By Amarachi Favour Maduka
The 21st century teenagers are teenagers who are dynamic, strong willed and rational in the things they do. The level at which they operate in terms of trying new things is awestricken.They are vast in the use of technological gadgets sometimes more than adults. They learn new things individually or as a group thereby delving into creative acts that bring us to the realization of the difference between the teens of this era and the teens of the past era. In the light of this, the focus of this piece is the intelligence of the 21st century teenagers.
Intelligence in humans is the ability to think, act flexibly and be mature in all kinds of situations. It is categorised into two; namely: Intelligent quotient(IQ) and Emotional intelligence (EI). Intelligent quotient is a measure of your ability to solve problems and think logically while emotional intelligence measures the ability to understand, manoeuvre and manage emotions (yours and others’). It has a great influence in our successs in life . Emotional intelligence is characterised by self awareness, self control, social awareness, relationship management and so on. It is needed for the proper application of intelligent quotient.
The 21st century teenager has been able to exhibit the knowledge of the application of intelligent quotient in the way they do things which in some instances is a reflection of their exploits either positively in terms of academics, science and technology or negatively in terms of fraudulent acts and other misdeamenors. Taking a look at the rate at which the 21st century has witnessed this influx, exploit and proliferation of intelligence by teens and youth on the society and globally, is this to say that the clamour for independence is a prerequisite for this intelligence? The clamour for freedom is one attitude they portray most times due to the mindset that they can fix their problems. Their technological know-how and prowess makes them feel they are mature enough to understand the world better and faster. This also gives them access to unlimited knowledgeable resources which maybe used positively or negatively as a result they feel they can build their intelligence and confidence on their own.
Can they be left with little or no guidance/supervision as their individuality and personality is becoming sharper? According to research , the teenagers are the world’s most endangered group at the moment. As of 2022, around 40% of the population was aged 15 years and younger compared to a global average of 25%. Without the right guidance they have the capacity to self implode and set the world ablaze. In as much as the teenagers need adequate guidance and supervision, parenting style should not be rigid but should be done through CARE, that is; Create rapport, Assess, Review report and Encouragement.
The next question is, have they been able to harmonize EI and IQ in their endeavours? Considering the fact that these sub-adults exhibit certain attributes of intelligence in their activities notwithstanding, attention needs to be given to their emotional intelligence because it is during this stage they re-examine their identity and try to find out exactly who they are. They are at the threshold of their emotions and are often unable to manage it. This might sometimes degenerate into depression, moodswing as well as conflict among peers and adult around them. As teens grow into adult emotional intelligence becomes tied to internal motivation and self regulation. The application of IQ in terms of what they do has nothing to do with their EI. As a matter of fact the level of emotional susceptibility is at its peak.
Finally, how can they develop their EI? The teenage stage is a period of heightened emotionality. If they can not perceive, understand, regulate and function with their emotions, it will leave indelible mark on their behaviour and personality as they metamorphize into adulthood. EI helps in identifying a problem as well as having the ability to manoeuvre situations without stress and harmonise interpersonal relations. Hence, there is the need to take cognisance of this category of intelligence by the teenagers as this tends to influence their success in life both in academics; facing negative emotions that might disrupt learning such as anxiety during exams, test , project work as well as depression over dissappointing grades. It also makes them understand people’s emotion and how to possibly react without conflict. Above all, it helps them to grow into a well developed adult who is mentally, socially and even physically healthy.
Nonetheless, EI is an evolving skill that can take time and conscious effort to develop but there are some factors that can enhance the quick development of this intelligence such as media, environment,school and parenting style . Prominence should be given to parenting style as a factor, earlier stated. It should not be rigid but should be done with CARE:
Create rapport: there should be open communication between parents and their teenagers . They should be made to believe in their parents to the extent that they can seek recourse from them. Parents should help them identify positive emotions and the negative ones. This is the first step to developing the EI ; identifying emotions.
Assessment: constant check on ways they react to people’s actions, making them correlate and understand the different identified emotions. This will help them know how to react.
Review report: the changes discovered in them as they undergo this process, should be the evidence needed for the development of this intelligence. Nevertheless, reward the little progress noted as this will have a positive role to play.
Encouragement: every individual loves to be commended for any obligation given that was done well . Constant encouragement will help create the platform to establish and develop an implementation plan. This gradually forms a part of their overall personality and perspective which finally develops their emotional intelligence.
The intelligence of the 21st century teenagers should not be envisioned only in the light of their IQ due to their vast knowledge in science and technology and the dexterity they display in this era but their EI should also be perused as their stage is a period of elevated emotionality and they need CARE to harmonize the EI and IQ which will help them become successful and better individuals as they transcends into adulthood.
Amarachi Favour Maduka is a teacher and a teenage coach.