TODAY -

Teenage angst drives trends

Ranjan Yumnam *

 Teenage angst drives trends
Teenage angst drives trends :: Pix - TSE



The joke is on us. Why did the teenager get into a fight with their parents over their clothes ? Because their parents just didn’t understand that ripped jeans are a fashion statement, not a laundry accident ! Such is the generational gap that creates misunderstandings between parents and their new-fangled kids. What GenX consider as cool is an anathema to the taste and rules familiar to the older generation.

What seems like an appropriate funeral dress may revolt a teenager as if it were a sartorial hangover from ancient times. Daddy wants more vegetables; the kids want the taste that excites the palate such as spicy everything: KFC, pizza, beef steaks and a hot singju. “Because they think we are cavemen and do not know BTS members’ birthdays,” commented a friend on Facebook in the context of the parent-teen gap in taste.

MAIN THEORIES

Many reasons have been proffered for the diametrically opposite tastes, prefe- rences, and motivations of parents and their teenage wards. One psychological reason is that by rebelling against the prevailing norms, teenagers are asserting their identity to break away from the yoke of mommy’s mollycoddling.

Carl Jung termed teenhood as the Individuation stage. Neurological studies state that their prefrontal cortex is still in development, and their brains' brakes, gears, and accelerators are not properly synchronised. A renowned psychiatrist at NIMHANS, Bangalore once told me colourfully that a teenager’s underdeveloped brain is an unfinished car engine which by itself is barely able to regulate the brakes, gears and accelerators in tandem.

Teenagers misuse accelerators when they should be hitting brakes, sometimes gears instead of accelerators. As an online friend commented on my Facebook post and rightly said, “It’s the sudden rush of hormones that comes with age.”

Yes, hormones, pheromones and all the strange bodily fluids and chemicals transform teenagers into tinderboxes of unpredictable bombs that can explode at any time. So, you will relate to this joke that goes: Why did the teenager's mood swings get invited to all the parties? Because they always brought a lot of… unexpected energy!

Then the biological churnings inside the body leading to puberty is a bloody period of confusion and anxiety for a teenager. The girls are awkward with the changes in their bodies, and the boys are bewildered at their own groggy voices. Not yet a woman and not yet an alpha man. Are they impostors thrust into the wrong place and time ?

“If only we knew. It is ironic that though we have passed the same stage, we are still groping in the dark, trying to understand the whys of that teen period,” a distinguished Editor commented on my Facebook post, which asked this question: “Why do teenagers rebel? Are they trying to be cool?”

UNIVERSAL EDUCATION

The roots of the teenage rebellion may be traced to the introduction of school education for children. Compulsory kindergarten and public high schools opened teenagers’ floodgates to freedom from the household environment. In schools, peers socialise and learn the rules of engagement in real-time, and parental rules diminish in value.

Away from the oversight of their parents, teena- gers create, test run and compete with new ideas among themselves. A teenage subculture is thus created. This sub-culture contrasts with the old values and cultural trends that exist in the dining room at home.

The teenage subculture has traditionally thrived on technology. Before smart-phones and social media emerged, the Sony Walk-man, sports bikes, and flashy cars were the gadgets of choice for teenagers. By merely sharing the playlist and humming the lyrics among them, they catapult little-known songs to the top of the billboard and set the standards of popularity.

Acknowledging their clout, manufacturers study teenagers’ reactions to prototype automobile designs and machines before rolling them out in the market. Teenagers are also the barometer of niche technological products. They often are the first adopters of new gizmos, and the product's success or failure depends on their judgement. In fact, all the popular consumer products have passed the initial screening of young minds and fingers.

The cool factor is thus the invention of the teenagers. When the adults are just beginning to notice the cool things curated by the teenagers, the young and restless minds would have moved on to the next embryonic iPhone. In many ways, teenagers exercise an outsized power to shape the cultural trends of the times. Today’s Nintendo game is tomorrow’s blockbuster game.

The funny Korean hairstyle became a craze once adopted and worn by the popular kids on the school campus. The TV models we watch, the version of the car we drive, and the type of breakfast we eat are dictated by teenagers in a household.

TOO MUCH LEISURE

If school freed them from their parents’ clutches, the decline of a labour-intensive agrarian economy and the rise of the service sector, and with the Government banning child labour, adolescents have constituted a demographic with an abundant supply of leisure time. They are itching to tinker with whatever is within their reach: TVs, remotes, movies, cars, consumer items, food, and fashion.

