Teenage Culture and Performative Religion
How does living under the expectation of performative Christianity affect teenagers and their behavior? While many religions are present in the United States, Christianity is perhaps not the most prevalent, but certainly the loudest voice. Religion is usually considered an excellent tactic to keep teenagers in line morally, legally, and emotionally. However, this is far less effective when youth do not hold the tenants of religion for themselves, and instead act out a version of themselves when around adults and truly religious peers. When with secular peers, teenagers often engage in dangerous and immoral behaviors. Teenage culture, when influenced by performative religion is frequently preformative, quietly rebellious, and self destructive.
While religion and pressure to perform a religious life often work to dissuade teenagers from using drugs, teenagers frequently use discreetly. Drug use among teenagers is widespread, primarily to ease mental disorders such as depression and anxiety, and to enjoy themselves (“Why do adolescents take drugs?”) . These disorders are prevalent among teenagers due to changing hormones, school, and other factors. However, the reality is that drugs such as marijuana actually increase depressive and anxious symptoms, especially later in life (“Mental Health and Marijuana”). Recreational drugs are condemned by religious communities, but this does not ensure that teenagers will abstain- rather, it
Marijuana is perceived by some teens to be the only available alternative when experiencing difficult health problems when medical treatments have failed or when they lack access to appropriate health care. Teens claim Marijuana use can build their happiness during a depressive episode, calm their anxiety, restore their appetite after years of anorexia and even help them get some rest after fighting nights full tossing and turning. For some, medical options were not available in part because "nobody wanted to listen" to them. As a last resort, these teens had opted to try smoking marijuana. In a relatively short time, marijuana helped them to feel better about themselves, happier and more like the person they "wanted to be".“ It has and always will be the only thing that has helped me
Adolescence is a time where adolescents grow and mature at a rapid rate. It is also a time where adolescents are more vulnerable to taking risks, such as using and becoming addicted to illegal substances, due to raging hormones. Whether or not an adolescent chooses to engage in drug use and abuse depends on their home environment and those they choose to associate themselves with. Adolescents are confronted with an enormous amount of pressure to participate in risky behaviors by their peers. According to Broderick and Blewitt (2015), “risky behaviors are behaviors that constitute a departure from socially accepted norms or behaviors that pose a threat to the well-being of individuals or groups” (p. 389). One such risky behavior is drug use and addiction. Some adolescents use cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and prescription drugs in order to get “high”. Adolescents who engage in drug use are likely to become addicted, and thus, their addiction will negatively affect their brain development.
According to DrugAbuse.gov, long-term studies of drug use patterns show that most high school students who use other illegal drugs have tried marijuana first. Teens are often peer pressured into doing drugs; they get to comfortable with them they inevitably reframe to harder and more potent drugs. In Cole Meyer’s short story, “Addiction” the narrator is a struggling teen addict and his addiction continues to worsen as he ages. Meyer uses setting, character and conflict to illustrate the devastating effects of addiction on the individual.
Three decades from now, T.L.O., a student at a New Jersey High School was caught smoking in a school restroom, and was brought to the assistant principal’s office. The 14-years-old teenager denied smoking, so the assistant principal persisted in searching her purse and found cigarettes, and rolling paper which is associated with marijuana (T.L.O. vs. New Jersey). Nothing has changed since then. If you look a little closer, you can see teenagers lying around doing drugs here and there. They are no longer determined to succeed in life; instead all they can think about is where the next supply of cocaine will come from. What has our future come to? Research done by scientists and other professionals provide evidence that substance abuse by teenagers is an ever-growing problem due to teen’s poor judgement, it’s irreparable damage, and inability to compete with drug addiction.
