So this week in class we were talking about Youth Culture and Youth Subcultures. It was incredible. I absolutely loved it. It was amazing to be studying my generation and realizing why I think the way I do. I was super stoked about some of the info that we talked about so I'm going to share some psychology and some Twilight facts with ya'll... yes that's right we spent like 2 hours discussing the infatuation with Twilight. I love YWAM.
Age 14 is one of if not the most vulnerable year where everything is very inconsistant. I can't remember where, but Sarah, our speaker, has this friend on the east coast I believe, who's in uni studying psychology or something along those lines. One of the things they watched or looked at was this brain scan/video thing of a teenage brain (14 or 15) and his father and they compared them. The result of the test was that there was no activity going on in the back of the teens brain (which is where logic and reason is thought through) where as in the adults brain, it's totally normal, firing like it should. Not only does this explain SO much when it comes to teenage boys and their complete lack of danger radar but it also explains the emotions. All of the weight that would normally be distributed between logic & reasoning and emotions all on emotions. HENSE THE EMOTIONAL BREAKDOWNS LIKE EVERY DAY. my mouth literally dropped when she told us this. Our brains at like 13 or 14 start to shut off 30 000 neurotransmitters in the back of our brain PER DAY. That is an obnoxious amount. So parents can't say, "what did you do that for? do you not have a brain!?" and guess why? because the teen literally can't think it through logically. Amazing right? anyways, moving on. We talked a lot about MTV and advertising and how we need to be very deliberate with what we do because businesses target young people because of the influence young people have on families. If they can draw them in (cell phones) they can draw in their parents and siblings etc.
Get this, over 1/2 of the world's total population are under 25 years old. 19/20 choose to follow Jesus BEFORE the age of 25. AFTER 25 the chance of those between ages 25 and 35 that chances of them turning to Jesus changes to 1 in 10 000, between 35 and 45 the chance drops to1 in 50 000 and shockingly after 45 years old the chances of that individual turning to Jesus is 1 in 200 000. So why youth? Why be deliberate? Because it's the best time for them to accept truth before they become "stuck" in their ways. They're still moldable and not desensitized. Everyone else wants them, MTV claims they have them, we need them back. MTV says their goal is to remove logic and hit their emotions and by doing so they've caught them.
Which is where TWILIGHT comes in :).
Why Twilight? ---- escapism: everyone wants a savior and no wants to fight or endure hard times.
---- extremes (emotionally): yp (young people) dont thing rationally or logically (brain scan thing I was talking about earlier.. putting more emphasis on emotions). They make permanent dicissions (like sex, drugs and alcohol which have permanent concequences) and dont see concequences clearly, family ties (Bella has a broken family, shes invited into Edward's strong family unit and protected).
Edward and Bella
----- Bella is "different" and wants to figure her out
----- Edward unconditionally loves Bella even though she doesn't deserve it
----- Bella is the one that doesn't necessarily fit in.
----- Edward makes her feel significat
Why is it popular? Reaches their needs. Emotionally of course.
Mindsets affecting Teens:
1. Changing Moral Foundation -- chaos and confusion. no stability.
2. Changing Family Structures -- look at all the step parents and then ex step parents - point made - no stabilitiy.
3. Media is their mentor -- parents are being friends to their kids and the media is "raising" them. They say the average person by 18 has watched 18 000 hours of TV.. many watch more.
4.Technologically Sophisticated -- information available at their finger tips.
5. Disillusioned and Skeptigcal -- being let down from #1-4
6. Instant Gratification -- no waiting.
We talked about how 12 year old girls are dressing far to "sexy" for their age and what that's doing yet some still think boys are "yucky." They don't actually understand the vibe they are giving off from what they are wearing and they wonder why they get all this attention.
Anyways this week has been oober fascinating and there is way more where all that came from so feel free to ask questions.
As Christians we are the most capable of helping because we are the only ones with the actual answers even if youth may not think so, it's because they haven't experienced emotionally, therefore it cannot be real. They want it instantly and are not willing to work for it or change if they don't see the possibility for instant results.
"Those who are the most capable of helping, are most responsible to do so."