What they don't have is the money to spend on their radical ideas and brands. Money is a bone of contention–one that ignites bargaining between parent and their young kids.

What they lack in resources, the youth has enthusiasm and creativity to the brim, unfettered by any notions of conventional ideas. With their blank slate of a brain, they reinvent many aspects of our lives without referring to a manual. For them, the adults’ rules are illegitimate unless they are proven otherwise. It’s no wonder then that their denim trousers fall below their waist and expose cleavages of all kinds.

The result of their inchoate thought process is that teenagers are forever pushing the frontiers of knowledge, aesthetic appreciation, taste buds, clothing and cultural trends. This appetite for novelty and excitement also spills into society’s key issues.

Young people have led and acted as catalysts for social reformation and revolutions that toppled Govts, brought social changes and influenced environmental policies. Young activists have played a large role in pushing for climate change reforms on a global scale. Greta Thun-berg and our own Lycipriya are living examples.

CENTRE OF THE FAMILY

All this youth-centric ethos eventually emanates from the family unit and beyond. Teenagers’ sphere of influence grows as the family size shrinks in the modern service economy, making them important decision-makers in the family. More and more couples decide to have fewer kids, and the one or two who are lucky to come into the world are pampered like princes and princesses.

When they merely point their fingers at something they want, parents go the extra mile to get it. Instead of sibling rivalry fighting for limited attention from their parents, the kids are showered with attention and kisses.

Slowly without much ado, teenagers have come to monopolise the emotional, cultural and economic clout in the family first, extending it to the larger society. They have increasingly become the arbiters of favourite brands, logos and fads, transforming obscure cultural products into mainstream heavyweights.

Coming back to why teenagers rebel, the usual textbook explanations from psychology, biology, and neuroscience are not satisfactory and sufficient. There are other factors at play, especially the availability of leisure with the advent of post-agrarian and post-industrial work and family structure. Second, teenagers and their hordes have hogged the attention and instant gratification within a family.

From being the apple of the eye, they have become the Apple iPhones of our whole existence. Third, they have little to lose when they break rules, and this behaviour is expected due to the cultural stereotypes we hold of them.

Whereas adults have experienced a lot, derived patterns of actions and reactions and are comfortable in the status quo that has worked for them, teenagers tend to challenge the established authority with impunity.

GUIDANCE FOR TEENS

If teenagers are bubbling with new ideas, their defects keep the parents awake at night. These precocious minds are impulsive, and they take risks like they have extra lives, as in the video games they are obsessed with. In order to look cool, they sometimes go overboard and end up testing the limits of social and legal acceptability.

Bullying, for instance, is an extreme mechanism to mark one’s identity and selfhood, sometimes camouflaging the weaknesses of a bully. The teenagers’ proclivity for experimenting, acting without thinking, lack of patience, and blindness to consequences is a matter of folk psychology. So, what should we do with them?

The obvious culprits of teenage problems are the immature brain, raging hormones, lack of life experience, and temporal blindness. “They don’t have ideas of life. Occupy them with works and studies and more day-to-day work,” says a successful father who is also an eminent Editor of an evening newspaper published in Imphal.

The key message here is to make them so busy that they do not wander and to confine their attention to productive and less dangerous pursuits. When left to their own devices, teenagers are glued to their mobile screens, immersed in Facebook, Instagram and TikTok reels which cause mental health issues and low self-esteem.

Electronic devices are so ubiquitous and have encouraged addictive doom scrolling through endless social media posts, a result of which is having to constantly compare themselves to airbrushed images of peers to internalise unrealistic physical ideals, body shaming, bulimia and depression.

One solution is to keep the attention of the teenagers shepherded in a line. We become what we give our attention to, and this holds true for teenagers. The use of social media and neglect of real-world experiences divides the teens’ attention and atomises teens’ engagement with topics that demand depth.

The teenage years should be spent sampling the diverse fields of human expertise and experience, allowing them to zoom in on one area that aligns with their natural aptitude and passion. The richer and more diverse a teenager’s exposure to a tapestry of experiences and intellectual horizons, the greater the chance for a teenager to find her calling and, through it, the meaning and purpose of life.

In other words, our attempt should not be to cut the wings of the teenagers but to guide them to an expansive canvas for them to explore and choose an activity, be it art or science, architecture, engineering, writing, music, sport, academics, etc in which they can actualise their potential. We should partner with them to discover things that matter to them for life.

