Quintessential, Pavel Belansky

Quintessential

Pavel Belansky

The key word which I find is crucial to adolescent development is quintessential. The meaning of quintessential is defined as being a perfect representation or example of a thing or person. The use of this word lacks much historical significance from my research on it, some origins of the word come from French and Latin, and its noun, quintessence, originally was defined as describing the essence of heavenly or divine (Etymology, n.d.). Therefore historically, the word has always been used to describe examples of perfection. Through my writing experiences I have only come across this word once, yet as a word it has a definition which is essential to the adolescent experience. Its synonyms are crucial to understanding its true meaning and social importance. Similar terms of the word according to Oxford dictionary are: stereotypical, archetypal, classical, typical, prototypical and model. Quintessential encompasses all these words since a perfect example of something must derive from a preconceived perception of the topic in question. In order to formulate an understanding of the characteristics of the example we must incorporate stereotypes, archetypes, and classical views. A major issue with adolescence is the prevalence of stereotypes, where young adults are pressured from teachers, peers and media to fit into certain societally created categories (D’Amico, 2022). In my own experience I have often seen teachers refer to racialized students as the quintessential student athlete, or the quintessential future med student. This puts pressure on adolescents to fit into the norms presented by their peers and educators. Academic research shows that fitting in can be more important to most young students than academic achievement, thus this demonstrates the importance of fitting in (Schall et. al, 2014). Stereotyping can lead to severe mental health issues in adolescence regardless of the stereotype being positive or negative (D’Amico, 2022). If a person is seen as having to be smart or having to be athletic, then they can

become subject to self-fulfilling prophecy, where their success will be influenced by how they or others perceive them instead of what their full potential truly is (D’Amico, 2022). Not only does stereotyping supress talent and potential, but among many teenagers there is a unattainable stride to become the quintessential representation of who they want to be, or they stride to not be the quintessential representation of what they are perceived as (Pickhardt, 2015). In psychology this is referred to as socially prescribed perfection and is described by the American Psychological Association as being one of the three types of perfectionism disorders (Benson, 2003). They find the connection between depression and mental health crises and socially prescribed perfectionism in students. These pressures from teachers, peers, and parents can cause unhealthy and unrealistic goals which then later can manifest as depression and anxiety disorders. In conclusion, in order to avoid further issues resulting from stereotyping of low and high expectations, it is crucial to breed a culture of acceptance, tolerance and reality checks in adolescents’ lives. A culture they are no longer viewed or pressured to be the quintessence of anything, instead, they are just viewed as being their own individual selves with ever changing capabilities and goals. The two sources where we can learn more about the impacts of high expectations and the power of quintessence based stereotypes are an article from Pickhardt (2015) (non-academic) and Schall et. al, (2014) (academic) discusses the importance of belonging in school and gives educators information on how to intervene in cases of exclusion.

References

Benson, E. (2003, November). The Many Faces of Perfectionism. Monitor on Psychology. Retrieved November 17, 2022, from https://www.apa.org/monitor/nov03/manyfaces#:~:text=Socially%20prescribed%20perfect ionism%2D%2Dbelieving,and%20other%20problems%2C%20including%20suicide. D'Amico, P. (2022, August 30). How stereotyping your teen can be damaging. Paradigm Treatment. Retrieved November 17, 2022, from https://paradigmtreatment.com/stereotyping-teen-damaging/ Pickhardt, C. (2015). Adolescent excellence and managing high expectations. Psychology Today. Retrieved November 17, 2022, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/survivingyour-childs-adolescence/201503/adolescent-excellence-and-managing-high-expectations Quintessential (adj.). Etymology. (n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2022, from https://www.etymonline.com/word/quintessential Schall, J., Wallace, T. L. B., & Chhuon, V. (2014). ‘fitting in’ in high school: How adolescent belonging is influenced by locus of control beliefs. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 21(4), 462–475. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2013.866148