Being a teenager isn’t easy. – opinion essay
Life for teenagers can be very complicated.
There are many challenges to face and many decisions to make.
They have to cope with hormonal changes, school pressure, social problems
and parental forces.
1
Teenagers face identity crisis
During adolescence, the teenager experiences many physical and
psychological changes.
The fluctuating hormones released by the brain causes the teenager to
feel a myriad of emotions such as anger, confusion, jealousy, dislike
towards their parents/elders.
The teenager is transitioning from childhood to adulthood and does not
yet know how to deal with the intensity of these emotions in an
appropriate manner.
2
Teenagers crave peer acceptance.
They behave in a certain way in order to look cool and to fit in.
Some feel that they need to show off in order to be accepted into the
crowd.
So they pick up habits like using bad language, smoking, or drinking in
order to belong.
3
Teenagers have to cope with academic pressure.
too many subjects to study
difficulty prioritizing and managing their time
they feel overwhelmed
fear of failure
they have to live up to other people’s expectations
fear of disappointing their parents
4
Teenagers have family issues.
They want to be independent hence they have a very strong need for
privacy and become secretive.
Parents tell them to stop acting like kids but at the same time they are
not permitted to do the things that grown ups do.
Teenagers are expected to behave like adults but they are still treated
like a child.
5
Teenagers suffer from negative body image.
They think that girls should look a certain way (thin, long hair, fair) and
boys should look macho or muscular.
You judge yourself based on these stereotypes.
If you think that you don’t fit in the stereotype, you become unhappy.
Hormonal changes also result in acne which further affects your selfconfidence.
5.
Teenagers experience boredom with the routine of home and school.
They feel the need to escape from the mundane and conformist lifestyle.
There is a need to go somewhere and do something different.
Boredom can lead them to engage in negative behaviour such as alcohol
and drug use.