We tend to think of history as synonymous with progress, but if progress is measured in terms of mental health and happiness, then we’ve been going backwards, at least since 1950.
In fact, rates of depression and anxiety among children, adolescents, and young adults in the United States have steadily increased over the past 50 years. Currently, between five and eight times as many high school students meet the criteria for a diagnosis of major depression or an anxiety disorder. It’s worth clarifying that this increase in cases is not due to changing diagnostic criteria. Nor is this a phenomenon unique to the United States but is seen in many other countries.
Why?
A look at the studies shows that the increase in these pathologies seems to have nothing to do with the dangers or the degree of uncertainty that different historical periods bring. These problems are not related to economic cycles, wars, or any other type of event that can impact children’s mental state. In fact, did you know that rates of anxiety and depression in children and adolescents were much lower during the Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War, and the 1960s than they are today?
Therefore, this problem seems to be more related to the way children and young people see the world, rather than to the things that happen in their daily lives.
The feeling of control over destiny
If we know anything about anxiety and depression, it’s that both are related to a sense of control, or rather, a lack of control over one’s life. People who feel they have their destiny in their hands are less likely to suffer from anxiety or depression than those who believe they are victims of circumstance.
Of course, one might think that the sense of personal control has increased in recent decades, as there has been real progress in the treatment of illnesses, social well-being has increased, and more information is available to everyone. However, data indicates that the sense of control felt by children, adolescents, and young adults has decreased dramatically.
A meta-analysis conducted at San Diego State University evaluated the locus of control of children ages 9 to 14 from 1960 to 2002. These researchers found that, as with depression and anxiety, there was significant variation, to the point that 80% of children now have an external locus of control, an exaggeratedly high figure.
Therefore, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to think that an increase in externality, at the expense of internality, may be one of the causes of increased anxiety and depression. When people believe they have no control over their destiny, they become anxious, thinking, “Something terrible will happen to me at any moment, and I can’t do anything about it.” This feeling of helplessness can also become so great that it gives way to depression, thinking, “There’s no point in trying; I’m doomed to fail.”
As we move closer to extrinsic goals, we move away from intrinsic goals
These researchers believe that the increase in anxiety and depression is related to a shift from “intrinsic” goals to “extrinsic” goals. Intrinsic goals are those that come from the person, those that they decide themselves, and that are part of their life philosophy. However, extrinsic goals are related to material rewards and the judgment of others.
Today’s children, adolescents, and young adults are more oriented toward extrinsic goals. In fact, an annual survey of first-year college students shows that most want to “be financially well off” rather than “develop a meaningful life philosophy,” unlike what was the case in the 1960s and 1970s.
Of course, this shift toward extrinsic goals is related to having an external locus of control. After all, we have less control over extrinsic goals than over intrinsic goals. If we strive, we can improve our skills, but that doesn’t mean we’ll become rich. If we explore different philosophies, we can find a guiding meaning in life, but that doesn’t mean others will find us more attractive or that we’ll gain more social recognition.
Obviously, as our satisfaction comes from progress toward intrinsic goals, we are able to maintain a certain degree of control over our emotional well-being. But if that satisfaction comes from the judgments and rewards of others, we will be at their mercy, our control over our emotional state will diminish, and, sooner or later, our psychological balance will suffer.
What are the causes of these changes?
This generational shift is determined, above all, by the culture of materialism that has prevailed in recent years, transmitted primarily through television and other media. Children are exposed from a very early age to advertisements and other messages that imply that happiness depends on their good looks, popularity, and material possessions.
This culture doesn’t encourage them to delve into their inner selves, but rather exacerbates our natural tendency to seek the approval of others, a mechanism that is particularly strong during childhood, since, as children depend on adults, they quickly learn that they need a certain degree of acceptance to survive.
Of course, the formation of an external locus and extrinsic motives depend not only on the messages sent by the media, but also on the values transmitted by the family and school, since these ultimately act as filters for social teachings.
The death of free play paves the way for mental disorders
Last but not least, psychologist Peter Gray, a specialist in early childhood education and learning at Boston College, points out that the change seen in the way children play also has an impact. Various studies have revealed that children’s freedom to play and explore independently has diminished considerably in recent decades. However, free play and exploration have historically been the means through which children learn to solve their own problems, take control of their lives, develop their interests, and test their skills and abilities.
In fact, play, by definition, is an activity controlled and directed by the players. Play is fundamentally directed inward, not outward. By depriving children of opportunities to play on their own, away from direct adult supervision or the control of electronic games, we are depriving them of the opportunity to learn to take control of their own lives. We may think we are protecting them, but in reality we are restricting their potential, reducing their joy, and, by preventing them from discovering and exploring new things, diminishing their sense of self-control.
When parents tell children what to do in their games, such as where to put their Lego pieces or what colors to draw, they are not only limiting their creativity but also their sense of control, especially during the early years, when play should be as spontaneous as possible. In fact, it is through play that children solve many of their everyday problems, as they bring situations into the game and recreate them in their imaginations, helping them accept them and find a solution.
Therefore, increasingly directed play, including electronic games that follow perfectly established and unchanging patterns, ends up limiting children’s sense of control, so it is not surprising that they develop extrinsic motives and are at greater risk of suffering from depression and anxiety.
References:
Twenge, J. et Al. (2010) Birth cohort increases in psychopathology among young Americans, 1938-2007: A cross-temporal meta-analysis of the MMPI. Clinical Psychology Review; 30: 145-154.
Twenge, J. et Al. (2004) Its beyond my control: A cross-temporal meta-analysis of increasing externality in locus of control, 1960-2002. Personality and Social Psychology Review; 8: 308-319.
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