We as individuals share the world with others we fear, hate, or envy. We inhabit the earth with individuals we respect, love, and admire. There are many individuals we can't quite figure out and this makes us disregard them. Why is it that we spend the most physical and mental energy on those individuals who fall into the negative categories of fear, hate, or envy? In this collection of essays, Leonard Clark explores the philosophical, psychological, political, and cultural manifestations of these negative emotional states. Why are we all so paranoid, irritated and agitated?

NEURONFLASHING THE POLEMIC

IRRITATED WITH HUMANITYBy LEONARD L. CLARK III

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2012 Leonard Lee Clark III, M.A. ED.
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4772-7729-4

Contents

Foreword.....................................................................xiIntroduction.................................................................xix1. Irritation with the Actions of Younger Generations........................12. The Irritated Citizen.....................................................133. Irritated With Technology: Arguments from the Luddite.....................354. The Irritated Teacher.....................................................455. Irritated With Those Not Like Us: Limbic Resonance........................616. Irritated with the Media..................................................677. Irritated With Having Something to Prove..................................778. Irritated with Every Driver on the Road...................................85Afterword....................................................................93Terms Defined................................................................95References...................................................................97

Chapter One

Irritation with the Actions of Younger Generations

"Young people are indifferent to the adult world and to the future, indifferent to about everything except the diversions of toys and violence. Rich or poor, school children who face the 21st century cannot concentrate on anything for very long, they have a poor sense of time past and time to come. They are mistrustful of intimacy because they have been divorced from parental attention, they hate solitude, are cruel, materialistic, dependent, passive, violent, timid in the face of the unexpected and are addicted to distraction" —John Gatto

Are you irritated because the people in your peer group no longer can relate to the thought patterns and behaviors of younger generations? Do you wish young people had more respect for older traditions, music, and institutions? Do you feel out of place because new music, television shows, and fashions are often offensive and defy your understanding? Are you irritated with young people who refuse to listen to your advice? Many of the causes of irritation with younger generations can be attributed to the traditional cycles of adolescence and the search for identity many young people engage in. But what of the young who don't see the value of any traditional notions of finding their place in the world or of community and society building? What of the young who don't see the value of formulating an identity that can benefit others in addition to just themselves? These are the people in our younger generations who cause great irritation.

Young people do not value opinions outside of their peer group

Young people value peer relationships. Peers exert powerful influences and pressures to conform on each other Rathus (2011). For those young people who have highly involved parents, elders, and/or caregivers in their lives, the experiences given to the young person by these individuals involve many insights into what it means to mature. Much of the irritation we experience with younger generations is due to the fact that as older persons, we offer advice and guidance, but many young people refuse to accept the advice and disregard the advice as useless. Many young people think that older people are "out of touch" and can't understand what they as younger people are going through. Young people are irritating because they attempt to educate older people on the dynamics of their current situation. Young people fail to understand that older persons have "been there and done that" and possess greater wisdom concerning outcomes and ways of handling different situations. The experiences and mind-set of younger people are just that, the mind-set of someone young and much less experienced.

Young people benefit from relating to peers because peers have interests and skills that reflect being part of their respective generation. This phenomenon is the cohort effect and it will be discussed later in the chapter. Because peers differ in personality and circumstances, young people who interact with their peers are able to broaden their understanding of the world (Rathus 2011), however, many older people become irritated because young people value the opinion of peers solely and reject the opinions of concerned adults.

The young brain as different from the adult brain

Research shows the some behaviors of the young mind are natural. Let's take a further look into the mind of the young person. Judith Newman 2010) in her essay Inside the Teenage Brain states:

In the past few years, research has shown that the brain of a teen really is different. Two technologies—PET scans (positron emission tomography) and fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging)—have enabled us to study how the brain changes over time. What researchers have shown is that the teenage brain is still very much a work in progress and functions quite differently from an adult's. True, there are areas (particularly those dealing with motor control and hand/eye coordination) that are as well-honed as they will ever be. (That is one reason why your teen can already whip you at computer games.) But there are other areas—not surprisingly, the ones responsible for things like planning ahead and weighing priorities

Research also states that dopamine levels are also not yet at optimal levels during adolescence. Dopamine is the chemical messenger that allows us to do constant triage in day-to-day life, so we can figure out what to pay attention to and what is background noise. Without adequate levels, life can be a disaster. Needless to say, much of the irritation many of us experience with younger people is a result of body chemistry and physiology.

