Youth Problems

There is a moment in every child’s life where he or she realizes that growing up is not as desirable as they once thought. Before this moment they fantasize about not having a bedtime or driving or finally being able to drink. But then they feel the weight of the adult world with its responsibilities and restrictions of a society that doesn’t value the individual and expects its citizens to morph into mature, controllable adults. This is the time parents hate, the time when their children try to rebel or run away to escape their future as adults, but time, alas, cannot be outrun. The adult world expects many things of its inhabitants—a job, a family, taxes, sex, and much more. Unfortunately, most young adults feel as though they will be

Teenage years can be a challenging time for many individuals. Beginning at the age of 11 through 20, adolescence is defined as a “transitional period in the human life span, linking childhood and adulthood” (Santrock 2009). At this point, the person is no longer a child, but not yet an adult. This makes it a very critical and sensitive time frame for identity formation.

For centuries, teenagers have fought with their parents over the amount of freedom they should have. Parents always fight to reel in their child’s freedom, while teens argue that they need more privileges. While parents certainly have an argument in protecting their kids from the big, scary world, ultimately teenagers need to be exposed to the dangers of everyday life in order to prepare them for entering it on their own. If they have no real-life experience, they cannot be expected to handle it well when they leave their parents’ houses. In order to teach kids responsibility and life skills, kids should be allowed freedom to work and be out on their own, but have certain restrictions on a case-to-case basis in terms of curfews and household obligations.

In order to illustrate a key stage in the life course, I will be looking at the area of adolescence because I believe that this is one of the most critical life stages, with so many immense transitions young people go through. I have chosen to focus on adolescence because of a commitment to working with these vulnerable individuals aged from 14 to 19. We can no doubt all reflect on wrong choices we felt we made in our adolescence, and how our education and employment prospects may have benefited from good advice at this crucial juncture in life. I want to be able to guide vulnerable adolescents in the right direction and help them make the right choices, by understanding their needs, and supporting them in practical ways to live fulfilling and independent lives. From personal experience, I sincerely believe that with the right kind of guidance and attention, troubled teenagers can get back on track.

Modern culture promotes having fun and doing what feels good in the moment. Connie has poor communication with her family, shown by her rebellious behavior and lack of respect for her parents. She chooses to distance herself from her family which results in them not being there when she needs them the most. Parents are supposed to be protectors and leaders in their children’s lives and when these key aspects are not present, a window is opened for the victimization of youth. The consequences of such situations result in a predicament like Connie’s and becomes an immense concern for the effects that modern culture has on

Adolescence describes the transitional stage in a teenager’s life, from childhood to adulthood, where an individual evolves physically, psychologically, emotionally, cognitively and socially. It is a defined social category that is expressed through immaturity and unpredictability and allows an individual to learn and discover their sense of self and identity. The idea of adolescence came into perspective after children were expected to take on adult roles as soon as they were mature enough to, going straight from puberty to adulthood. As society changed and moulded, so did the ideas about life stages, which is evident in Erikson’s theory.

As we age, our lives are divided into stages with inescapable hardships. The most difficult of these stages has proven to be adolescence and young adulthood, the years in which our personalities are defined. This juncture is the pinnacle of maturation, however, it is gradually becoming a plateau wherein inactivity is most prevalent. It is indisputable that American children and young adults alike are lingering in their youth for far too long. Many in their teens and twenties are holding tight to the freedom of childhood by depending on their parents, refusing to settle down, and avoiding responsibility. Through their lack of independence, inability to commit and their indolence, certain action must be taken against adolescents

In this paper I plan to discuss the developmental stages of adolescence. Adolescents are also referred to as "teenagers" or "young adults." Adolescence begins after the childhood stage and ends right before adulthood. The years of adolescence range from 12 years old to 21 years old. The years of adolescence can be quite a roller coaster ride. Young people in this stage encounter a great deal of changes in their life as they prepare for adulthood. I will discuss emotional, intellectual, physiological, and social domains of development and how it relates to adolescents. I will also discuss some helpful tips for teachers to aide in communicating effectively to adolescents and understanding their

