Smells Like Coming-Of-Age

Let's be honest... Which teenager has never lashed out at their parents for not allowing them to go to a concert or for forbidding them to get a crazy piercing? Moody teens are natural phenomena. Therefore it goes without saying that angst is a defining feature of the coming-of-age process. Because coming-of-age is defined as the transition from childhood to adulthood, this process usually occurs during the teenage years. As we know, these are the years when teens experience the excitement, confusion and angst of adolescence. During this period in their lives, they are in the midst of realizing some of life's harsh realities that sometimes disrupt their childlike view of the world. As they mature and begin to create their own ideas, they choose to live with these understandings of the world or reject them. 

Kurt Cobain, lead singer and guitarist of Nirvana

Oftentimes when we think of teen angst, a song that comes to mind is "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana. This song is known as a teen angst anthem because of the message it sends. It expresses what it's like to be a teenager: confused, denied, different, rebellious, etc. Teens may feel confused because what they have realized by thinking for themselves begins to overshadow their original innocent view of things. Through exposure to media, teens are in a position to judge realities for themselves. Deciding what values are important to one's self and seeing things from different perspectives is all part of the process of growing up. As they analyze the world, teenagers are not always pleased with what they see which is why angst is prevalent in teens. However, this thought process that distinguishes what is right from wrong is what shapes teenagers into the adults they are becoming.

Although angst could be seen as a behavior problem, it is a positive element in the way that it indicates that a soon-to-be adult has begun the process of self-discovery by thinking for themselves. In other words, becoming an individual who refuses succumb to conformity and who has their own opinions may cause angst in a teen, but it is significant in shaping the adult they will become.