By Nur Aina Fathihah
Growing up has never been easy with an adaptation of a new lifestyle. Adolescence is a transitional phase of growth and development between childhood and adulthood. It is crucial as a time for evaluation, decision making, commitment and developing one’s identity.
Taking perspectives towards adolescence, two possible lights can be taken – positive and negative. However, there was a gradual improvement where the view has been upside-down along the journey until today.
Harsh Discipline
In the Middle Ages, adolescents were viewed as miniature adults who deserved harsh discipline. In their life, they faced strict restrictions from parents and bad perceptions from society in addition to punishment-based lessons if they did anything wrong. For example, adolescents were forced to work and only a small section of them was able to receive education considering the lifestyle during that time. They were also forced to marry at such an early age as compared to the current time.
Nonetheless, in the eighteenth century, the view of adolescence had changed into something positive through the idea of a French philosopher, Jean-Jacques Rousseau. He restored the idea of being an adolescent and an adult is not the same in that adolescence is a time of developing skills, reasoning skills in particular. Rousseau argued that the development of an adolescent should be encouraged and supported. However, his idea was hypothetical until the beginning of the twentieth century when scientific study was on the rise.
More Definite Acceptance
In the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, the term “adolescence” received a definite acceptance with increasing number of psychologists, educators and counsellors who began to develop the concept. We are first introduced to the view of Stanley Hall who proposed the ‘Storm-and-Stress View’ in regards to adolescence. He stated that adolescence is a turbulent time charged with conflict and mood swings in that adolescents’ behaviours are influenced between conceit and humility, good intentions and temptation, happiness and sadness. Hall argued that adolescents can behave in good manners and be maladaptive after that.
Besides, anthropologist Margaret Mead viewed adolescence as a gradual change due to sociocultural factors instead of biological factors considering her observation of adolescents from Samoa. She found a little storm and stress associated with Samoa adolescents in that their lives were free from conflicts. She concluded that culture played a role in these adolescents’ changes because they grew up observing directly what had been done in the culture. For example, the adolescents were allowed to observe sexual relations, birth procedures, engage in sex play, give assistance to work, and had an idea that their adulthood will be free from stress and conflict.
Mead made a comparison between Samoan adolescents and adolescents from the United States whereby she emphasised that the United States adolescents were more stressful as compared to Samoan adolescents. However, her claim was proven wrong by a recent study that showed vice versa. Her work received critics as well as defence at the same time.
Peak and Golden Time
Between 1890 to 1920, the adolescence period reached its peak and golden time. During this time, adolescence was viewed as socio-historical creation by the interventionist. It is a time when legislation on the dependence of youth was enacted. The economic sphere also started making a move and was open to adolescents. Schools, work and the economy were important aspects for the interventionist. Schools had served as a primary education as well as a place that provided acquired skills for youth for the job market. Adults were also urged to show their support for adolescents’ dependency and their move to the economic sector. This is a time when more and more adolescents managed to graduate from schools as compared to past centuries.
By 1950, adolescence had gained its physical and social identities as well as a legal identity due to the development of the golden era. There have been several changes of adolescence that can be highlighted along the way to the current period of time. Firstly, the increase of diversity. Adolescents have been more open-minded and tolerant in managing their lives. They started to interact diversely across ethnic groups. In IIUM, for instance, we observe that students are not only able to interact among those from their own country, but also with other international students regardless of their age and education.
Technology Development
Another change that we can see is from the perspective of technology development. Adolescents nowadays are involved in the dramatic use of media and technology such as WhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter, gadgets, and etc. Their lives revolve around at least a smartphone. There are pros and cons of this technology. One of them is that it may provide an expensive, rich and easily retrieved set of knowledge that, if used in a good way, can improve adolescents’ education. However, the worrying side is that if used without control or beyond the limit, may result in thinking impairment, depression and other illnesses.
Another concern about the current generation of adolescents is the way adults impose the method of short-term solutions to their children in solving problems and as a life survival skill. For example, adults ask them to get their work done, get a good mark in examinations and create a team. This may distract them from thinking about themselves, but it is important to note that it will not solve the crisis faced by adolescents. Instead, adults are encouraged to give them options and guide them through choices to solve issues. Discussions regarding their goals and ambition have brought meaningful and fruitful communication about their life obstacles and achievements and may also help to remedy the crisis faced by adolescents.
Media Stereotyping
Markedly, we all notice the stereotype given to adolescents in current situation. Stereotypes of adolescents are plentiful such as “They are all lazy,” “They are all into drugs,” “They have no future,” “They deserve jail punishment,” and so many to be listed. Adolescents are indeed being skeptical as abnormal and deviant rather than normal and good moralists.
Consider the theory of ‘Storm and Stress’ proposed by Stanley Hall and media portrayals. It may be true that adolescents are unable to manage the storm and stress faced and end up utilising unhealthy coping mechanisms that lead to delinquency. However, it should be noted that not all of them failed to manage and overcome the crisis time.
The media often portray the negative side of adolescents and sometimes front-paged such news. We all acknowledge how powerful the media can be. Thus, this method will give an impactful false impression about adolescents to the public. The media should play its role to highlight the positive stories about adolescents such as news on adolescents who manage to succeed in business which could be an example to other people and the community.
As time passes by, the stereotype is now reduced in parallel with globalisation where everyone is receiving good education with the help of technological advancement. Adolescents are now seen as capable, strong, and useful people, and even been highlighted as future leaders to replace the old generation. Although it is agreed that the stereotype is still there especially in urban areas, as compared to before, it has greatly improved.
Islamic way and the Future
In Islam, an adolescent is an important stage in life because adolescents may bring greater improvement not only to themselves but also to the nation as a whole since they are bestowed with more energy and developing skills. That is one of the reasons our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) loves adolescents unconditionally.
Following the sunnah of the prophet, let us all love, appreciate and give our support to the adolescents so that they can grow up to become useful citizens to replace the present generation to lead the nation of the future. ***