Why are modern teenagers in no hurry to grow up? Open task bank Today's teenagers.

(1) Today's teenagers, born in the early nineties of the 20th century, are the first generation to grow up in a “consumer society.” (2) Most of them, despite their young age, already have a personal attitude that corresponds to the slogan: “Take everything from life.” (3) Take everything, have everything, do everything. (4) Ten to fifteen year olds are active, but do not know how to do anything for nothing. (5) At the behest of the soul. (6) They are in many ways more cunning and practical than adults and are sincerely convinced that adults exist only to satisfy their needs. (7) Ever increasing. (8) Children want to grow up faster. (9) Why are they in a hurry? (Yu) To freely manage money. (11) They don’t know how to make money yet, they don’t think about it. (12) Now they are being raised by their peers, television, and the street. (13) Russian psychologists believe that the most a big problem lies in the fact that adults themselves are aimed at consumption. (14) However, not everything is so bad. (15) In general, young people are very diverse, and painful distortions have an objective basis: the crises characteristic of adolescence coincided with a crisis of value orientations in the country. (16) Modern youth also have many positive orientations. (17) She is eager to study, make a career, and is ready to work hard for this, while the boys and girls of the era of stagnation expected that the state would give them everything. (18) The tendency towards self-realization is a significant trend for today’s young generation. (19) And adolescents have and will continue to pay increased attention to certain goods and lifestyles, since this is part of the range of values that must be possessed in order to fit into the environment of their peers. (20) You have to be like everyone else. (21) What is most significant in life, according to teenagers themselves? (22) In first place they have - good job, career and education. (23) Teenagers realize: in order to live well in the future, they must make their own efforts. (24) Many high school students want to get a higher education, and the ranking of professions does not include bandits or killers, which was observed ten years ago. (25) To achieve their goals, they are ready to postpone marriage until the time when they realize themselves as specialists and, accordingly, begin to earn good money. (26) Today's teenagers are no better or worse than their predecessors. (27) They are just different. (According to I. Maslov) Ilya Alexandrovich Maslov (1935-2008) - poet, prose writer, publicist, author of books on history.

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The problem of determining life priorities has always remained and remains the focus of attention. She probably worries everyone, so I. A. Maslov’s text is also dedicated to her.

What influences the determination of life priorities among adolescents? The author, writing about the generation of the early nineties of the twentieth century, gives the answer to this question: “Now they are being educated by their peers, television, and the street.” Education also plays an important role in this issue: according to Russian psychologists, “the big problem is that adults themselves are focused on consumption.” The publicist is confident that modern youth prioritize self-realization, a career, a good job, education, as well as the ability to “freely manage money,” while marriage fades into the background.

The author's position on this issue is quite clear. I. A. Maslov is sure that “not everything is so bad.” The publicist says that “increased attention” to a certain lifestyle, the desire to “be like everyone else” has always been and will always be. Now young people are driven by the desire to work and earn money, because they see an example of adults who are “focused on consumption”, because they don’t want to be worse than their friends and acquaintances, because they see hundreds of examples on TV successful people who take everything from life. That is why the author considers the teenage thirst for self-realization to be natural.

Alexandra Bochaver, researcher at the Center for Research on Contemporary Childhood at the Institute of Education, National Research University Higher School of Economics.

Today's teenagers seem to be stuck in their age. They do not strive for independence and put off important decisions. This applies to a variety of areas - from choosing a future profession to relationships with people, noted Alexandra Bochaver in the article “Prospects of modern teenagers in the context of life trajectory.” It was published in the journal “Modern Foreign Psychology”, Volume 5, No. 2 for 2016.

Based on the researcher’s work, the site identified the reasons for the protracted maturation of young people.

Opportunities hinder growing up

Independence of decisions, responsibility, emotional maturity, awareness of one’s priorities and attitudes - all this is adulthood. The bridge to her stretches from childhood: this teenage years. Walking along this bridge to maturity, the young man finds himself, his identity.

However, today this bridge is getting longer. “Maturity” is delayed and does not proceed linearly.

If previously 12-16 years were considered adolescence, now psychologists are increasingly setting a new limit - 18 years. There are also more radical opinions. Some scientists believe that teenagers “man up” by the age of 21, or even by 24. The argument is simple: at the age of 18, only a few gain independence and feel like adults. Today's young people take longer to complete their education, decide on a profession later, separate from their parents and start a family. Thus, their search for identity is “prolonged.”

This phenomenon was noted in 2000 by American psychologist Jeffrey Arnett, author of the theory of growing up “Emerging adulthood”. He identified a special age period between 18 and 25 years. Young people of this age are no longer teenagers, but not yet adults. They are only partially independent, since, as a rule, they do not have their own home and live with their parents. Such young people have many opportunities and few obligations. Before choosing a partner or “life’s work,” they can “try on” several times and try different options.

This is quite understandable. IN modern world, uncertain and changeable, it becomes increasingly difficult to make choices in the main areas of life. Firstly, society develops unpredictably. Secondly, many “ways to live your life” have opened up. The range of possibilities is sometimes too wide for young people to immediately navigate (see).