Are we to blame for the behaviors of our young people?

Another point to recognize is the fact that much of the irritation we experience with younger generations is our own doing. On the surface, the irritation experienced by older members of society appears to be justified. Watching young people navigate through their world with what might be interpreted as reckless abandon can create a large amount of angst for the individuals who have walked that same path and want to prevent those same growing pains. Often referred to as the "lost generation", the reaction among many elders to the attitudes and dispositions they often display is that they want everything handed to them and have no appreciation for the struggle necessary to make it in life. While members of older generations are more than likely inclined to think that the condition of young people today is as a result of their own choices. Exploring and analyzing the environment that created such attitudes reveals that the source of the irritation might be of an internal origin. In an attempt to grant future generations the opportunities and experiences that they were denied or had to struggle for, members of an older generation inadvertently created a group of young people who have no appreciation or understanding of the struggle. Growing up in a time when individuals had to fight for basic civil rights, education for all wasn't a given and hard work was the only way to survive, many older individuals sought to spare their descendents the intimate details of living through such a tumultuous time. The nonchalance evident in members of younger generations was a mirror reflecting the job that their predecessors had failed to do. We have spoiled them and caused them to expect instant gratification. Growing up in a time when you had to work for everything you got taught those who had to work for it the value of a good work ethic. While the older generation was learning and appreciating that lesson little thought was given to how that lesson would be taught to future generations as society changed, the economy improved and major advances in technology were made. We are feeling the effects.

Our customs are to blame also. In the culture of America, where "newer is better", this mindset subconsciously influences children to disrespect older traditions. For example, in the Samoan culture, children are taught to respect their elders. At the dinner table, young people usually don't talk; only the "elders" talk, and young people are expected to listen quietly without making a contribution to the discussion. Perhaps many of you feel that this practice limits the thinking skills of the child or makes the child feel like he or she is insignificant, but this is an example of custom, culture and tradition. Perhaps, if American culture across the board put a limit on the importance of input from the young, some instances of disrespect would be diminished.

Erikson's theory of psychosocial development as a key to understanding

There is a conceptual backdrop that can be used to explain the motivations of the young and old alike. This conceptual backdrop is the theory of psychosocial development proposed by Erikson and it can help to explain the disconnect that occurs between younger generations and older generations. Erikson viewed the developmental changes occurring throughout an individual's life span as a series of eight stages. Erikson suggests that passage through each of the stages necessitates the resolution of a crisis or conflict. Accordingly, Erickson represents each stage as a pairing of the most positive and most negative aspects of the crisis of that period. Although each crisis is never fully resolved, due to the fact that life becomes more complicated and complex as we grow older, each stage has to be resolved sufficiently to equip us to deal with new demands made during the succeeding stages of development. Four of Erikson's stages occur during childhood, while the remaining four stages occur during adolescence into late adulthood. The last four stages will be the focus of our discussion as the final two stages of Erickson's theory explain why many older adults find irritation with younger people. Erikson's theory emphasizes the search for identity during the adolescent years and the acceptance of one's path and accomplishments in late adulthood.

The fifth stage of Erikson's theory and the first stage applicable to our discussion is Identity vs. role confusion (stage 5/8). During this stage teens experience the need to discover who they are and to develop a sense of identity. To the casual observer, young people seem to be perpetually in the stage of finding their identity. The crisis of this stage is usually overcome, but it is still a source of irritation for others as the young person finds his or her way. Conflicting identities often lead to role confusion. When teens go through the process of developing a sense of identity, older adults get irritated because young people often fail to notice that older adults often have the best interests in mind of the adolescent. Older adults do not want the teen to make costly mistakes while they are young that will have negative consequences for the individual as the reach adulthood. Due to the fact that the majority of adults have gone through the identity phase of their lives and some can look back in hindsight at certain things that could have been done differently to affect a more positive future, irritation is experienced while trying to guide adolescents from making those same mistakes or while watching adolescents make those same mistakes.

Many of the actions older adults deem as "mistakes" that are made by the young in trying to find an identity involve altering physical appearance, adopting alternate philosophies and lifestyles, and using drugs. These measures are adopted as the teen tries to find his or her purpose, which coincides with the existential goal of living authentically, but the consequences can be detrimental. The adult becomes irritated that the youngster is unwilling to heed constructive advice and warnings.

Intimacy versus isolation (stage 6/8) is the next stage and it occurs during young adulthood. Individuals in this stage achieve intimacy if they're able to open themselves up to others and share feelings and experiences. Isolation occurs when intimacy isn't established. Older adults get irritated with the young during this phase when the young adult experiments with promiscuity or possibly same-sex relationships. Due to the fact that many young adults are at the height of their attractiveness and have a mentality that they can slow down when they get older and that the present is to be lived and enjoyed carelessly, older adults get irritated because they can see the negative consequences of this approach to life (e.g. unwanted pregnancy or the disruption of an education).

Generativity versus stagnation (stage 7/8) is the next stage an individual goes through as they mature further. Generativity vs. stagnation occurs during middle adulthood. The term generativity for Erickson means working to help yourself and others find a fulfilling balance among work, play, and intimacy. In short, generativity is largely about balancing self-concern with concern for others. If your past achievements have been few, moving toward generativity may be difficult. The alternative to generativity is stagnation. Stagnation is a sterile, empty focus on self. Erikson identifies the challenge of middle adulthood as living for yourself or living for the benefit of others and society. Irritation with the young occurs within the older individual who is experiencing this phase of life. The older adult feels the need to perform a debt to society in the form of giving helpful advice to or mentoring a younger person. The irritation creeps in when the younger person does not willingly accept the advice of the older individual, thereby, causing the older individual to feel that they have failed in positively resolving this stage.

Integrity versus despair (stage 8/8): is the eighth and final stage that occurs in late adulthood when the individual assesses whether he or she has lived a life that is truthful to oneself. If that individual has been true to him or herself, he or she can't be false to any other. You live your life as well as you can, owning up to your mistakes, taking responsibility when others haven't, and allowing your gains in life to be of value to both yourself and to others. In a world that encourages competition at any cost, integrity often goes unnoticed. A person in this stage will experience despair if he or she hasn't developed a sense of integrity. The older individual begins to despise younger persons who display no integrity simply because they are faced with the challenge of recognizing that they chose to live with it or the guilt of not having it at all. The older individual is either shocked by his or her "reflection" in the actions of the young person, or jealous of the young individual's ability to develop integrity at such a young age.

The discussion of Erickson's stages is strictly to form a conceptual backdrop for possible reasons why there is a disconnection between older and younger generations and what each individual, whether old or young is going through when perceived by the opposite age range. Having the conceptual backdrop does little to help soften the blow of the perceived actions of the younger generation. The fact still remains that young people oftentimes irritate those who are older.

The infinite amount of time orientation of young people

Young people have no clue about how precious and scarce time is. They waste time in an offhand way. Young people reason that they are young and life is long and they have time to relax. Then one day they realize that the end of life gets closer and they realize that the years have passed. The realization of the finite nature of time and how one has lived one's life is a subjective exercise and as such is existential. When individuals reach old age, and recognize that there is little time left, they become disappointed at the meager accomplishments they have had in their lives. Individuals will recall with dismay and sadness all of the things they had hoped and dreamed and planned to do, but have never done. This could be a consequence of foolishly assuming that life is long and there is time to kill today. Individuals should recognize and confront the impending finality of our lives and take full advantage of the limited time available to us to make our lives meaningful. The realization of those who have grown older and wiser that it is important to take advantages of life's opportunities and not depend on tomorrow fuels the irritation many older people have with the young. Although it is human nature to seek individual happiness and purpose, why do many young people disregard and mock the common wisdom of those who have gone through many of the trials and tribulations of living before? This is why young people are irritating, for older adults can offer nurturance, guidance, and sympathy for the young as they face issues, but in many instances, the younger generation exhibits no mutual respect for the insight or the existence of the older generation. Is this behavior on the part of the young learned? Or is this behavior a natural consequence of being an adolescent or young adult? It is my assumption that the majority of the disrespect is learned. In other words, disrespect is nurture, not nature. This observation causes me great irritation as I am willing to bet it causes many of you irritation. If many of our behaviors are learned from the social aspect of our environment (peers, family, and strangers) why can't positive actions be learned to cancel out the manifestation of the negative behaviors?

(Continues...)

Excerpted from NEURONFLASHING THE POLEMICby LEONARD L. CLARK III Copyright © 2012 by Leonard Lee Clark III, M.A. ED.. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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