A drug is a substance that alters the mind, body or both. Drug use is an increasing problem among teenagers in colleges today. Most drug use begins in the preteen and teenage years, the years most crucial in the maturation process (Shiromoto 5). During these years adolescents are faced with difficult tasks of discovering their self identity, clarifying their sexual roles, assenting independence, learning to cope with authority and searching for goals that would give their lives meaning. Drugs are readily available, adolescents are curious and venerable, and there is peer pressure to experiment, and there is a temptation to escape from conflicts. The use of drugs by teenagers is the result of a combination of factors such as peer
According to a 2012 Monitoring the Future study, marijuana is the illicit drug most likely to be used by teens (Maine Integrated Youth Health Survey). Marijuana comes from the plant Cannabis Sativa and appears as a green/brown mix of flowers, stems, and leaves (Teens Health 1). Marijuana is also known as pot, weed, MJ, Mary Jane, reefer, dope, ganja, herb, and grass. Marijuana is most often smoked in cigarettes, hollowed-out cigars, pipes, or water pipes, but is sometimes mixed into food or tea (1). Why are there concerns about teen use of marijuana? During adolescence, many developmental changes are occurring and poor choices could affect a teen’s future
Stories such as Farinick’s are not uncommon. Recent U.S. government reports have shown the increasing amount of teen deaths as a result of drug overdoses. Horrifyingly, teen’s perceptions about drugs have been changing. In the Monitoring the Future survey, a survey run by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Lloyd D. Johnston, the principal reporter for this survey reported that only 36% of 12th graders said that they thought that smoking pot is harmful (Johnston).
Among adolescents aged 12 to 17 years, 9.8 % are estimated to be current users of illicit drugs, with 4.9 % using drugs other than marijuana. Nearly three quarters of students have started to drink alcohol and nearly half (47%) have tried using an illicit drug (not including alcohol or tobacco) by the senior year of high school.” (Hassan, Harris, Sherritt, Van Hook, & Brooks, 2009)
Some students figure that Marijuana is a social drug and can help you meet people, make friends, and expand your horizions. However, these students are the same students who stay inside all day high on “dope.” These students living in a “haze” are so blinded; they’re foolishly mistaken to belive that this
Drug use is an increasing problem among teenagers in today's high schools. Most drug use begins in the teenage years, these years are the most crucial in the maturing process. During these years adolescents are faced with the difficult tasks of discovering their self identity, clarifying their sexual roles, assenting independence, learning to cope with authority figures and searching for goals that would give their lives meaning. Drugs are readily available, adolescents are curious and venerable, and there is peer pressure to experiment, and there is a temptation to escape from conflicts. The use of drugs by teenagers is the result of a combination of factors such as peer pressure, curiosity, and
“The more time you spend on the internet and social media, the more likely you are to suffer from mental health issues”(Dubé). There are many violence computer games on the internet. A lot of students like to begin to play games when they were young. Most parents still don’t know the risk that their children play violent games or first person view shooting game. This kind of game might lead a children’s mind to extreme and distorted one’s version of reality.
Donahue, M. J. & Benson, P. L. (1995). “Religion and the Well-being of Adolescents” in
Teenagers are influenced by drugs, alcohol, and tobacco products everyday, particularly at parties. A teenager who begins drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana can soon lead to abusing the products. Not only parties can take place during the dark of night, but delinquents roam the streets, also. A couple of evildoers could take a young teen right under their wing, and brainwash him or her into thinking it is okay to do drugs and drink alcohol. Soon after the teens who follow in the undesirable people’s footsteps can also lead to violence. It can risk a teen’s life and also the family’s
It has been discovered that most people who struggle with drug addiction began experimenting with drugs in their teens. Teenage drug abuse is one of the largest problems in society today and the problem grows and larger every year. Drugs are a pervasive force in our culture today. To expect kids not to be influenced by the culture of their time is as unrealistic as believing in the tooth fairy (Bauman 140). Teens may feel pressured by their friends to try drugs, they may have easy access to drugs, they may use drugs to rebel against their family or society, or they may take an illegal drug because they are curious about it or the pleasure that it gives them.
From a sociological perspective the reason for why an adolescent is involved in delinquent behavior is because they lack the attachment to the parents. Certainly, Hirschi theory involves other three components to social theory and of course they play a role towards the delinquent behavior. An adolescent just doesn’t act upon a delinquent behavior without having any reason to it. As a child grows up mostly all parents help aid their child to follow into a good path. Not everyone is so fortunate to be given that help. Some children lack the guidance to behave in a positive way. Not having someone to guide them in way to do good in school and life can have certain consequences like being involved in delinquent behavior. They would think that no one cares in what their involved. At the same time they may be around peers that are not a good influence on them. Not to mention, adolescents go through a phase where they intend to misbehave. This certainly, contributes to them getting involved in delinquent behavior. Teens are usually hanging out together with friends and at time get peer pressure to do stuff that isn’t good. If, they have someone to guide them in the direction in not being involved in that type of activity is good both for the parent and child.