Angst and the World

     If you have ever, or will ever, experience adolescence, raise your hand.

In case you were wondering, everyone on earth just raised their hand. Absolutely everyone shares this strange experience of transforming from a child into an adult no matter where they are from. In North America, a common emotion expressed by teenagers is angst, but it’s unclear whether angst is a definitive feature of the coming of age process or if it merely appears as a result of the Westernization.

     Before venturing to far-off continents, let’s gain an understanding of exactly what teen angst is and how it holds its place in the United States and Canada. According to psychologytoday.com, adolescents want to be older than they are but don’t know how to do so and boredom is a product of this uncertain journey. This phenomenon is shown clearly at the end of the school year, when teens are excited for school to finish, but complain about being bored once they’re on break. What is happening here is that teens are freed from responsibility (going to school), but then lacking the freedom in society to do much else, they end up being bored. This misplaced feeling, this boredom, fits hand in hand with teen angst – the frustration that comes with being able to do anything, but still being held back. In order to see if the boredom of adolescence is indeed a defining factor, we have to see if teens in other parts of the world feel the same way.

     In other cultures, the male rites of passage can be brutal. Take these traditions into consideration: jumping over cows, land diving, wearing a bullet ant glove, and more. These activities are commonplace in foreign countries. What these daring actions all have in common is that they are risky, they force the subject to show resilience, strength, and ultimately the characteristics required to move onto adulthood, in order to pass into the adult life. This process is in a position of stark contrast to the one that is seen in North American countries, which is a lengthy ordeal filled with waiting.

      This is where it becomes obvious that angst is in fact not a universal factor of coming-of-age, but is instead one local to Westernized nations. The reason for this is because of what is expected of the teenagers. The traditions mentioned just above require the teen to show strength and a desire to force their way into adulthood, whereas here in North America we are sluggishly bored to death and are left desiring so much more out of life, a prime characteristic of teen angst itself.

     In the end, this difference shows that it’s important to remember that just because things are a certain way locally doesn't mean they are the same way globally. Cultures diverge in positive and negative ways, and without looking beyond your own lawn it’s impossible to see whether your grass is more or less green.