Teenagers in Society
Intro: Invincibility Theory Among Teens
It has been said a thousand times that the biggest reason teenagers drink, drive, take drugs and do all kinds of crazy, dangerous stunts is that they think they’re immortal, invincible and bullet-proof. But is this what teenagers really think?
According to researches at UC San Francisco, this is not the case. Teenagers obviously measure risks differently from adults. They know they can die. They don’t underestimate risk; they actually over-estimate it and the danger of certain activities. And while they know there are risks, they think the benefits and the fun are worth it.
As a teenager I agree with the researches at UC San Francisco, we as individuals do not think we’re invincible, immortal or bulletproof. It gen X, the generation before us that thinks we’re invincible, based on a certain group of teenagers. Gen X calls us teenagers based on their belief it’s a name for a group as a whole, when really it’s a name of our age as a whole. We have hundreds of different social groups amongst us, which make us somewhat significantly superior or inferior than each other. Social groups aren’t created on looks; they’re generally based on the representation of our identity such as someone’s age, gender, class, race, nationality, and religion but also on our personality and values. The two teens Nathan and Adriana from “The Worlds Strictest Parents” are a perfect example of how Gen X sees us in society today. They are just a small fraction of those who partake in excess underage drinking, driving, taking drugs and testing authorities. Even though not all of us are participating in the irresponsible acts that happen among that group, we are all seen as the same to the outsiders because of the stereotypical representation and self-portraying of those individuals. But tarnishing other teenager’s reputation isn’t the deliberate aim for teens like Nathan and Adriana. As I was watching the episode of ‘The Worlds Strictest Parents’ I
It has been said a thousand times that the biggest reason teenagers drink, drive, take drugs and do all kinds of crazy, dangerous stunts is that they think they’re immortal, invincible and bullet-proof. But is this what teenagers really think?
According to researches at UC San Francisco, this is not the case. Teenagers obviously measure risks differently from adults. They know they can die. They don’t underestimate risk; they actually over-estimate it and the danger of certain activities. And while they know there are risks, they think the benefits and the fun are worth it.
As a teenager I agree with the researches at UC San Francisco, we as individuals do not think we’re invincible, immortal or bulletproof. It gen X, the generation before us that thinks we’re invincible, based on a certain group of teenagers. Gen X calls us teenagers based on their belief it’s a name for a group as a whole, when really it’s a name of our age as a whole. We have hundreds of different social groups amongst us, which make us somewhat significantly superior or inferior than each other. Social groups aren’t created on looks; they’re generally based on the representation of our identity such as someone’s age, gender, class, race, nationality, and religion but also on our personality and values. The two teens Nathan and Adriana from “The Worlds Strictest Parents” are a perfect example of how Gen X sees us in society today. They are just a small fraction of those who partake in excess underage drinking, driving, taking drugs and testing authorities. Even though not all of us are participating in the irresponsible acts that happen among that group, we are all seen as the same to the outsiders because of the stereotypical representation and self-portraying of those individuals. But tarnishing other teenager’s reputation isn’t the deliberate aim for teens like Nathan and Adriana. As I was watching the episode of ‘The Worlds Strictest Parents’ I