INFANTILISM DEVELOPMENT PROBLEMS AND RESPONSIBILITY FORMATION IN MODERN ADOLESCENTS AND YOUNG PEOPLE

Responsibility is one of the main characteristics of a mature person. In the 21st century, in the era of increasing infantilism, one of the important areas in modern psychology and pedagogy is the problem of responsibility formation and development in adolescents and young people. There are various hypotheses about the emergence of infantile and irresponsible behavior and their manifestations in childhood and adulthood. The strength of society is the strength of the individuals who make it up, so in modern science it is important to identify the causes of social infantilism and introduce technologies for its prevention and correction. Based on the theoretical analysis, the paper examines the dominant symptoms of the infantilism development (irresponsibility, mental discomfort, loneliness, sexual behavior violation, narcissism and gender chauvinism) and their manifestations in different age periods. The forms of irresponsibility in adolescents and the causes of their occurrence in different age periods are presented in detail. According to the author, the main reasons for infantilism development in adolescent and youth environment are: 1) the lack of collective education and the low influence of teachers, psychologists and educational environment in general on the individual’s development; 2) a pronounced style of pedagogy of freedom, provoking selfishness development; 3) delegation of responsibility for education exclusively to the family in the absence of psychological and pedagogical support for family relations; 4) deformation of the family relations model against the background of falling birth rates, shifting gender roles and family values. For the prevention and correction of infantilism among adolescents and young people, specialists in the sphere of modern education need to conduct systematic diagnostic work with the family 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 individual self-development, self-education and self-realization.