Teenage Identity Issue

India Williams
Mrs.Driver
Pre Ap English 10
31 January 2012 Teen Issues: Teen Identity Crisis The world famous teenage identity issue has plagued teens since, perhaps, the beginning of time itself. Whether making the leap from leader to follower; or questioning one’s sexuality, religion, or friends. The teenage years can be a very intense time in one’s life. No,not because of the hormonal changes, the emotional instability, or the physical difference –of course not. The real issue is that one question lingering in the back of every—and I do mean every—teen’s mind “Who am I?” Whether this becomes a real problem is dependent on the host. For some, making the transition from one identity to another is anything but a real problem. However; for others, the consequences of changing lifestyles and/or appearance can be fatal. Pbs states that “The main goal of identity formation in adolescence is to develop a clear sense of self. This is done by “trying on” different roles in various settings, such as home, school, and other social settings. In this process young people explore their own values... they also have an increased need to “fit in.” Therefore, identity formation can be especially challenging for teens who feel different from others because of their cultural, ethnic, gender, or sexual identity.” With Every teen it is something different, some feel the need to fit in by exhibiting “cliquish behavior”. Cliquish behavior –at best—can be described as multiple people who act as a group rather than as separate individuals. This only becomes a real issue when it excludes one or more persons from another clique. According to Brown University Child & Adolescent Behavior Letter “…Teens often can be intolerant in their exclusion of their peers… they do not want to be associated with anyone having unacceptable or unattractive characteristics…They try to strengthen their own identities by excluding those who are not like themselves.”. Everybody has been in a situation where they have felt left out or excluded. That being said, everyone knows how it feels .This can really put a huge amount of pressure on someone who just so happens to be emotionally unstable. During the interview Kyndal Young gave me insight into her struggle with her sexual and religious identity. She went on to explain how she was socially exiled at school and struggled at home as well. People, in general, are often very judgmental towards anyone even remotely different than the norm. Why is that? Why has profiling become so common among society? Whether with a religious affiliation or just out of spite, teens who take on a different role in life are often avoided. Because of this, a lot of teens make an effort to avoid vocally admitting to the fact that they are inwardly struggling with their identity for fear of how others might act. It is not always the teenagers doing the judging. While interviewing Kyndal ,she informed me that her peers were not the only ones who judged. Her Aunt would not allow her go to girl’s houses for fear of what might happen! It may not seem like it, but teens do care about their parents’ opinion. It is often a struggle to approach parents with things that might be disappoint or lower their expectations. Every little opinion counts and it is beyond hard to come grips with something that may or may not change peoples’ perception of you. Aside from cliquish behavior, teens may also openly express a new identity through their appearance. This can include anything from all black garbs to skirts and hoops. The following quote from Brown University Child & Adolescent Behavior Letter states that; “…Adolescents try to establish themselves through prestige -wearing the right clothes, having the right possessions, from stereos to sunglasses. These symbols help form teen identities by expressing affiliation with specific groups.” This, in part, is true but does not necessarily have to be the case. Few teens seek to dodge all forms of stereotypes by making it a goal to appear as normal as possible. The real struggle for teens with identity problems lie in the emotional toll that can be added. Due to the fact that everyone may not be in acceptance of them, some teens may really struggle mentally and emotionally. Pbs takes into account that such things as parental and/or peer rejection is linked to; Depression, Anxiety, Low self-esteem, Homelessness, Poor academic performance, Drug abuse, Risky sexual behavior, and most importantly, Suicidal thoughts. Teen Suicide notes that” 5,000 teens in the United States kill themselves each year…” and that “Untreated depression is the number one cause of teen suicide.” That in itself should be enough to encourage people to be more understanding towards peoples struggling with finding their own identity. In the stage of adolescence teens may often begin experimenting with new things and exhibiting new –foreign in some cases--behavior, but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. According to the Brown University Child & Adolescent Behavior Letter;” Their bodies kick into overdrive. They find themselves disoriented, scared and alone. They become moody, secretive and sarcastic. You don't recognize your own child. What happened to the child you used to know? The answer: adolescence…”There is too much emphasis put on the fact that teenagers are changing, and not enough thought put into possibility that they could be changing for the better .For the most part, parents are generally oblivious to the fact that what they think may be a phase, could be a permanent change for their kids. Despite that fact when asked whether or not she felt that the change was permanent, Kyndal Young’s response was; “I definitely think that it was a phase. I was curious. “In many cases whatever identity crisis –indeed—could be a phase. Regardless, the best way to approach the situation is to be supportive. ”The more understanding you are and the less you freak out; the more your kid will realize if this is real. Be supportive.”(Kyndal Young)

“Identity Formation.”< http://www.pbs.org/thisemotionallife/topic/adolescence/identity-formation>

Parrott,Les.” Brown University Child & Adolescent Behavior Letter.” Child & Adolescent Psychology; Youth & Adolescence.Mar,1994:4.

Peacock,Judith.” Teen Suicide.” Bloomington MN: Capstone Press,2000

Young,Kyndal,Teen with firsthand experience.Personal Interview.20 Jan.2012.