Tell them not to waste time on worthless distractions. That multi-tasking is a myth. That once a teenager, she is an adult in making, and time flies. A teenager should carve a seamless path to adulthood and follow the time-tested advice: be young at heart; be wise in your actions. Which is to say, they should channel their bountiful nervous energy to laser focus on areas where they can shine and make a mark.

Summing up, the main responsibility of parents is to provide a wide breadth of engagement with ideas and real-life experiences, including both formal education and extracurricular activities, so that they can sample them and decide what makes them tick. To do this, parents must limit the targeted distractions consuming the young minds and inspire in them the value of deep focused work.


* Ranjan Yumnam wrote this article for The Sangai Express
This article was webcasted on August 06 2024.



* Comments posted by users in this discussion thread and other parts of this site are opinions of the individuals posting them (whose user ID is displayed alongside) and not the views of e-pao.net. We strongly recommend that users exercise responsibility, sensitivity and caution over language while writing your opinions which will be seen and read by other users. Please read a complete Guideline on using comments on this website.




LATEST IN E-PAO.NET
  • Violence in Manipur 2023-2025 : Timeline
  • COVID-19: Update 30 June 2025 : Manipur
  • Kang @Leikai in Imphal : Gallery
  • July Calendar for Year 2025 : Tools
  • COVID-19 : A recurring crisis in Manipur
  • DC Kaith and Forestry in Manipur : Book
  • COVID-19: Update 29 June 2025 : Manipur
  • Longing for Peace :: Poem
  • Black badge, slogan protest by peeved scribes
  • Present the true picture before Delhi
  • Pung-Cholom @ Polo Tournament : Gallery
  • Life: A Journey Through Thought & Being
  • Khongjai Hills & Kuki claim to indigeneity
  • Master Time by Managing Information
  • COVID-19: Update 28 June 2025 : Manipur
  • Pride & patriotism in CCpur's army families
  • The Power of Poppy - 87 :: Poem
  • World Decarbonisation Day: green environment
  • Welcome Home - Nganthoi #2 : Gallery
  • Loss of two precious lives from Manipur
  • Balancing civil liberties with public safety
  • COVID-19: Update 27 June 2025 : Manipur
  • Gender equality & human rights are indivisible
  • Stay hydrated this summer season
  • Silent Half of the Sun :: Poem
  • Connecting the dots in the wishlist
  • Assembly record tampering claims by ex-CM
  • The immortal legacy of Pukhramba Kajao
  • Yaingakpa, Renglien, Thariktha : eMing
  • International Day against Drug Abuse 2025
  • COVID-19: Update 26 June 2025 : Manipur
  • Black pottery from Ukhrul - tribal heritage
  • Program on "Mission-Drug Free Campus"
  • Play makes a better world
  • Urgent Appeal to the Honourable MLAs
  • Tribal Empowerment Campaign at CCpur
  • Talk doing the round: PM to come
  • 'Emergency' relief for under-fire BJP
  • Golden Jubilee Art Fair @Imphal : Gallery
  • Declaration: Meetei People Convention, Delhi
  • A Flower Among the Rocks :: Review
  • Book Donation Campaign
  • Improved road connectivity boosts livelihoods
  • To Have Great Dreams :: Poem
  • COVID-19: Update 25 June 2025 : Manipur
  • Regret vs Sorry: Technical & moral insight
  • Cocktail of inept Govt, selfish people
  • State trailing others in cleanliness
  • Colonial Knowledge in NE India #6
  • UHI effect & rising temperatures in Manipur
  • Frequent road blockades cripple economy
  • COVID-19: Update 24 June 2025 : Manipur
  • Unite Health with Community health services
  • NSU, Imphal, tops IIRF Ranking 2025
  • Endless conflict :: Poem
  • Pak nobel pish prize for Trump
  • May 3, 2023 - June 24, 2025: Failure of Delhi
  • Hotter days, sudden rainfall no more a rarity
  • "The Great June Uprising" #2 : Gallery
