The Y-Generation is More Emotionally Intelligent Than it's Elders

My question: I am 21, turning 22 soon. (I’m 22 at the time of publishing). Have I outgrown my rebellious phase? Is the rebellious phase of searching for autonomy and the self extended due to the influences of modern life (such as social media and technology – just media in general)?

A girl once told me shot got tattoos on her ribs when she was in her rebellious phase, but now she looks to get more tattoos out of pure joy. Does this tell me anything? Is it really out of pure joy or is it her excitement at the chance of a small rebellion – where the adults think she is older and capable of her own decisions – but she really isn’t. I’m not saying that she not capable of her own decisions – what I’m trying to get at is that she might not be over her rebellious phase – stuck in it so to speak – due to her inability to get out of it. Freud would be saying that a person has not accomplished the tasks assigned to them in that certain period of life – but what if the tasks were accomplished and God had changed the period in which it could be accomplished – by slowing down the physical and mental growth process, perhaps? In the case I am referring to, however, there is all kinds of evidence pointing toward an enhanced rate of physical development in new generations in comparison to previous generations. But is social media and early access to it stunting mental and personality development? Or are we seeing the exact opposite?

I think we can conclude that both are true. Some people use social media and the internet to their own advantage – using it for monetary gain and the gaining of information for their own personal or academic development, to enrich their minds – while others just use it to make others think that they look good or that they live really fucking cool lives. What bullshit, bro. The older generations might accuse the younger generation of not reading anymore – where in the contrary, it is almost all that they do. Perhaps the rules of old English grammar and spelling have been thrown out the window (sometimes unnecessarily) by most, still adhered to and loved by many – but not as many as would be encouraged 50 or 60 years ago. This may be due, again, the quick rise of technology and the age and ease of access children and teenagers may have to it. This may be just one problem of technology. But again, we can question the integrity of the question itself: is it really a problem? Many people understand it – many people thrive off it. It gets the job done and it also conveys the message that needs to be conveyed, betraying perhaps only the emotion with which it is heard in the head of the person typing the message.

For example, read this sentence, imagining someone you know sending it to you: ‘’ … I’m gay. ‘’

What did you feel when you read it? If it was fear or negativity toward the person that might have said it – is that your own personal belief getting in the way of the other person expressing themselves and their own personality? If you had told someone you liked dogs, but they liked cats – you couldn’t possibly get angry at them could you? If you do get angry, it’s because you don’t understand it. You don’t understand why someone would like cats over dogs? Is that it? Perhaps it is your subjective experience of cats (perhaps even the way you have perceived them through other people with negative experiences of cats – the power of communication and social media, even a simple picture with a negative comment towards cats can change your attitude toward them)? And now you are letting your subjective experience get in the way of your interactions with someone who needs positive affirmation to make sure that what they are isn’t wrong in the eyes of the world. It’s Freud’s biggest dream – getting misunderstood because people themselves don’t fully understand their inner self. In the same way of liking cats or dogs – you should understand that some people like boys and some people like girls (And that some want to be boys and others want to be girls).

Another part proving that we may be, in fact, mentally maturing faster than older generations is due to the range of emotions we go through on a day to day basis due the things we read online and the messages we get sent by our friends. We are all social creatures – connected through the seemingly invisible – waves of messages and signals. But we are also connected in other ways, which we must not forget.

Let's discuss this, guys! I'm open to your thoughts and ideas!

#generation #generationY #maturity #psychology #emotionalintelligence #discussion

#love #emotions #freud #animals #technology #tattoos #ramble #vent #ideas #intelligence #IQ #EQ