The 21st century teenagers face several pressures and the influences of older individuals while trying to find themselves in society. For instance, many teenagers have to deal with the pressures of desire and society while exploring all the options of who they can be. Teenagers experience a lot of pressure from friends, parents, and society to be a certain way when the 21st century teen just wants to have new experiences and find who they are by exploring. Teenagers are very curious beings and at their age several desires, good or bad, are running through a teenager’s mind. Teenagers want to have fun and try new things in order to ease the process of growing into who they were destined to become. Furthermore, teenagers are also influenced by older individuals because teens are often considered a potential threat in society. Teens that have the mindset that they are a potential threat have a hard time finding who they are. Thomas Hine, the author of The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager, explains that teens being a problem makes it harder for adults to help when he says, “Such a pessimistic view of the young can easily lead adults to feel that they are powerless to help young people make better lives for themselves” (Hine, “The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager”). Adults often look down on teens as immature because they do not have as many worries or responsibilities as them and they have a bad reputation. The bad reputation and stereotypes of teens eliminates opportunities for teens to gain experience and make mistakes. Adults feel like they cannot help teens, which is an excuse for adults to neglect teens who are just trying to find themselves. Teens struggle in society today with discovering who they are due to the several influences and pressures around them.
Works Cited:
Abowitz, Kathleen K., and Richard Rees. “What is a Teenager?” What is a Teen – Miami
University. Miami University, n.d. Web. 13 May 2014.
Hine, Thomas. “The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager.” Thomas Hine. N.p., n.d. Web.
14 May 2014.
Abowitz, Kathleen K., and Richard Rees. “What is a Teenager?” What is a Teen – Miami
University. Miami University, n.d. Web. 13 May 2014.
Hine, Thomas. “The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager.” Thomas Hine. N.p., n.d. Web.
14 May 2014.