Why teenagers act crazy sometimes is the name of this article, but I found what they had to say abotu the amygdala, anxiety, and the formation of PTSD in adolescence very, very interesting. Thanks to Rantwoman for this link!

It's really pathetic, but at the most basic level, all I want out of the people I love is to feel that I'm good enough and that they feel the same way towards me as I do them. That doesn't sound like much, yet it does not happen. :-(

I will never understand why people who are blessed with social popularity aren't simply content to bask in the glory of having lots of friends/acquaintances. Why, with all that love and attention, isn't it enough? Why do many of them feel the need to misuse this gift via various social headgames/manuevering/cliques, etc? I like to think that if I were popular, I'd befriend the underdogs and behave especially kindly towards other people, especially if I were an extrovert who enjoyed being aroung people. I like to think that I'd be basically the same person I am now, except that I'd be socially savvy, relish human company/energy and have lots of friends. That I'd still be the same doggedly loyal person I am now, only new-shiny-better-improved-loved extra more, that I wouldn't take people for granted.

But maybe it doesn't work that way. Perhaps the primary reason I'm the way that I am is because the friends that I do have are prized, because there aren't many of them. Maybe if I had more friends than time, I'd cherrypick, high grade, and put some of them into fairweather only categories.

If friends were easy and readily available, would I drop everything and make personal sacrifices to go help them with some crisis or emergency, especially if it were one that wouldn't affect me if it went to hell? I like to think that I would, but realistically....maybe at some point triage comes into play. :-/