Adolescent Angst: Lies Society Tells

 In "Denaturalizing Adolescence," Nancy Lesko discusses several key beliefs about young people that influence how society views and treats them. One major belief is that adolescence is split into rigid categories—normal vs. abnormal, masculine vs. feminine, and civilized vs. savage. This binary thinking doesn’t recognize the full range of adolescent experiences and development, pigeonholing young people into categories like "behind," "on target," or "advanced." This kind of classification affects marginalized youth more harshly; for example, those from lower-income backgrounds or minority groups are often unfairly labeled as troubled. Gender norms also play a role here; boys are expected to be assertive while girls are expected to be passive, reinforcing stereotypes and ignoring the diversity of individual experiences.

Another belief discussed is that adolescents are controlled by their hormones, which paints their behavior as erratic and driven purely by biological changes. This idea frames adolescence as a constant state of crisis and undermines the ability of young people to make their own decisions. This view is particularly damaging to female adolescents and those who menstruate, as their emotional responses are often dismissed as just hormonal fluctuations. This not only discredits their feelings but also supports stereotypes that girls are overly emotional or irrational.

Lastly, the belief that biology is the main driver of adolescent behavior supports the idea of biological determinism, suggesting that hormonal changes dictate development. This perspective is especially limiting for girls and LGBTQ+ youth, reducing their experiences to mere biological reactions and reinforcing sexist and heteronormative stereotypes. Additionally, this belief can unfairly target marginalized youth, as their struggles may be attributed to supposed biological flaws rather than social or structural issues. Overall, these stereotypes narrow our understanding of adolescent development and are deeply influenced by factors like race, class, gender, and sexuality.

Unfortunately, there are many instances I can recall where I witnessed or experienced prejudice. My mother has always been one of the hardest working people I know. She worked full time while attending college, and was a parent of three children while also working full time when she pursued her master’s degree. A few years ago, my mom worked for a horrifically toxic company. She would try to speak up and help leadership make decisions that would be in their best interest while also being fair to customers. Initially, her boss tried to ignore her, but my mom wouldn’t be silenced. She continued to speak up for what was right, and that is when the management staff began labelling her as “aggressive” and “difficult to work with.” I remember one day she came home so frustrated because she was told she was being “too emotional.” She didn’t feel comfortable expressing how upset she was at the office because of what was already being said, so she held everything in until she came home and then cried to my dad (yes, me and my siblings were eavesdropping). Eventually my mom resigned for the sake of her mental health—and has since found a much better job—but I sure have held a grudge against her old boss on her behalf!