  • How to Build a Career, Lead with Purpose
  • 2nd Foundation Day- Karnataka Meitei Assn
  • COVID-19: Update 23 June 2025 : Manipur
  • NSCN-IM Amnesty threatens to isolate it
  • Sunset :: Poem
  • Intl Yoga Day for a healthier environment
  • Of clogged drains and plastics
  • Poor roads testify Govt indifference
  • Welcome Home - Nganthoi #1 : Gallery
  • The Silent Erosion of Manipuri Language
  • Design health services around people
  • Serene Hills Host Inspiring Int'l Yoga Day
  • COVID-19: Update 22 June 2025 : Manipur
  • Chopper services between Senapati & Imphal
  • High Court Judges interacted with convicts
  • Redyeing the Fabric :: Poem
  • Differences yet to be resolved stand
  • Border fencing rage as solution eludes
  • Radio E-pao: 14 new songs updated
  • Climate Adaptive Agroforestry
  • Manipur overlooked demographic shifts
  • Young designers shine on Fashion Stage
  • COVID-19: Update 21 June 2025 : Manipur
  • International Day of Yoga at Lamphelpat
  • International Day of Yoga at JNMDA
  • The Power of Poppy - 86 :: Poem
  • Keishampat Lairembi Haraoba #1 : Gallery
  • Crisis in Manipur's Contemporary Education
  • Best 8 Performances in Manipuri Cinema
  • Identity: Caught between China & India ?
  • COVID-19: Update 20 June 2025 : Manipur
  • To The Father Who Listens :: Poem
  • How does net suspension affect youths ?
  • Targeting farmers to cripple state's economy
  • The virus is back and spreading
  • Who is afraid of Manipur ?
  • A threatened lily growing at Shirui Hills
  • World Environment Day in Manipur : Gallery
  • Ambubachi Mela at Maa Kamakhya
  • COVID-19: Update 19 June 2025 : Manipur
  • Dolls made from repurposed vegetable refuse
  • Condemns Attack on Farmer & Killing
  • Abhorrent politics of SoO
  • Police arrogance on harmless drivers
  • "The Great June Uprising" #1 : Gallery
  • Solution from Buddhist & Jain perspectives
  • AI sparks employment concerns in Manipur
  • Greatest Foe :: Poem
  • Chief Justice at Relief Camp, Kangpokpi
  • Call for Recognition of a 3rd Category of IDPs
  • Jun 18, 2001- May 3, 2023: Seed of violence
  • Contract scam in hill districts
  • Colonial Knowledge in NE India #5
  • Spaced Out - Panthung Di Kadaaida! : Rvw
  • Condemns the Killing of Abdul Qadir
  • COVID-19: Update 17 June 2025 : Manipur
  • Thoubal aspirant makes Manipur proud
  • Tamenglong hospital brings quality healthcare
  • Chief Justice at Relief Camp, Mayang Imphal
  • Kuki CM & Sixth Schedule
  • Selective protests, selective silence
  • Nailing the culprits need of the hour
  • UK Meetei diaspora run for Myanmar : Gallery
  • Erwin Khundrakpam : NEET-UG 2025 topper
  • Will we rise to #endAIDS challenge or stumble
  • COVID-19: Update 16 June 2025 : Manipur
  • Appeal to Prime Minister: Manipur Crisis
  • Urges Action on Misinformation
  • Condolences : 2 young cabin crew
  • Grateful To Be Alive :: Poem
  • Making bonfire on the roads
  • Aggression yet again, inspite of playing victim
  • Aftermath of flooding @ Khurai #2 : Gallery
  • Zomia, geopolitics, & the struggle for unity
  • COVID-19: Update 15 June 2025 : Manipur
  • Condolences : Demise of 2 Manipuri Girls
  • Manipur unites in grief after Air India tragedy
  • Hail arms recovery as step toward peace
  • Cleanliness Drive at JNIMS Campus
  • Global Wind Day for a clean environment
  • First came the rain, then the heat
  • Rise in Covid-19 cases
  • Thang-Ta Day @Khuman Lampak #3 : Gallery
  • Meetei diaspora in UK runs for Myanmar victim
  • Manipur empower children with disabilities
  • COVID-19: Update 14 June 2025 : Manipur
  • World Blood Donor Day 2025
  • The Power of Poppy - 85 :: Poem
  • A Northeast Gin Makes Its Mark
  • Mera Houchongba @Kangla #3 : Gallery
  • Saluting Nganthoi, Lamnunthem : Joining hand
  • Condolence : Nganthoi & Lamnunthem
  • From Earth Day to World Environment Day
