During adolescence, teenagers desperately try to fit in. rather than being gratified with their individuality, they try to behave like someone they think would be preferred more. Teenagers all around the world are judged for their opinions, looks, personality, behaviors etc. Due to this many of them develop a fear of rejection where they feel that it is better to follow the cliched lifestyle and they choose to be banal rather than accepting themselves for who they are. Teens tend to portray themselves as someone that's not the real them to please people so that they’ll be accepted in a certain ‘popular’ group. Fear of rejection - an irrational fear that comes up when we think that the society won't accept due to our personalities, opinions, looks, culture, beliefs, values or behaviors - is a fear that can be crippling and terrifying.
People who have a fear of rejection live their whole life under a mask hiding away their true personality. This can have an everlasting impact on their lives and can become worse if not treated. Such people are prone to hiding their true identities to such an extent that they forget who they truly are within. Teens with a fear of rejection have low self-esteem and are insecure about themselves all the time. They tend to take other’s opinions of themselves instead of their own to feel better. The constant fear of being judged and
being rejected makes us do certain things we would never do otherwise and hence they impact our daily life choices, actions and decisions. These irrational fears are also likely to affect career options, relationships as well as daily life social interactions with other people. It's important to keep in mind that every single person has their likes and dislikes, their own personality, views, opinions. Living in the fear of being rejected will only make us doubt ourselves more. We should take pride in who we are as a person and try to embrace our individuality. Even though you can't change what people think about you or how they view, what you can change is how you view yourself. So embrace yourself, because you are valid. Aanya Makhija XI