The Pressures of Today's Youth
Many young people in this day and age are tying to look act, and overall seem older.
Youths face many dilemmas in their trek to adulthood yet, they still try to obtain
adulthood earlier by going through the ?proper? rites of passage. These rites create
dilemmas which can help or hinder lifetime goals. Two of the dilemmas that young people
face today are peer pressure, and adult pressure. Two essayists have given their thoughts
on these subjects They are Mark Gerzon ( "Manhood... The Elusive Goal ") and Joan Didion
( On
Self-respect"). ?Manhood The elusive goal? is an enigmatic journey of a young male into
adult hood. He encounters some of the many rites of passage (dilemmas) in the modern
society;smoking, drinking, and violence. The author refers to these as part of the
"masculine code of conduct" an item every male must follow verbatim.
"On Self-respect " faces the every day pressures of adolescent life . The main premise
of this essay
is that you must respect yourself for anyone to respect you. Both essay's rely on self
respect to relate to the rites of passage in today's society.
Peer pressure is a very major dilemma in that friends or peers try to get a person to
do what they, the majority, like and not what the individual likes. Peers create some
of the so-called rites, then when one follows more start to follow, then it becomes the
scenario of the lemmings following their leader off of the face of a cliff.
Some teens think that drinking is a passage into adulthood
because the law states you must be 21 to drink . The logic of some teens then indicates
that if you drink you are considered an adult. Therefore if one teen tries it he/she is
supposedly accepted as a more mature person, so more people will follow.
Many adolescents fear their peers because of the fact that the peer group may have set
certain ideals yet the individual may or may not have the resources to obtain the ideals.
If there is a lack of resources then the individual may have a very low level of self
esteem. Many individuals do not care for the ideals yet they allow themselves to be
converted to the majority and this can also create a problem with ones self-esteem.
Another kind of pressure is adult pressure ,adult create many dilemmas in a teens life.
Adults tell teens what and what not to do . They make things harder in that adults
pressure teens into colleges, jobs, careers, and life over all. Adults also create
self-esteem problems in teens by not respecting choices or decisions made by teens.
Adults pressure teens into not doing things also . Drugs, Sex, and alcohol are some of
the many things peers and adults disagree upon. The style of clothes one wears is also a
big disagreement among the two groups.
In a way adult pressure is worse than peer pressure. Adults control teens lives until
they are eighteen years old or older. Adults may force a son or daughter to go to a
certain college that the teen does not want to attend, or obtain a career that the teen
does not want.
In conclusion the two pressures of peers, and adults are often conflicting. Sometimes
neither are good, and other times both are good. Adult pressure is by far the worst
creating many problems with youths today. peer pressure may also create problems yet they
are easier to deal with. The best thing to do is to respect one own decision for ones
self and no one else's.
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