Misconceptions About Young People

On many occasions, we blame young people for problems that are much deeper in society than we think. We attribute these problems to his immaturity and young age, his lack of experience in life in general. Unfortunately, there are many misconceptions about young people.

The great French poet Victor Hugo said that “ in the eyes of the young the flame burns; in the eyes of the old man the light shines”.  However, of course, there is not always light in the eyes of the elderly, just as the flame that ignites the energy in the young is not negative in all circumstances.

Why are there so many misconceptions about young people?

Currently, the attitude and behavior of young people are topics that are much discussed. The conclusions are usually quite negative, the idea that adolescents are carefree and without values ​​prevails. Despite this, we forget the influences of education and the examples of elders.

If parents and social workers did not care enough about the education of young people, what can we expect? It is not a good idea for teaching and education to be in the hands of the media or the Internet. However, we cannot hold parents and educators responsible for this situation, as in all circumstances there is always a confluence of factors that interfere in achieving this result.

Cuban psychologist Manuel Calviño has a very interesting article related to this topic, entitled ‘Youth Fallacies’ and published in his book, “Vale a Pena”. Through it, he invites us to reflect on the amount of misconceptions that, intentionally or not, are spilled on our young people.

It is true that we can hold them responsible for some circumstances, but it is not possible for them to be penalized for everything that happens. Therefore, it is important to know what are the most common misconceptions about youth. Below we will explain some of them.

Not all young people are the same

This is one of the misconceptions about youth that Calviño comments in his book. No two young people are alike, so you can’t judge them all equally. The fact that a child acts without thinking and without measuring the consequences of his actions does not imply that the other, or all, act in the same way.

If we judge and generalize these behaviors to all young people, we are making a mistake. A boy may be more impulsive and reckless because of his age, but is n’t it the same for a large number of adults and seniors?

Perhaps a young person is able to take more risks because he believes he will have time to resolve if something goes wrong. That attitude might be understandable. But if he is an adult, we judge him differently, because we take into account his experience, knowledge, education and the calm that age offers.

Young people are motivated only by fun

It is true that a large number of young people are very motivated by parties, dancing or having fun. But isn’t it also true that they are at an age when they must experience the world on their own feet?

Meeting friends and going out is normal during youth. Now, it’s not true that fun is the only thing that motivates young people. Many of them show a great inclination towards art, culture, knowledge…

In fact, every time a young person feels challenged, he shows his intelligence and efficiency. They show that they can fall in love with what really attracts them. It’s not true that they just like to party.

Young people don’t value what they have

This is another misconception about youth. It is associated with ungrateful, carefree people who are never content with anything. Furthermore, many adults are convinced that young people live only by appearances.

However, young children are not usually the most hypocritical in today’s societies. If they get something they don’t like or find useful, they say it openly. In fact, aren’t we talking about an exercise in sincerity? And besides, have n’t we taught them from childhood the importance of always telling the truth?

They are also criticized for being nonconformist and participating in discussions. But if we educate them to be honest and stand up for their beliefs, isn’t it logical for them to respond, argue, fall in love and take a stand? The problem is not so much the content, but the way to express that content. In this case, we cannot generalize it to young people only. It’s more a matter of personal education.

As we can see, Manuel Calviño was right when talking about the many misconceptions we have about youth. Sometimes we unintentionally internalize these ideas.

That doesn’t mean they don’t make mistakes, of course they make mistakes, like all of us. This is age-appropriate, and  young people want to test their skills and prove them to the limit. Like it or not, it’s your time to try it.