adolescent paradigms

Most teens believe negative statements about themselves at one time or another. These beliefs or paradigms are very strong and very real emotions for the person who believes them.

Paradigms are often formed in childhood when children are highly sensitive to what is going on around them. They hear and see things that are not always accurate from their parents, other adults, siblings, and the media. This causes their beliefs about themselves to become distorted.

Here are some statements that most teens believe:

1. Nobody understands me.

2. Nobody cares about me.

3. Everyone is more popular than me.

4. Nobody loves me.

5. I feel ugly.

6. I feel stupid.

7. I feel like running out of the house.

8. Everyone is more handsome than me.

9. I just wish everyone would leave me alone.

10. My parents treat me like a baby.

11. Everyone is smarter than me.

12. I really want to cry.

13. Sometimes I feel like I’m going crazy.

14. Everyone looks at me.

15. Anywhere in the world would be better than here.

16. Everyone is happier than me.

17. I feel worthless.

18. I have no purpose.

19. Everyone wants to catch me.

20. I just don’t measure up.

There is a problem with believing these paradigms or statements. They are all inaccurate or incomplete, even if we are convinced that they are true. Our paradigms or beliefs can lead us astray and create limitations. They result in negative thinking that makes us look at life with a negative perspective.

Paradigms are like glasses and when you have an incomplete or incorrect paradigm about yourself or life in general, it is like wearing glasses with the wrong prescription and not seeing things clearly. Your incorrect belief could cause you to see something completely opposite of what it really is.

Paradigms are constantly changing as we learn and grow, and adolescent paradigms are often temporary. Once we become young adults, these mistaken beliefs will change or become unimportant when we realize that they are not true at all.

It is important that we are aware of these mistaken beliefs and try to develop a positive outlook so that we do not carry them with us into adulthood. We have to work hard to change those gray colored glasses that we wear and let us see life clearly.