For example, it is difficult to immediately decide on education and profession. Some of them are becoming obsolete, some are still being formed. Career trajectories have become nonlinear and “winding.” In such a situation, educational choice has an “incomprehensible expiration date” and is often divorced from the future profession, Bochaver notes. This creates uncertainty and anxiety. In adolescents, it manifests itself in the fact that they:

they try to avoid choice, “gravitate towards escapism and postponing significant decisions”;
instead of developing a strategy, they are limited to tactics in different areas of life;
live in the present without thinking about the future.

The race for education takes us away from everyday life

In the modern world, education is especially important. A person’s standard of living, self-realization, status, and life satisfaction largely depend on it. However, the absolutization of education, the unconditional priority of study, according to many psychologists, leads to the “exclusion of the child from solving everyday problems.” As a result, teenagers feel helpless - for example, they do not know how to cook their own food or change a burnt out light bulb. They rely on their parents for this. Such lack of independence interferes with growing up.

Parents are no longer a support

Society is experiencing a crisis in the field of education. There are heated debates about “proper parenting”; the media endlessly publish articles on this topic (see and).

In this situation, parents have a complex:

constantly compare themselves with the images of “correct” mothers and fathers;
doubt their educational actions and advice, for example, regarding education.

This insecurity of parents is passed on to their children. They lose their usual support, take longer to make decisions and experience more doubts.

Teenagers could benefit from adult mentors who are about half a generation older, says Alexandra Bochaver. Such a mentor serves as a “role model”, a translator of “the values of the adult world by example.” It supports the formation of a dream - a fateful aspiration that organizes a person’s life path.

Alternative models of adulthood have emerged

In a transitional society, the models of transformation of an adolescent into a mature person are “diversified.” Alternative models of adulthood have emerged and are gaining popularity. Among them:

“Adult children” are kidalts (from the English “kid” - child and “adult” - adult). These are brothers of mama's boys who remain infantile until they are 30-35 years old and longer. They do not easily give up childhood passions, for example, a love of computer “battles”, anime or fantasy (see Peter Pan Holiday). And in free time, and at work they can discuss cartoon characters for a long time.

Before the term “kidalt” appeared, a similar phenomenon (or archetype) was described by Carl Gustav Jung. Puer aeternus - “eternal youth” - avoids obligations, does not want to take on adult responsibility. Modern psychologists illustrated this type with literary heroes Peter Pan and the Little Prince.

Among the main hobbies of kids are watching TV series (from “The Simpsons” to “Game of Thrones”), gadgets and computer games, including in combination with quests (many remember, for example, the recent euphoria of catching Pokemon), collecting (assembled models, transformers ), spending a long time on social networks and blogs for the sake of communication and self-presentation.

Along with the “eternal boys”, there are “eternal girls” - “little princesses” or “sisters” of Pippi Longstocking. In specialized stores for kidults (and they exist in Europe, the USA, Japan and a number of other countries), their attention is attracted by designer Barbies and other dolls, things with Hello Kitty cat symbols, teenage clothing and jewelry.

Kidalts often start a family and raise children. By the way, they make good parents who take part in children's fun with genuine pleasure.

Modern youth are characterized by an unformed, diffuse identity, or “a multiple system of temporary and situational sub-identities,” Bochaver emphasizes. However, the concept of adulthood has changed. Society's requirements for mature people became more blurry. The main feature that is certainly in demand is flexibility, the ability to adapt to changing conditions.

The work is based on a series of interviews with high school students and their teachers, as well as a number of foreign studies on the topic of growing up.

The issue of determining life priorities remains relevant to this day. This topic worries any thinking person. The text by I.A. Maslov proves that he did not remain indifferent to this problem.

What influences the formation of priorities in adolescence? Speaking about the generation of the 90s of the last century, the author states: “Now they are being educated by their peers, television, and the street.” Parental education also plays an important role. The publicist’s position is extremely clear - “increased attention” to fashionable life trends, the desire to conform to a certain style and “to be like everyone else” have always been there, so “not everything is so bad.”

Young people are guided by a natural desire to earn money, because they see the example of adults “aimed at consumption.”

Guys and girls don’t want to look worse than their friends and peers, because television every day shows examples of successful people who get the most out of life. That is why Maslov considers it natural for adolescents to strive for self-realization.

I fully share the author’s conviction, and the priorities he named are still typical today. Most of today's teenagers aim to find a prestigious job that will provide them with a decent living. I agree that a number of factors influence the choice of priorities, but it seems to me that the example of parents is especially effective.

My position is confirmed by the novel by I.A. Goncharov. In the chapter “Oblomov’s Dream,” he shows Ilyusha’s childhood, who is pampered and not forced to do anything. Lazy household members themselves live half asleep, serving clear example to kid. Even “about dinner” the adults think “with the whole house,” they don’t open letters for several days so as not to disturb their usual way of life, and the owner’s favorite pastime is squashing flies on the window. As a result, Oblomov became a copy of his parents and spent most of his life on the couch.

