ABSTRACT

Feelings of alienation with peers When teenagers feel that they don’t fit in with their peer group, or are being actively excluded, it can be particularly painful for them. This is because this stage of development is all about moving away from parents and making strong attachments with one’s peers. So, if you have distanced from your parents and then you are not accepted by the peer group, what horrible no man’s land do you find yourself in? The feelings of alienation can be so awful that it can lead to thoughts of suicide. Furthermore, we know that teenagers can be particularly cruel in terms of bullying tactics, such as non-inclusion and the silent treatment. As Donald Sutherland said, ‘If you want to drive somebody mad, isolate them.’ This can be doubly painful at this stage of development, because teenagers just hate feeling they are missing out.