Every generation has their own view about the different things that occur in society. Nonchalance is one issue that seems to be prevalent in almost all teenagers in today's society: “I don't care is the universal teen motto" (Herring). This attitude is giving the older generations a run for their money because they do not know how to go about handling it or why the teens even display this attitude.
Teenagers are always changing because they are going through puberty from “the ages of 0–18” (Goudarzi). Everything they do will not be fully understood and this can be proven with research. “Teenagers are characterized by their risky behavior (Wergeles). Teens partake in dumb activities that they happen upon at the moment, " It is true, teens are impulsive, but they are also vulnerable and dynamic” (Wergeles). This vulnerability is what ultimately leads a teen to display a nonchalant attitude. They are using it as a way to hide how they truly feel because they do not want to be open to an attack. “In most cases, your child deploys a nonchalant attitude because she wants to show defiance as a defense mechanism…you punish as you wish and she undermines you by acting as if she doesn't care” (Ireland). Portraying this “I don’t care attitude” is the only way the teen feels that they can defend themselves because they do not want to give their authority figure the benefit of the doubt by expressing how they truly feel: “It's human nature to project feelings of guilt, accountability and negativity elsewhere, replacing those feelings with nonchalance” (Ireland). Teens nonchalance is the mask that conceals the true feelings and opinions teenagers are too scared to express due to feeling embarrassed or because they don’t want to come off as being weak.
Weakness is one reason this nonchalance mask is worn. They want to appear in control and strong at all times because it shows that they are not naive little kids anymore; they are older and capable of making their own decisions. It is essentially just like a poker face. The person is calm and collected on the outside, but on the inside the person is sweating bullets because everything is going downhill or about to go downhill for them. No teen wants their life to be controlled like a puppet by their parents: “As your child begins to exert her own agency and form habits, talents and interests, she may use a nonchalant attitude to assert her own decisions” (Ireland). Most parents fail to “recognize that they are their own person and just a reflection of you “(Banks). Teenagers are not their parents, so parents should stop trying to make decisions that make only themselves happy and not their teen. Teens aspire to be different than their parents in life, so making decisions for them is only portraying how parents want their children to think like them, or in some cases be like them. This is seen with parents who try to live vicariously through their children. Parents try to live a childhood life they could not fulfill through their teen, but this only calls for the teen to be unhappier. This is when the teen will portray the “I don't care attitude” because they know that regardless of what they tell their parents they won't take their opinions into consideration.
Decisions shape teenagers lives more than people realize although it is unanimously known that “young people can’t make good decisions” (American Psychiatry). This is viewed with teens because they believe every decision they make is a good one, so when a teen has a chance to make their own decisions it is a big deal to them. “Teens often have an apathetic or dismissive attitude about anything other than what they want to do” (Divine). Teenagers want to engage in things on their own because “during adolescence we are developing our opinion on the world and our environment” (Wergeles). They do not want to live life based off someone else’s view of the world because this will ultimately not bring them happiness: “Teens take more risks not because they do not understand the dangers but because they weigh reward versus risk differently” (Dobbs).
Teens don’t care about the risks they take because the reward that ensues brings them happiness. This means that "adolescents are less likely to modify their dangerous or inappropriate behaviors" (American Psychiatric) because they know that these behaviors are linked to a reward that will put a smile on their face. Danger does not matter when the reward brings a teen happiness. This is because "the area of the brain that controls reasoning and helps us think before we act develops later" (American Psychiatry), so teens are not fully responsible for this nonchalant view towards dangerous or risky behaviors. Also, the fact that they are making a decision on their own makes them even more happy; it is only when the life a teen wants to live conflicts with the life their parents want them to live does a nonchalant attitude present itself. In this instance "the nonchalant and stoic wall that the teen puts up in front of you means they are usually dealing with hurt, disappointment, fear and anger internally" (Wergeles). Saying I don't care on the outside, but emotionally distraught on the inside is what is principally taking place.
This strange behavior is what ultimately sets teenagers apart from adults. Teenagers, “they're still learning to use their brain's new networks.” (Dobbs). This means that they are prone to display reckless behaviors, unstable emotions, and detachment to most things they encounter in life due the fact that "their actions are guided more by the amygdala and less by the frontal cortex" (Adolescent Psychiatry).This detachment from reality is what ultimately proves to be a teens worst enemy. The “I don’t care” attitude begins to take over them, and they begin to think everything will just fall in place in their lives with no effort on their end: “The danger is that teens use that fantasy to justify their poor attitude around their responsibilities” (Divine).
This entitlement brought on by not caring prompts parents to take action which will only lead to an increase in nonchalance among teenagers. When authority figures have a say in what is taking place, “The adolescent statement "I don’t care" is an attempt to ease the heartache over parental approval…to assert more independence and develop more individuality” (Pickhardt). This means that teens really do care about what their parents are telling them, but because they want to be their own person, they go against whatever is stated. This stubbornness is brought about because the teens will not settle for anything other than what they want. They are motivated to achieve what they want...and will not give up easily when resisted, rejected or refused" (Pickhardt). Stubbornness plays a crucial role in the attitudes seen among teenagers in today's society, but this stubbornness can ultimately work in their favor when it comes time for a solution to this problem.
