsibility and their manifestations in childhood and adulthood. The strength of society is the strength of individuals who make it up; therefore, in modern science it is important to identify the causes of social infantilism and introduce technologies for its prevention and correction. On the basis of a theoretical analysis, the authors consider the dominant symptoms of infantilism (irresponsibility, mental discomfort, loneliness, sexual behavior disorders, narcissism and gender chauvinism) as well as their manifestations in different age periods. According to the authors, the main reasons for the development of infantilism in adolescents and young people are as follows: (1) the lack of collective education and the low influence of teachers, psychologists and the educational environment as a whole on the personality development; (2) the pronounced style of pedagogy of freedom, provoking the development of egoism; (3) the delegation of responsibility for education exclusively to the family in the absence of psychological and pedagogical support for family relations; (4) the deformed model of family relations against the background of falling birth rates, shifting gender roles and family values. To prevent and correct infantilism among adolescents and young people, specialists in the field of modern education need to carry out systematic diagnostic work with families and pay close attention to the introduction of practical technologies for the prevention of irresponsible behavior among younger schoolchildren and adolescents. In addition, it is necessary to introduce psychological and pedagogical education of the younger generation on the issues of personal self-development, self-education and self-fulfilment.