Are we creating “teen angst”?
Interesting articles here and here by Dr. Robert Epstein.
Dr. Epstein maintains that the rebellious and irresponsible attitudes we see in teens are simply the result of artificially extending childhood, sometimes well into the 20’s. Cultures that do not recognize the period of “adolescence” do not have the phenomenon of teen angst.
“In most nonindustrialized societies, young people are integrated into adult society as soon as they are capable, and there is no sign of teen turmoil. Many cultures do not even have a term for adolescence. But we not only created this stage of life: We declared it inevitable. In 1904, American psychologist G. Stanley Hall said it was programmed by evolution. He was wrong.”
In recent surveys I’ve found that American teens are subjected to more than 10 times as many restrictions as mainstream adults, twice as many restrictions as active-duty U.S. Marines, and even twice as many as incarcerated felons. Psychologist Diane Dumas and I also found a correlation between infantilization and psychological dysfunction. The more young people are infantilized, the more psychopathology they show.”
Dr. Epstein has written a new book called “The Case Against Adolescence: Rediscovering The Adult In Every Teen”.
What do you think?
Do we artificially extend childhood?
Could this artificial extension be the very thing that causes teens to act irresponsibly?
Should we be giving our teens more freedom and responsibility, ie treating them more like adults?
I’d love to hear your thoughts…..I especially wonder about this in the church. My experience has been that in the church, we place even more restrictions on our teens than in the culture at large.
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