The Concept of Synchronization in the Process of Separation-Individuation Between a Parent and an Adolescent

OBJECTIVES: Humans experience the process of separating-individuating themselves from an object via the conflict between dependence and independence within the self. The separation-individuation theory focuses on the psychological process of individualizing oneself. Although adolescents’ individuation from their parents is based on intrapsychic events, there is an increasing need for an intersubjective understanding of it. We applied intersubjectivity to adolescents and parents to interpret and find solutions for problems arising during their individuation process. METHODS: This study retrospectively reviewed a case of a son and his father treated by the author. From the study subject, contents that represent adolescents and parents’ interaction and separation in the individualization process were extracted and analyzed, and their experiences shared in this process were reconstructed from the therapist’s perspective. RESULTS: From the case involving an adolescent boy with conduct problems and his interactions with his father, the authors observed the phenomenon of intersubjectivity and proposed the concept of “synchronized individuation” between adolescents and parents. As adolescents rapidly grow and change, they experience various dynamic interactions with their parents. Through learning to tolerate the conflicts and ambivalent tension inherent in this individuation process, adolescents and their parents develop their new identity. CONCLUSION: “Synchronized individuation” should be understood as complementary to, rather than exclusive from, the existing concept of the separation and individuation. It offers a new paradigm with which to understand adolescent-parent conflicts in the process of separation- individuation.