Being a teenager during the Covid-19 pandemic: perspectives from the Winnicott’s theory of maturation

Abstract

This article aims to reflect, based on Winnicott’s theory of maturation, on the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and measures of social isolation in the adolescents’ mental health. Some of the adolescents’ paradoxical experiences when facing the pandemic are: need for separation from parents or caregivers and confinement; need for group coexistence and social isolation; need for continued care by society and blockage or changes in service priorities. This population experiences the impossibility of carrying out the healthy processes of maturation, inserted in an invasive and scarcely supportive environment, which may result in a generation of sick adults and adults characterized by the development of a false self. This study sheds light on the ideo-affective life of a population that has been overlooked during the pandemic and brings important reflections on interprofessional practices aimed at adolescents.