The teenage years are a prevalent theme in society with emphasis on them being “the best years of your life” and a time of true growth.  But how, as parents and those in the community, can we ensure that teens are able to reach their full potential?  Recent studies have shown that altering our perception of teenagers can be the right step in helping adolescents blossom into adulthood.

All teenagers have an internal drive to prove themselves as an individual as well as express their ability to be independent.  However, society’s current stereotypes regarding teenagers can cause this drive to foster itself in different, less productive ways.  Today’s culture often highlights teenagers to be phone-crazy, irresponsible, and lazy which has been shown to drive teenagers to change their behavior such that they resemble these stereotypes.  

Current research has shown that by shifting our beliefs about teenagers to be more positive can help teenagers to be more successful in their contributions and independence.  One study exposed teenagers to a passage stating positive views about teenagers and countered the negative beliefs about them and then researchers observed their behavior after reading the passage.  They found that in the days following the reading of the passage that participants showed higher engagement in the classroom as well as involvement in household tasks.  

Teenagers have a drive to become a member of the “real world” and seek responsibility in order to prove that they are.  The key to supporting teenagers in their development can be sharing positive and optimistic thoughts about them.

Read the full article: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/natured-nurture/202210/recipe-responsible-teenagers

Marissa Robarge

UConn KIDS Research Assistant

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