Teenagers are always changing because they are going through puberty from “the ages of 0–18” (Goudarzi). Everything they do will not be fully understood and this can be proven with research. “Teenagers are characterized by their risky behavior (Wergeles). Teens partake in dumb activities that they happen upon at the moment, " It is true, teens are impulsive, but they are also vulnerable and dynamic” (Wergeles). This vulnerability is what ultimately leads a teen to display a nonchalant attitude. They are using it as a way to hide how they truly feel because they do not want to be open to an attack. “In most cases, your child deploys a nonchalant attitude because she wants to show defiance as a defense mechanism…you punish as you wish and she undermines you by acting as if she doesn't care” (Ireland). Portraying this “I don’t care attitude” is the only way the teen feels that they can defend themselves because they do not want to give their authority figure the benefit of the doubt by expressing how they truly feel: “It's human nature to project feelings of guilt, accountability and negativity elsewhere, replacing those feelings with nonchalance” (Ireland). Teens nonchalance is the mask that conceals the true feelings and opinions teenagers are too scared to express due to feeling embarrassed or because they don’t want to come off as being weak.
Weakness is one reason this nonchalance mask is worn. They want to appear in control and strong at all times because it shows that they are not naive little kids anymore; they are older and capable of making their own decisions. It is essentially just like a poker face. The person is calm and collected on the outside, but on the inside the person is sweating bullets because everything is going downhill or about to go downhill for them. No teen wants their life to be controlled like a puppet by their parents: “As your child begins to exert her own agency and form habits, talents and interests, she may use a nonchalant attitude to assert her own decisions” (Ireland). Most parents fail to “recognize that they are their own person and just a reflection of you “(Banks). Teenagers are not their parents, so parents should stop trying to make decisions that make only themselves happy and not their teen. Teens aspire to be different than their parents in life, so making decisions for them is only portraying how parents want their children to think like them, or in some cases be like them. This is seen with parents who try to live vicariously through their children. Parents try to live a childhood life they could not fulfill through their teen, but this only calls for the teen to be unhappier. This is when the teen will portray the “I don't care attitude” because they know that regardless of what they tell their parents they won't take their opinions into consideration.
Decisions shape teenagers lives more than people realize although it is unanimously known that “young people can’t make good decisions” (American Psychiatry). This is viewed with teens because they believe every decision they make is a good one, so when a teen has a chance to make their own decisions it is a big deal to them. “Teens often have an apathetic or dismissive attitude about anything other than what they want to do” (Divine). Teenagers want to engage in things on their own because “during adolescence we are developing our opinion on the world and our environment” (Wergeles). They do not want to live life based off someone else’s view of the world because this will ultimately not bring them happiness: “Teens take more risks not because they do not understand the dangers but because they weigh reward versus risk differently” (Dobbs).
Teens don’t care about the risks they take because the reward that ensues brings them happiness. This means that "adolescents are less likely to modify their dangerous or inappropriate behaviors" (American Psychiatric) because they know that these behaviors are linked to a reward that will put a smile on their face. Danger does not matter when the reward brings a teen happiness. This is because "the area of the brain that controls reasoning and helps us think before we act develops later" (American Psychiatry), so teens are not fully responsible for this nonchalant view towards dangerous or risky behaviors. Also, the fact that they are making a decision on their own makes them even more happy; it is only when the life a teen wants to live conflicts with the life their parents want them to live does a nonchalant attitude present itself. In this instance "the nonchalant and stoic wall that the teen puts up in front of you means they are usually dealing with hurt, disappointment, fear and anger internally" (Wergeles). Saying I don't care on the outside, but emotionally distraught on the inside is what is principally taking place.
This strange behavior is what ultimately sets teenagers apart from adults. Teenagers, “they're still learning to use their brain's new networks.” (Dobbs). This means that they are prone to display reckless behaviors, unstable emotions, and detachment to most things they encounter in life due the fact that "their actions are guided more by the amygdala and less by the frontal cortex" (Adolescent Psychiatry).This detachment from reality is what ultimately proves to be a teens worst enemy. The “I don’t care” attitude begins to take over them, and they begin to think everything will just fall in place in their lives with no effort on their end: “The danger is that teens use that fantasy to justify their poor attitude around their responsibilities” (Divine).
This entitlement brought on by not caring prompts parents to take action which will only lead to an increase in nonchalance among teenagers. When authority figures have a say in what is taking place, “The adolescent statement "I don’t care" is an attempt to ease the heartache over parental approval…to assert more independence and develop more individuality” (Pickhardt). This means that teens really do care about what their parents are telling them, but because they want to be their own person, they go against whatever is stated. This stubbornness is brought about because the teens will not settle for anything other than what they want. They are motivated to achieve what they want...and will not give up easily when resisted, rejected or refused" (Pickhardt). Stubbornness plays a crucial role in the attitudes seen among teenagers in today's society, but this stubbornness can ultimately work in their favor when it comes time for a solution to this problem.