Teen Angst Vs. Parental Injustice

For those of us that are parents, we know that raising a child to adulthood is not an easy task but one which we do lovingly (hopefully) and responsibly. I’ll go out on a limb to say here that everyone agrees that the teenage years are the most challenging. The general consensus is that teenagers are unruly, aggressive, careless, spoiled and dependent on technology. On the other hand, I believe along with a small group of other parents that teenagers are also brilliant and in the process of becoming and reaching their potential and that they deserve much more respect than what they are given.

The article “Inside the Teenage Brain” by Marty Wolner states that recently, brain researchers have been able to do a great quantity of detailed studies on the human brain. Despite previous thoughts about the teenage brain, development of the brain through the teenage years is very dynamic. The teenage brain is still learning how to process certain information properly in the thinking part of the brain, so often teens may not process all the information necessary to make responsible decisions. Nevertheless, the teenage years can be very stressful for both parents and for teens. Getting through the teenage years can be difficult, but with the right amount of healthy communication, discipline and support the road ahead won’t be so rough. At this

Many are struggling to become independent from parents’ “orders.” In the documentary, "When Kids Get Life," considering Nathan Ybanez's case, Ybanez did not have a knowledge of being abused until he heard concerns from Erik Jensen and his parents. When he finally figured that his father was abusing him and his mother's "love" and attention were emotional and sexual abuse, he could not withstand, but to kill his mother in the most brutal way possible. Whether there is abuse or not, no teen, in particular, is able to make the right decisions under pressure and get influenced by anger and temporal hatred, which leads them to an “adult-like behavior,” which they interpret as killing or hurting

Monica A. Steff, a lot of the research on adolescents in the 1980s emphasized on family relations (Gecas & Steff, 1990). A lot of “storm and stress” research done on adolescents found that adolescence was not particularly a turbulent time and most of them had good relationships with their parents. Gecas and Steff also mentions a study conducted by Steinberg, Elmen, and Mounts in 1989 that found that about 75% of adolescents are very close and identify with their parents. Studies that reported increased conflict between adolescent and parent indicated that most of the conflicts were over minor issues such as appearance or music taste, not major values (1990). In a study Gecas and Steff mentions, over 6,000 adolescents from Japan, Israel, Hungary, West Germany, Italy, Australia, Turkey, Bangladesh, Taiwan, and the U.S., which found that most of the adolescents were found to be positive attitudes towards their families and themselves, high interests in work, and occupational goal (1990). These researchers explain that the degree in which the adolescents face conflict and rebellion vary within the historical changes within the society. As one can tell, there are mixed views as how society members look at

“Having a parent continue to be in a frequent presence is one of the best ways to ensure young adolescents don’t make too many big mistakes,” states the concerned mother. However, constantly protecting her child,results in them never learning to deal with the consequences. Ubiquitous parents disable their children from learning to resolve conflicts or learn from mistakes. The article states, “Many young adults entering college have the academic skills... but are lacking in life skills like ...conflict resolution.” My parents now let me solve my own issues, allowing me to learn from them. For example, I used to procrastinate on assignments. This resulted in me getting very stressed out and exhausted from staying up late. I learned to not start assignments last minute. If my parents intruded on my decisions I may have never learned not to start last minute and the consequences of doing so. More importantly, if parents refrained from hovering over their children they allow them to learn to assess their mistakes and

Adolescence serves the purpose of reorganizing the self and abandoning the security of childhood in the quest to forge a new identity. As adolescence sets in, teens naturally proceed through the ongoing task of separation and individuation from the family unit. Even under optimal circumstances, some teens face anxiety surrounding the new sense of responsibility; others appear to seamlessly leave this phase behind prepared for the accountability that comes with adulthood. Regardless of how difficult or simple this process may seem from the outside, those undergoing this growth are faced with an immeasurable amount of uncertainty and even a sense of nostalgia for the loss of childhood. In the most ideal of conditions, one undoubtedly

The purpose of this report is to identify and analyse the parent and adolescent relationships from 1985 to 2016. These results were conducted in a survey which will be interpreted and noted to gather information to see which generation had the same ideas, themes and issues to get an overall concluding result to determine the consequences and aspects of relationships.

