Are Teens Trying to be Different or Simply Trying to Fit in?

Life as a teenager can be confusing at times because teens are still trying to figure out who they are. Teens are simply trying to find an identity: something that defines who they are. The struggle that teens go through arises because they feel the need to be "different" in order to define themselves. The question that is asked is, why do teens have to be different and separate themselves from the norm? The author states that kids are not doing anything different from their parents or earlier generations. She mentions that teens are angry and are trying to make a statement by being different.

The easy answer to this question is that teens are simply trying to figure out who they are. They want to make a statement about what defines them as a person, and by wearing different clothes, acting differently, and hanging out with certain people, they feel like they are not following the norm. Teens are in the stage of life where they are trying to escape their parents reign over them and they want to be independent. By wearing different clothes and acting differently, they are escaping from everything and demonstrating that they are capable of doing what they want and finding their own way.

On the contrary, I believe that this is not an attempt to be different, but an attempt to fit in. Most people would think that teens are trying to be different in order to find their identity, but in reality they are just trying to fit in and accepted but within a smaller group. The word different is a relative word meaning that it changes based on who you are talking to. I may feel that dressing up in a cowboy outfit is different while someone from Texas may find that completely normal. In this example, I believe that teens dressing in goth clothes with pink hair etc., is their attempt at fitting in. They are trying to fit in with a particular group of friends and create their identity. They have a desire to fit in more than they want to be different. After all, who wants to be the one stared at for being different than everyone else? Some might say that people do enjoy this, but frankly I believe everyone wants to be accepted and loved over dejected and ridiculed.

Response to "The Difference Change"