The teenage years are often described as a time of adolescent rebellion, marked by emotional turmoil, family conflict, alienation from adult society, reckless behaviour, and rejection of adult values. 

However, research on adolescents worldwide indicates that only about one in five teenagers exhibit these patterns (Offer & Schonert-Reichl, 1992). 

Most young people feel close to and have a positive attitude toward their parents, share similar opinions on major issues, and value their parents’ approval (J.P. Hill, 1987; Offer, Ostrov, & Howard, 1989). Moreover, contrary to popular belief, apparently well-adjusted adolescents are not ticking time bombs waiting to explode later in life. 

In a 34-year longitudinal study of 67 14-year-old suburban boys, the vast majority adapted well to their life experiences (Offer & Ostrov, 2004).

The few deeply troubled adolescents who come from disrupted families and continue to have unstable family lives as adults tend to reject cultural norms, but those raised in intact two-parent homes with a positive family atmosphere go through adolescence without serious problems and, as adults, enjoy solid marriages and lead well–adjusted lives. (Offer, Kaiz, Ostrov, & Albert, 2002) Still, adolescence can be a tough time for young people and their parents.

The Namibian, in its article of 5 May 2021, on page three, clearly states in percentages that relationship or marriage breakups account for 30.6%, family problems 25.5%, physical and verbal abuse 7%, financial crises 8.2%, depression 41.2%, and rejection 17.5%. 

These are the top traumatic events that trigger suicide. Based on this, it is clear that a child raised in such circumstances will eventually not fully escape acts of rebellion, either toward parents or within society as a whole.

Family conflict, depression, and risky behaviour are more common in the adolescent stage than during other parts of the lifespan (Arnett, 1991; Petersen et al., 1993). Negative emotionality and mood swings are most intense during early adolescence, possibly due to the stress associated with puberty. 

Some research suggests that rebellion should be more common in technologically advanced cultures, where there is a gap between feeling like an adult and having the rights and responsibilities of an adult. 

It is also argued that some level of anti-social behaviour in the teenage years is developmentally normal (Moffat, 1993). By late adolescence, emotionality tends to become more stable (Larson, Moneta, Richards, & Wilson, 2002).

Recognising that adolescence can be a challenging time helps parents and teachers put problematic behaviour into perspective. However, adults who assume that storm and stress are normal may miss the signals from the relatively few young people who need extra help. 

One way to evaluate changes in adolescents’ relationships with important people in their lives is to observe how they spend their discretionary time. The amount of time adolescents spend with their families decreases during the teen years. However, this disengagement is not a rejection of the family but a response to developmental needs. 

Early adolescents often retreat to their rooms; they seem to need time alone to step back from social demands, regain emotional stability, and reflect on identity issues (Larson, 1997). 

Cultural differences in time use reflect varying cultural needs, values, and practices (Verma & Larson, 2003). 

Young people in tribal or peasant societies spend most of their time meeting basic needs and have less time for socialising than adolescents in technologically advanced societies. In some post-industrial societies like Korea and Japan, where schoolwork and family obligations are demanding, adolescents have relatively little free time. 

To relieve stress, they often engage in passive activities, such as watching television and “doing nothing” (Verma & Larson, 2003). 

Meanwhile, in India’s family-centred culture, middle-class urban eighth graders spend 39% of their waking hours with family, compared to 23% for eighth graders in the USA, and report feeling happier when with their families than their American peers. 

For these young people, adolescence is not a time to detach from the family but to become more connected with it. 

As the English poet William Wordsworth wrote, “The child is the father of the man.” 

This developmental pattern also applies to adolescence. 

The relationship with parents during adolescence, including the level of conflict and openness in communication, is largely rooted in the emotional closeness established in childhood and adolescent relationships. 

It also sets the stage for the quality of future relationships with a partner in adulthood. Just as adolescents experience tension between dependence on their parents and the desire to break away, parents want their children to be independent but find it difficult to let go.

Based on the information provided, the concept of rebellion should not be dismissed as a myth but recognised as a real and significant truth that people from all walks of life must not ignore.

Parents must walk a delicate line between giving adolescents enough independence and protecting them from immature lapses in judgment. What happens in the adolescent’s world is important, but it isn’t the whole story. Every capable person has a role in shaping the writing of human development history for ourselves and our society as long as we live.

*Reverend Jan A Scholtz is the former chairperson of the //Kharas Regional Council and former! Nami#nus constituency councillor. He holds a Diploma in Theology, B-Theo (SA), a Diploma in Youth Work and Development from the University of Zambia (UNZA), as well as a Diploma in Education III (KOK) BA (HED) from UNISA.