Publicist Maslov shows that children borrow certain life priorities from their parents, comrades, from the media and fashion trends. Over time, goals change, but the foundation for them is laid today.

Updated: 2017-02-06

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Useful material on the topic

According to Maslov’s text Today’s teenagers, born in the early nineties of the 20th century, are the first generation to grow up in a “consumer society”

We continue publishing essays based on texts from the page. This essay is... The essay in no way claims to be a sample. This is one way to view the problem. I will be glad if everyone sees and reveals it in their own way.

“Oh times! Oh morals! I just want to read I. A Maslov’s text and exclaim with the words of Cicero, uttered by the great orator twenty centuries ago.

I.A. Maslov, poet, prose writer, publicist, author of books on history, reflects on our time and on modern youth. One of the problems that worries the writer is the problem of determining the life priorities of the current young generation. What are they like among young people? What influences the choice of life attitudes of modern teenagers? The author of the article tries to answer these questions.

Characterizing modern teenagers, the author draws those who live by the principle: “Take everything from life,” but at the same time “do not know how to do anything just like that, at the behest of the soul,” those who are convinced: “adults exist only to satisfy their needs." At the same time, the author notes that today’s youth “have many positive guidelines. She is eager to learn, to make a career, and is ready to work hard for this...” Speaking about the fact that young people are “motley”, I. Maslov also tries to understand the reasons for the “distortions”, those objective foundations that determine life priorities.

One cannot but agree with the author's conclusions. Indeed, changes in the political, social, and economic situation in the country dictate new orders and new values, which television and the immediate environment help to form and consolidate in the minds of adolescents. We find many examples confirming this, both in life and in modern literature.

I found quite interesting data in the publication of the Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences “Youth of the new Russia: value priorities.” The authors of the publication note that modern life realities are quite harsh and subject the morality of Russians to serious tests of strength. The majority of young people (55%) today are forced to admit that their success in life largely depends on the ability to close their eyes to their own principles in time. To succeed in life, sometimes you have to cross moral standards. The opposite point of view, that it is better not to succeed, but not to transgress moral standards, is held by only 44% of young people. Fortunately, they exist – and this gives us hope.

Time and the immediate environment shape the character and life priorities of Tanya, the heroine of L. Petrushevskaya’s story “Glitch”. The story depicts not just some specific people, but the vicissitudes and vices of our entire seriously ill society. Trying to win friends, Tanya easily agrees with all their bad ideas. At a disco she is offered a drug and she takes the pill. And then we see her hallucinations. Gluck comes to her and says that he will fulfill any three of her wishes. Tanya wished for a lot of money, a big house and life abroad. Here they are, the priorities: the rich girl comes first, beautiful life, while Tanya herself does not want to make any effort. She got a D in math, and the girl is not even able to wash her underwear. She is very irresponsible and constantly loses things and money. True, the ending of the story is open-ended, and I really want to believe that after everything Tanya has been through, she will throw away the pill that is in Tanya’s pocket.

Reasoning over the article by I.A. Maslova, agreeing with his position and arguing for it, I would still add that, in addition to the target settings of society, television and social circle, which, without a doubt, influence the choice of life priorities by adolescents, this choice should also involve everyone's mind. It was “given by God to people so that they could use it, at least occasionally.”

In life, each of us strives to achieve certain goals and satisfy ever-increasing needs. Among the huge variety of desires, it is necessary to choose the most significant and necessary ones.

What value guidelines confront modern youth? It is this problem that I. Maslov thinks about in the proposed text.

He comes to the conclusion that modern youth “is hungry to learn, to make a career, and is ready to work hard for this,” while people of stagnation expected the state to give them everything they needed. The publicist is concerned that today’s teenagers are not able to do anything for nothing, but want to “have everything, do everything.”

I. Maslov’s position on this issue expressed quite clearly. He believes that the first priority for young people is a good job, career and education. After all, all this helps a person realize himself as a specialist and, accordingly, earn good money in the future.

generation is the desire for self-realization. Many people want to be independent and independent from others, and stable work, education and individual qualities help them in this.

The problem of choosing life guidelines was touched upon by many writers, in particular I. S. Turgenev. In his work “Fathers and Sons,” Evgeny Bazarov, as a representative of the younger generation, strives to become a real specialist in the field of medicine, promotes the denial of all values and foundations that were formed for a long time in society. But, having chosen this path, the hero faces powerful resistance from representatives of the “old world”. Moreover, Bazarov subsequently realizes his retreat from nihilism, dooming this theory to collapse.

Not all young people asked questions about determining life guidelines. One of them is the main character of the novel by M. Yu. Lermontov “A Hero of Our Time”. Grigory Pechorin had no goal in life. Every day I lived was meaningless and empty. As a result, the hero of the work becomes a lonely, useless person.

Thus, the choice of value guidelines plays a big role in the life of every person. After all, his existence in society depends on what he strives for.

Why are modern teenagers in no hurry to grow up? Open task bank Today's teenagers.

Opportunities hinder growing up

The race for education takes us away from everyday life

Parents are no longer a support

Alternative models of adulthood have emerged

Other works on this topic: