Growing up in uncertain times
From my window, I can hear the hustle and bustle in the courtyard below me - it's orientation week at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. But this year the sounds are more subdued. It is noticeable that the many Chinese students who were unable to enter the country due to travel restrictions are missing.
Over the next few weeks, a new chapter in their lives will begin, and not just for students. Across Australia, young people are preparing for an important stage in their lives: the transition to secondary school. Both educational environments will have a formative impact on young people. They promise new learning, challenges for body and mind, friendships and first loves. So why are so many people afraid of them? And why are more and more young people struggling with these transitions? So difficult that they sometimes lead to lifelong psychological problems?
Mental stress is increasing among young people worldwide
Transitions in adolescence are characterised by changing environments and new responsibilities, and youth has long been seen as a time of uncertainty. But the new school environment alone cannot explain why we are seeing more and more psychological stress among young people around the world today. What about the general insecurities they experience around them?
The students down in the courtyard are starting their new phase of life just as the Australian bushfires are being replaced by floods. They don't know which parts of the country will still be habitable or affordable when they want to build their own homes. They worry about air quality and the consequences for the children they want to have one day. And they experience the negative impact of natural disasters and pandemics on the Australian economy.
Unlike the baby boomers and their children, today's young people were born into an unstable world.
Young people entering secondary school this year were born at the height of the global financial crisis and young graduates grew up in volatile times. Unlike the economic climate into which the baby boomers and their children were born, we cannot rely on stability today, and news of volatile markets and economic bubbles are commonplace. So today's young people face an uncertain economic and environmental future.
However, the greatest insecurity these young people face and fear is their new social environment. Young people react very sensitively to social rejection, especially from classmates, and this has a negative impact on the development of their sense of self. Recognition is the most valuable asset for them.
Most adults can vividly recall embarrassing moments in front of their classmates (I, for example, accidentally spat my salad in the face of the boy I was head over heels in love with) or deep-seated, painful rejection. And perhaps these adults also remember seeking refuge in their room, a non-social space. However, in the age of social media and mobile devices, it has become difficult to find a place that is free from social control.
At school, everything revolves around secure knowledge and facts
Surprisingly, this does not seem to be a problem for most young people. A large-scale study of more than 350,000 young people and prospective studies show that there is hardly any connection between mental health problems and the use of mobile devices in the population as a whole.
However, research also shows that people react differently to social and other uncertainties. A high intolerance to such insecurities is a known risk factor for depression and anxiety disorders, two areas that are on the rise. Young people who react sensitively to insecurities may therefore suffer from the social omnipresence they have known since their first smartphone.
Our society is geared towards equating progress with the elimination of uncertainty.
At school, everything revolves around learning what is certain, having tangible facts. Indeed, our entire society is geared towards equating progress with the elimination of uncertainty. We want to predict the weather, stock market movements and the future of our oceans. We should continue to do so, but in the knowledge that the unexpected, the unpredictable and the increasingly rapid pace of change are all part of the equation.
Learning to deal with uncertainty
How can we prepare young people for this flood of uncertainty? Helga Nowotny, an Austrian sociologist and former president of the European Research Council, suggests that we rethink how we introduce children to uncertainty, starting in primary school. In her opinion, learning to deal with uncertainty is one of our most important cultural resources.
Scientists are aware that everything we learn can be refuted, and research, Nowotny writes, is «a powerful, systematic process that seeks to dispel uncertainties, only to be confronted with new uncertainties». If we raise awareness of this process in children and society as a whole, our young people may be able to face their extremely uncertain future with greater resilience.
This text first appeared in English on BOLD - Blog on Learning and Development.
