I recently attended a High School class that solidified my hypothesis about the negative effects of teenage stereotyping. I was visiting with a group of junior girls who were describing the numerous times that they had consumed illegal drugs and alcohol. I knew these descriptions to be true from personal information so I could not refrain from asking why they would participate in such life-threatening activities. One girl replied, "That's what being a teenager is all about. Trying new things, experimenting with your body, and stuff." I was shocked by the answer. The girl's excuse for doing drugs and alcohol was simply being a teenager.
The underlying problem that surrounds the teenage years is endlessly debatable. What is it about that portion of life that is the cause of such complication and hardship? I'll tell you. Stereotyping—the attachment of oversimplified and standardized images to a group of people. Stereotyping is a chiefly responsible factor for difficulties of the teenage years. This is true in innumerable instances, as it has come to the point where teenagers believe the negative attributions themselves. The question is then: when does it stop?
When I thought about and researched this, I discovered that this was not a solitary instance and it affects more people than you might realize. Go to any Barnes and Noble Bookstore and you'll find verification of this. Titles such as "Parenting Your Out-Of-Control Teenager", "How to Keep Your Teen Out of Trouble and What to Do if You Can't", and "Now I Know Why Tigers Eat Their Young: Surviving a New Generation of Teenagers" flood the bookshelves. These titles are meant to attract the adult audience that has somehow convinced themselves that their teenagers are emotionally unstable. In truth, as mentioned by the authors, the focus of these books is to point out the stresses that may be causing parents to think they are reaching the end of their rope.
Associating such ideas with teenagers deeply influences the way they feel about themselves. That includes the way adults treat them simply because they are among the ranks of so-called "out-of-control teens." To Canada Teen's Magazine, one teenager said, "An important issue is how adults treat me just because I'm a teenager. Sure there are bad ones out there but I'm not one of them. It doesn't just hurt but it's disrespectful when security figures follow me around like I'm some kind of loser or criminal."
I recall an experience I had several years back at a conference discussing ways of maintaining good mental health. Though much of the conference was formidable, I was slightly irritated by the teacher's constant reference to stereotypical remarks involving teens. "To you, your parents are the stupidest people in the world," the teacher had said. Who was he to make such a declaration? I have always fostered an enormous amount of respect for my parents and by no means thought they are the 'stupidest people in the world.' Offended privately by the teacher's remarks, I could not help but dismiss most of what he advised for the rest of the presentation which turned out to be chocked full of impertinent stereotypical remarks.
There is another side to this argument. Hormonal changes, inevitably experienced in this stage of life, have been known to cause moodiness and melancholy, often labeled as depression. While this is a fair assumption, it is incorrect to say that it is mainly responsible for a teenager's irritability in most instances. In fact, a HelpGuide survey showed that other things surpass hormones as leading results for depression. It lists a number of scenarios that would be responsible for teenage depression. Hormones are not mentioned. Things such as 'poor grades', 'death of a family member', and 'loss of a romantic relationship or friendship' are foremost.The fact of this is that those things don't just happen to teenagers--but to adults young and old.
I think its necessary to realize that teenagers are not defective but developing—and doing so through their experiences. Assuring teens that they are "unmanageable delinquents" cannot and will not assist in transforming teens into respectable adults. "People are absolutely convinced that teens are dangerous and in danger, silly and self-absorbed, lazy and corrupted by consumerism," said Susan Bales, a communications analyst.
Seemingly, this was not always the case. Studies reveal that the very perception of teenagers has altered over the years. One FrameWorks Institute nationwide survey showed: "Only about one in six adults said young people today share their ethical values, such as honesty and hard work. The reality is that, when youth are polled, large majorities of them rate highly the very traits adults value." Ironically, even with this as a new source of pressure, the teenagers in present generations have been doing much better in surveys than in the past. Youth Risk Behavior Survey, a section of Centers for Disease Control revealed violence, pregnancy, and sex rates among youth have dropped significantly over the years. In addition, a higher percentage of High School students are graduating than 10 years ago. Still, stereotypes continue.
"Most people cringe and sigh and call me a saint when I tell them I teach middle school," said a teacher from Missouri. Marsha Ratzel, a Kansas middle-school teacher had similar experiences, "Most people think these students are difficult and unable to take on great intellectual challenge. This hasn't been my experience in almost eight years of middle-school teaching," said Ratzel. I believe that it is in part due to the misinterpretation and hugely overstated way teenagers are depicted in movies and television. These portrayals trigger the involuntary response that all teenagers must be that way—a false assumption of both parents and teenagers. People don't seem to realize that adults are often as overdramatic about their own responsibilities as their teenagers are. But somehow, with all that parents have given their children, they should have no reason to complain.
Stereotypes are only as true as we decide to make them. This is not an impossibility but it requires effort from both parties. If we make the effort, soon we will see a difference. Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu said, "If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading." Basically, as long as we furnish the unjustifiable ideas associated with stereotypical teenagers we can expect nothing more than stereotypical teenagers.
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