Concept of Adolescence

It's very difficult to conceptualize the idea of adolescence, because it can be approached from various angles. From a biological perspective, it can be defined as the age where a person goes through major physical and psychological changes usually around the time of puberty. On the other hand, it can be defined as the time where a person is seeking emotional and mental maturity. However, this is where it gets slippery. Who gets to decide what is mature? It's hard to set a standard and make generalization when there are countless factors that contribute to maturity and immaturity. Although it might be an inefficient and rudimentary approach, these situations must be judged on a case by case basis. However, if I must explain the meaning of adolescence, I would say it is the time where a person begins to break free of the accepted theories imposed upon them by society and undertake the responsibility to behave and think as an individual.

In relation to teen angst, I believe that teen angst occurs when an adolescence is having a hard time shedding the status quo and discovering an identity as a separate entity. Additionally, finding one's place in society as a whole while maintaining a firm grasp on one's individuality can be- not an insurmountable obstacle- but an obstacle nonetheless. The term angst is a pre-cognate with the Latin term "angor" meaning "choking, clogging". I see a relation between teen angst and "choking" in that teen angst is caused by society trying to choke adolescence with its preconceived notions of right or wrong.

Fitting In vs. Not Fitting In

There are several factors that contribute to kids fitting in or not. For the most part, I believe that these factors haven't changed much. It mostly revolves around having the same interests and values as the so called "popular kids". In order to fit in, kids have to be involved in activities the "It" kids approve of. Most of the time, these activities include partying, whatever that is defined as, drinking, and at times, doing drugs. However, that is not to say these are the only activities required to fit in, but these are the most common ones. The conflict comes in when some kids are hesitant to take part in the activities considered "cool". Why? Despite the fact they might be obscure, there are some kids who value their health and their academic standing over their social standing. By no means am I saying that the "popular kids" don't value their future and such, however most things related to school is considered nerdy. It is definitely not the way to fit in. Overall, interests and values are huge factors in fitting in.

Moreover, there are some personalities associated with fitting in over others. Normally, I have observed that those with more extroverted personalities tend to be the kids who fit in. They are usually the ones who don't mind having everyone look at them and analyze them. They tend to be the leader of social circles and have strong and loud personalities. On the flip side, those with a quieter personality tend to be on the outside. They are shy and introverted. Since they don't like being the center of attention, they don't hang around the "popular kids".

One thing I would like to stress is that not everyone who is not part of the "popular kids" wants to be part of it. Contrary to popular belief, some kids are happy with having a few close friends. As long as someone has a couple people they could always count on, and that makes them happy, then that is all that matters. The stereotypical definition of fitting in is totally overrated.

Music and Adolescence

It's a common known fact that music plays a vital role in the lives of adolescence. I believe that the music of a generation reflects the generation itself. Music, by definition, involves personality and emotion. Thus, the essence of a generation is captured and immortalized in the music. Each generation of adolescence brings something new to music. Nowadays, technology is a key component in the making and listening of music. We are growing up surrounded with a variety of technologies, so it's inevitable that the music we listen to reflects that. Personally, music is my safe haven. It serves as an escape just like books do, and I assume it serves the same purpose for all adolescence. Not only is it a way for escape, it is also a source of comfort and hope for many.

Laws and Adolescence

I have noticed that laws regarding adolescence are not fair at all. It seems like adults are always favored to teenagers. I don't understand why adolescence have to be treated like second class citizens. What is so special about eighteen? Why do we have to be eighteen in order to be treated as an equal. For example, if an adolescence is slapped by an adult, it is not considered a crime unless it leaves a mark. However, if that exact situation happened to an adult, the culprit would be charged with assault. I just can't comprehend the logic behind this. I know a number of adolescence who are more responsible and generally more aware of the path of their lives than some adults. There is a false stereotype that somehow directly correlates age and wisdom, and I believe that this is an unfair assumption that seems prevalent when it comes to laws concerning adolescence.

Response to The Invention of Adolescence

For the most part, I agree with this article. It mentions the predominant attributes of puberty and becoming an adolescence. Teenage years do come with a certain desire to assert independence. During this age, one is searching for an identity. This doesn't exclusively mean having a sense of what one aspires to be in life and the best way to achieve happiness or at least contentment. It also includes finding an identity among the people one is surrounded with especially among one's peers. Moreover, a kid's thought process experiences drastic changes as they become an adolescent. As indicated in the article, teenagers gain the "capacity for abstract reasoning and relative thinking." Aside from the scientific evidence, I can attest to this from personal experience. This is the time when kids start contemplating philosophy, mortality, politics and begin to question religion.

However, despite the mostly accurate description of qualities associated with adolescence in this article,there was one part that I didn't agree with. I personally didn't appreciate how the article simplifies the mental capacity of teens. It refers to the mental state of teens as "immature" thus I believe it is not giving teens the credit they so richly deserve. For instance, the article touches upon the subject of romance among teens and goes on to describe teen romance as "absurdly simple". Sure it might not be the "till death do us part" romance adults have, but by any means does that mean the relationships are not to be taken seriously.Furthermore, not only is that insulting, the article is contradicting itself on many occasions. On one hand, it talks about "the clash between physical maturity and mental immaturity" in teens, and on the other hand, it says that as kids evolve into teens, their ability for abstraction increases exponentially. I fail to understand the author's point of view. Does the author consider teens to still be the simpleminded kids they were or young adults on a road to sophisticated thinking?

Aside from that, I don't imagine I have any other problems with the article. Regardless of the fact that it doesn't succeed to getting across its point of view on teens' mental capacity, it did achieve its main goal of explaining the origins of adolescence.