Many of the adolescence that experience a disruption or divorce in family structure may face problems in school, and with peers their own age. As well as emotional and behavioral issues. These issues can affect the outcomes that follow into adulthood. For example, an adolescent that is having trouble dealing with a divorce or a death in the family, may turn their attention to violence, truancy, and rebellion. Some adolescents may experience depression, low self-esteem, or do poorly in school. When the issues are not addressed, the outcome is to continue on the same path as adults. Other disruptions in the environment may include poverty, mental health issues, and alcohol or drug addiction. These can also have a damaging effect on an adolescent’s

The communication that takes place between parent and child impacts strongly on all the family as well as on the society in which they live (Socha & Stamp, 1995). Researchers have identified the quality of the parent-adolescent relationship as playing an important role in adolescent psychological adjustment. Parent adolescent relationship quality has been conceptualized in many ways in the extant literature, including time spent with parents (Csikzentmihalyi & Larson, 1984; Hill & Strafford, 1980), emotional closeness or attachment (Steinberg, 1987). "According to Aquilino & Supple (2001) reported that verbal and emotional expressions of support from parents predicted positive psychological adjustment in adolescents, including autonomy and academic achievement (Bertrand, Barber & Bolitho, 2001; Openshaw, Thomas, & Rollins, 1984)." Parental behaviors that assert and affirm independence and appropriate autonomy are positive for adolescent outcomes, like self-esteem, confidence, and positive decision-making (Beveridge &Berg; Dailey,

Family members and adolescent hold a special bond with each other, so it is important understand that they are both capable to influence each other over time. Young children are not aware on what they see in their home, so they would assume that it is acceptable in life. For example, a child that witness his father abusing their mother will automatically believe that a man should raise his hand to the opposite sex. The more trouble surrounding in the community or a family household, the more a child will easily be influence on the actions rather not knowing the difference between right or wrong. Furthermore, Hirschi’s Social Control Theory specified that people commit harsh behavior because they have experience a mental or emotional breakdown (Gault-Sherman, 2012). Many children in society want to gain the love from their parents, especially if they are very connected to them. For example, a child might tryout for linebacker since his father was an all-star football player in college, but failure to make the team can cause a father to disown him because he would believe that he does not have the potential to be successful in life. It is believed that children that are constantly active in their life such as after school programs or sports are less likely to commit

Rebellion can cause young people to rebel against their own interest, activities, and relationships often support self- esteem. One type of rebellion is teenagers’ rebellion. Teenagers’ rebellion is not a new thing anymore. Do you remember the book, “Do Hard Things ” is what every teenagers love to read back in 2008. As parents you might want to ask, “Why has my sweet, and happy child disappeared?” “Why does my kid reject everything I say?” These teenagers have to go through a very though years, as same as parents. If you have a kid, you might have some problems as all parents have. It’s very important to first understand why your teens may be rebelling, because this may lead your child into bad ways. Adolescent rebel against their parents is a result of many reasons such as “struggle for attention, lack of freedom and over use of control, and acceptance” (Markmerill.Tue June 26,2012).

This chapter begins with topics regarding typical teen’s behavior, related teenage issues, parental power, and lastly, the main concerns of the parents. This research also covers various effects of friends, relationship, vices and the responsibilities and responsibilities of both teens and parents are discussed.

If you looked up the word “teenagers” in the dictionary you would find something along the terms of, “hormone- induced rebellious monsters.” If you look at it from a dissimilar perspective, teenagers can be viewed as feathered baby birds flying out of the nest for the first time. Just like newly born birds, adolescents may stumble as they fly by the beginnings of adulthood. One of the main topics that people discuss teens failing on is relationships. There are three different types of teenage couples to observe: the overly attached, the combative, and the healthy.

The pursuit of autonomy typically begins during the adolescent years. Prior to this quest, the adolescent was receptive to their parents’ judgments, rules and guidelines and now they are questioning and often disobedient to their parents rules and views (Feldman 2013). There are three types of autonomy that the adolescent is seeking; emotional, behavioral, and value. With the emotional autonomy the teenager learns how to handle emotions, personal feelings and how to relate to people around them. Behavioral autonomy is the want to make their own decisions and follow through with actions. Value autonomy is the independent perspective on spirituality, morals and politics. During this pursuit the parent is often reluctant to let the teenager “grow up” and become independent and self-reliant, thus leading to the parent-adolescent conflict.

Parents can’t really make their teens choose the right thing, but they must affirm and validate the freedom they already have. Freedom to choose poorly is necessary to learn to choose well but it has its limits. If a problem is life-threatening or dangerous, parents must intervene. There are many ways in which parents can offer freedom to a teenager. These include permission to drive, responsibility for choosing friends, autonomy over use of electronic devices and use of social media, and independence to choose their types of clothing, dates, and make-up. Teenagers with new freedom have more time which if held in the wrong hands can produce deadly consequences so parents have to teach teenagers about responsibility by precept and example. They can teach how to choose the right kind of friends, understand the characteristics of genuine friendship, learn about slothfulness, the value of strong family ties, the danger of strong drink, and the folly of pride and anger.