Movies make teenage years appear to be glorious. You go to high school, you get on varsity, you get the girl of your dreams, and a car to match. However, that is a pronounced lie. Unlike TV, teenage years are full of self-discovery, heartache, stress, and plenty of mistakes. No teen, despite generation, has had a completely smooth transition from adolescence to adulthood. Teenagers stumble, lose their way, and fall down endlessly. The United States has seen a multitude of generations in its time. As a country, it has been through traumatic events such as the Civil War, the Great Depression, and 911. Such events only amplify the typical battles that teenagers face. Though the US is not currently in the middle of a crisis, it has produced a generation of Millennials with the infamous title of being the world’s laziest generation. So do modern teenagers have it too easy? Though some may argue Millennials are a corrupt and lazy generation, it is an unfair assessment since present-day teenagers face different battles than previous generations.

During the teenage years they will become responsible for their own thoughts, words and actions. A capacity for higher order reasoning will develop, and individual personalities will appear and form. They will be able to combine and classify items in a more sophisticated manner, and begin to consider their futures. Support, guidance and help, on moral, ethical, social, economic and cultural issues, at these stages of development, can have a huge

The lectures “The Child to the Adolescent”, “The Adolescent” as well as the newspaper article are concerned with the topic of the human mind, especially its development from childhood t especially its development from childhood to adulthood. (Friedman, 2014). Friedman’s article has however narrowed down more on the subject of teenage mind. The lecture on Parenting and Sanctioning however is markedly different in its discussions from Friedman’s newspaper article Why Teenagers Act Crazy as well as the lectures “The Child to the Adolescent” and “The Adolescent”.

The intricate nature of youth means that while some argue it is a universal stage of life, it is seen by many as a formation of sociocultural elements. Social construction can be defined as something that has been shaped by the values, interests or practices of a culture or society and this is evident in the youth demographic through its revolution in recent years. The markings of youth are social in formulation; highlighting the way in which young people have been influenced by differing trends and movements. Youth is a transitional phase, its age bracket extending and blurring; transcending global divides and traditions. Thus, it is the social context that surrounds youth which suggests that it is not a universal stage of life. Ultimately, the idea of youth when viewed in a historical and cultural context as well as in relation to other socially influenced concepts such as adulthood, can be observed as a social construction.

While many people are inclined to express indifference regarding this concept, teen pregnancy is one of the most controversial topics in the contemporary society. This experience can be devastating for some individuals, as the fact that they are raw makes it difficult for them to effectively deal with the problem. Society becomes more stressing and most teens who become pregnant come to express feelings related to shame and fear. The fact that these individuals are hesitant about letting their parents know that they are pregnant contributes to their problems and finding help sometimes becomes an impossible mission. Lack of life experience materializes into a more severe type of stress, endangering both the mother and the child.

Teenage is a fundamental stage of life that each human being passes through. Some people face this period of their life strongly and positively, while others face many problems and difficulties. This depends on the environment these young adults live in, their parents, their friends, their living conditions, their education, and many other factors. Teenagers face many problems such as becoming addicted to drugs and alcohol, being influenced negatively by their peers, self-image and weight, or even arguments with their parents

Corcoran, Franklin and Bennett (2000) confirm, “being part of a single-parent household seems to act as a risk factor for early pregnancy.” Among singe-parent households, “conflict within the family, stress, and less monitoring and control of children” occurs, which the authors say can increase the risk of teen pregnancy. In addition, “teenagers experiencing family problems might be more at risk for influence by a negative peer group” that could potentially lead to motherhood at an early age. They also claim “support is indicated for parental control over teen activities as a protective factor against teenage pregnancy” that a lot of times isn’t found in single-parent homes.