It is a known fact that all humans are insecure, but why are your teenage years your most insecure ones? There are various reasons as to why teens are insecure, such as the way in which you grew up, your school life, your social life, and aspects concerning the individual teen. When you look up, “Why are teens so insecure?,” what comes up is mainly about the need for social acceptance, the fear of rejection, as well as comparison to other teenagers. Though what if it is more? When searching for an answer, keep in mind that everybody is different, meaning there are so many more reasons as to why. Additionally, insecurities can be both physical and mental with them ranging from barely any, or none at all, to way too many. Insecurities can range from a person’s appearance,to a person’s actions not being good enough. Teenagers are more prone to being insecure about themselves seeing as teens are in a state of continuously growing-meaning their physical appearance, and mental state, are always changing. Along with that, a large part of teens today is social media, which affects the way teenagers think of themselves, seeing as it sets a standard to how teens are “supposed” to look and it makes them “obligated” to look that way.
First, the way in which you grew up can make you more insecure; whether it be influenced by your parents/guardians, the people you grew up around, religion, or poverty. All of the ways you grew up can lead to insecurities because as you grow up you are influenced more heavily by the things and people around you. The way that you grow up is a large part of who you are, therefore, if you had any bad experiences those can transform into insecurities. Insecurities such as poverty can be shown through situations such as shopping at the mall with your friends and not being able to afford something. With religion you can be insecure because your religion does not allow things such as eating certain foods or celebrating holidays that are different from everyone else.
Being in school and your life in school is also a big factor for having insecurities with factors such as the people you are around, the people you compare yourself to, and the way you think about yourself in school. The reason behind why you compare yourself so much to others is because teens are still growing and therefore do not know who they are yet, and comparing yourself to others is a way that teens try to figure out who they are. And many times when you compare yourself to others, you can think more badly about yourself.
Finally, social life can highly influence how teens and people in general think about themselves. Teenagers’ social life is highly dependent on who they surround themselves with which influences teens much more in teens younger years seeing as they are still growing. Your social identity is a large part of growing up and is highly influenced by the people around you
All in all, insecurities are detrimental to teenagers’ health, but there is no way to avoid them. Although insecurities cannot be avoided, surrounding yourself with people that you know can reassure you and bring out your good qualities can help.
Pickard, Jordan. “Rising above Teenage Insecurity: Building Resilience and Self-Confidence in an Insecure World • Full Tribe Fitness.” Full Tribe Fitness, 27 June 2023, fulltribefitness.com.au/rising-above-teenage-insecurity/#:~:text=Understanding%20teenage%20insecurity,-Teenage%20insecurity%20is&text=The%20societal%20pressures%20to%20conform,teenager’s%20sense%20of%20self%2Ddoubt.
Hayes, Shaun, et al. “Exploring Links between Social Identity, Emotion Regulation, and Loneliness in Those with and without a History of Mental Illness.” The British Journal of Clinical Psychology, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 9 Feb. 2022, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9544806/.