Personal Fable and Imaginary Audience

[Zay]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_fable
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imaginary_audience

In short, these two concepts show that teens think their life is special and that everything should work ideally.

In long, I wonder if the psychologists that came up with this aren't just rationalizing away and dismissing the capacity of kids to be astute and see right through all the mass-market, fake ethics shoved down our throats and rebelling against it before getting older and realizing that it's much, much, much, much, much harder than it seems to make any meaningful difference in the world. They make idealism seem like it's just a trivial phase that kids go through before "maturing."

[Nero]

Originally Posted by Zay

They make idealism seem like it's just a trivial phase that kids go through before "maturing."

But that's the truth. The world will never change and will never be a utopia, despite our best efforts (and many, many, many very capable people have tried). No, it's not because of negative nancies like me. It's because we forget that we're just biological organisms who've been conditioned to believe we're this free thinking, sentient, rational "I" and that values, morals and any concept of an ideal future are anything more than ideas in our heads based on our culture at this place and time.

[Figure-8]

Originally Posted by Chi

The world will never change

Impossible.

Originally Posted by Chi

and will never be a utopia

Well that's just a matter of opinion!

[AdMech]

Originally Posted by Chi

The world will never change

But it's changing all the time.

[Nero]

Originally Posted by AdMech

But it's changing all the time.

Yes, poor choice of words. I mean to say that we can't direct it to change into what we want it to. Idealism is about as realistic as believing you can grow up to be Batman if you just tried hard enough.

[Duelist]

tell that to bruce wayne....

[Flex Rigid]

Originally Posted by Zay

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_fable
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imaginary_audience

In short, these two concepts show that teens think their life is special and that everything should work ideally.

I don't see how you connect these two with idealism.

If someone believes that he is the only one who experiences the world in a certain way, wouldn't that take away from any idealist leanings?

In long, I wonder if the psychologists that came up with this aren't just rationalizing away and dismissing the capacity of kids to be astute and see right through all the mass-market, fake ethics shoved down our throats and rebelling against it before getting older and realizing that it's much, much, much, much, much harder than it seems to make any meaningful difference in the world. They make idealism seem like it's just a trivial phase that kids go through before "maturing."

I see it as more of an attempt to understand the difficulties of being a teenager.