  • COVID-19: Update 13 June 2025 : Manipur
  • JJM brings clean drinking water to CCpur
  • M.Tech CSE Admission at Assam University
  • Save your nails from damage this summer
  • No takers for Moreh cops' distress call
  • 50 years of Pebet #2 : Gallery
  • Implement Hill Areas (Chief Rights) Act 1967
  • Manipur fields shape India sport future
  • How to Speak Soft and Still Win
  • Thokchom Khoiba : mosquito killer machine
  • Looking for wealthy groom, question you too
  • When is the net ban going to be lifted
  • Stir speculations nix school reopening plan
  • Indo-Naga Talks (From 2012) :: Timeline
  • Colonial Knowledge in NE India #4
  • Namphake Monastery @ Dibrugarh : Gallery
  • Fire safety: preventive measures
  • Peculiar plants & incidents unique to Manipur
  • Artificial Intelligence & environment
  • Cutting off the nose to spite the face
  • Relief for daily wagers as shutdown called off
  • Protest @Checkon -AT arrest [Jun 9] : Gallery
  • The question of territorial integrity of Manipur
  • Animal Farm's allegory in dynamics of Manipur
  • Their hands deserve books, not burdens
  • JNV empowers Tamenglong students
  • We can do better- people with HIV live healthy
  • Bandh: The Cry Beneath the Silence :: Poem
  • Cutting short 240 hours general strike
  • Shutdown lifted, curfew eased, mobile ban
  • Protests - AT arrest [Jun 8 night] : Gallery
  • Review of 'Rain Stopping in Manipur'
  • Highway blockades trigger soaring prices
  • Voice of the Masses :: Poem
  • Congress may claim if none
  • Learning new skills related to AI
  • Delhi, Raj Bhavan: Losing the plot ?
  • CBI arrest after Governor clemency assurance
  • Aftermath of flooding @ Khurai #1 : Gallery
  • Appeals Home Minister not to renew SoO
  • Self-defence :: Poem
  • When will humans learn nature's lessons ?
  • Forgotten voices of drug users in Manipur
  • High-yielding RC Manichakhao-1
  • PC Editorial Blank Space : June 09 2025
  • TSE Editorial Blank Space : June 09 2025
  • Flooding at JNIMS Hospital #2 : Gallery
  • North East NSS Festival @ MU : Gallery
  • 27th Meira Paibi Numit : Gallery
  • Micromanager vs Leader
  • Valedictory Function of NE NSS Festival
  • WED at various campuses in Manipur
  • World Environment Day 2025
  • Trump's tariff legacy & its global echo
  • Flooding at JNIMS Hospital #1 : Gallery
  • Flooding Imphal East [31 May] #3 : Gallery
  • Flooding Imphal East [31 May] #2 : Gallery
  • Flooding Imphal East [31 May] #1 : Gallery
  • Sarangthem Nirupama at Miss Universe India
  • S Nirupama @Miss Universe : Gallery
  • Protesters to Raj Bhavan [May 25]: Gallery
  • Human Chain @Airport road [May 26]: Gallery
  • Miss Shirui Pageant Contestant: Gallery
  • 48 hrs Bandh: protest security forces: Gallery
  • Protest Rally: Journalist harassment: Gallery
  • HSLC 2025: Full Result (Check Roll No)
  • HSLC 2025: Important Info & Grading System
  • HSLC 2025 : Compartmental candidates
  • HSLC 2025 : Comparative Statement
  • HSLC 2025 : Statistical Abstract
  • HSLC 2025 : District Pass Percentage
  • HSLC 2025 : Govt School Pass %
  • HSLC 2025 : Aided School Pass %
  • HSLC 2025 : Private School Pass %
  • People's Convention on 3rd May #2 : Gallery
  • Featured Front Page Photo 2025 #2: Gallery
  • Riya Khwairakpam : HSE Science Topper
  • Keisham Hannah : HSE Arts Topper
  • Warepam Lidia : HSE Commerce Topper
  • HSE 2025 Result : Science Full Result
  • HSE 2025 Result : Arts Full Result
  • HSE 2025 Result : Commerce Full Result
  • HSE 2025 Information / Abbreviation
  • HSE 2025 Topper : Science
  • HSE 2025 Topper : Arts
  • HSE 2025 Topper : Commerce
  • HSE 2025 : Pass Percentage
  • HSE 2025 : Result Abstract
  • HSE 2025 : Candidates with Highest Marks
  • Ougri Lirol :: Part 1 : Ooba Video
  • President's Rule in Manipur : 1967 - 2025
  • Downloadable Manipuri Calendar :: 2025