Jealousy apparent in mostly teenagers?

Question

I'm 16, and it seems teenagers and a tendency to be more jealous of other people. I realized that when I was younger, I didn't care what other people had. I know when your an adult it doesn't bother you as much either since you're more mature. Now, The whole jealousy thing with teenagers goes from having certain clothes all the way to having someone's boyfriend/girlfriend. Why is this a time that we basically have what we want, but still want more?

Answer 1

You're over estimating the maturity of adults, really. There are plenty of adult who are still 'jealous' of their peers...their neighbor drives a fancier car, has a bigger house, has a hotter wife, etc., etc. It's human nature to constantly be comparing ourselves to others. What we need to understand and embrace, as teens or adults, is that, as the wise Sheryl Crow once said 'it's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got'.

It's never going to be 'enough' to get to the next level. For example (in the adult world), someone who  makes $32,000 a year looks in yearning to someone who makes $64,000 and thinks their life must be so much easier and better because they have more. Then again the person making $64,000 looks at someone making $100,000 and thinks the same thing. The problem with this thinking is that no matter how much we make most Americans live at their income level and don't save that extra money (the bigger the paycheck the bigger the mortgage/car payment/etc.).

We need to learn to be happy- whether we're teens or adults- we need to learn to accept ourselves and our situations and be happy with them. If there's truly a reason to better ourselves that's one thing but if we're constantly chasing the proverbial carrot (I wear Aeropostale but wish I had Hollister or A&F...) just to 'keep up with the Joneses' then we need to learn to chill out and be happy with what we have.

Great question!!!

Answer 2

When you're a teenager, you're working on establishing yourself and your place in the world.  You're establishing your identity and individuality; your place in the social structure; your friendships and romantic relationships; and your reputation among your peers and adults.  It's hard work!  And if you're not completely confident that your place is secure, you fear that someone might come along and take it away from you.

And that's what jealousy really is... a type of fear.  Fear that someone who is prettier, smarter, richer, funnier, more talented, has more stuff, etc. is going to:

* Take away your friends

* Take away the guy you like

* Take your place in the social structure

* Take your spot of importance on the team or classroom

* Take away your "uniqueness" by doing what makes you special

* Basically, take away the attention and respect that you work so hard to get

Adults can get jealous, too, but you're right... it gets less severe as you get older.  That's because you've finally established your identity and your place in the world.  You've developed friendships that you know will be lasting; you get into a serious, committed relationship with someone you trust; you've developed your talents and have confidence in your abilities.  You're secure with who you are and what you have, so there's no longer that fear that someone will take things away from you. You may wish you had someone else's nice clothes, car, body, etc., but you know that their having it isn't going to take anything away from you.

Answer 3

i'v noticed a lot of teen girl's are like that however i really don't believe i was like that. i got jealous fast when i was little but as i got older i got less jealous. i'm not really jealous anymore because i know there are people jealous of me and i'm lucky to have what i do have. i think we always want more because we feel like the things we want only make us happy for so long then we get bored and want more.....it's a common thing in America....sad and wasteful but still common. also sometimes we don't really know what we have till it's gone.

remember if you think you hate your life remember this; happiness is 9 /10 perception and 1/10 reality.

Answer 4

i see jealousy in other people more as we're teenagers but in myself i think ive actually grown out of jealousy as a teenager. i remember being 8 or 9 and being extremely jealous of others. but now at 15 i dont feel jealous very often. sometimes something will happen where most people would feel jealous and i dont and then i question myself like "why dont i feel jealous?" so i think for me ive actually grown out of my jealousy as a teenager. ((hopefully this makes sense to people other than me))

Answer 5

Because we are so used to getting what we want most of the time so we get more angry when we can't have it. I heard this thing on a radio station that my dad was listening to and it was talking about how this generation is so "spoiled" and doesn't know the value of anything. For example, a kid will get a trophy just for participating in a sports team. Everyone is declared a winner. It's not just teenagers but kids too. We are all used to being treated like we are special.

Answer 6

Because our hormones are raging and we're possessive beasts.

Answer 7

i guess because people are so spoiled now and everyone gets what they want.. so they just want more

Answer 8

Wanting to be like other people. Showing OFf.

Answer 9

maybe because teenagers brains are still developing and they are going through a tough time in their lives

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