To learn more about teenage independence and this strong urge to stand out from the crowd and discover new personas, we reached out to Cameron Caswell, Ph.D., an adolescent psychologist, family success coach, "teen translator", and the host of Parenting Teens with Dr. Cam podcast. For over two decades, she has set out on a mission to help parents build strong relationships with their kids through improved communication, connection, and understanding, and has even published a book called Power Phrases for Parents: Teen Edition.

According to Dr. Cam, most teenagers have an extremely strong desire for independence. After all, adolescence is the bridge from childhood to adulthood, so it’s only natural for them to want to spread their wings and seek out their personalities. "It’s hardwired in their brain to become independent. Thank goodness, otherwise they might live in our basements for the rest of their life," she told Bored Panda.

Nearly every mom and dad wish to see their children grow up to be confident, self-reliant adults, though it makes parenting them a lot more difficult, Dr. Cam argued. "It often feels like they push back and fight us at every turn. This may come across as disrespect to parents, but it’s actually their best attempt to have a voice and exert agency over their own lives."

For better or worse, many of us never forget our teenage years. The perplexing mood swings, the parental pressure, and the desperate struggles for popularity are just a few things that make us glad those days are long gone. And let’s not forget how we used to protest just about everything we laid our eyes on and were obsessed with who we wanted to become in the future. What we often tend to overlook, however, is that it was also the time for experimentation and self-exploration (although some of us never stopped looking!). We used to test limits and look for alternative lifestyles, which often resulted in us trying out edgy hair colors and styles, clothing, piercing, and much more.

The psychologist explained that this urge to adopt new looks and create fresh personalities arises because adolescence is all about self-discovery. "Along with their desire for independence is a yearning to be their own person. Up until now, their identity was strongly influenced by their family. Now they realize that there are far more options available to them," she told us.

"They want to figure for themselves what works for them. They try out different friend groups, fashions, and favorites to see what fits. They question their religion, sexuality, gender identity, and political beliefs," Dr. Cam continued. "The more freedom they have to explore, the more confident they will be in the choices they make."

But as you probably noticed from this compilation of pictures, teenagers' wish to carve out their own path to be different than the people around them often shows up in hilarious fashion choices. "Donning the trends of the season is one of the easiest things we can do to 'fit in'. That’s why it’s so important to our teens to wear a specific brand of shoes, style their hair a certain way, and keep up with the fads. It gives them a sense of belonging," Dr. Cam noted and added that there’s no way for us to avoid making these cringe-worthy mistakes. "Even if we could, why would we want to? Think of all the tears of laughter we’d miss out on," she added jokingly.

However, while teenagers feel pulled toward autonomy, they also seek to connect with others and be a part of something bigger than themselves. The adolescent psychologist told us that in addition to wanting to be their unique self, teens also crave a sense of belonging. "Although they may push the boundaries to stand out from the social norms they grew up with, they don’t want to stand alone. Instead, they find a group that accepts their new persona and adapts to blend in with them," she added.

Dr. Cam believes that teenagers get a bad rap. "Remember, they are learning to navigate a huge world on their own, figuring out who they are and what matters to them, experiencing love and heartbreak for the first time, and still expected to keep their grades up and do their chores. If you think about it, they’re pretty remarkable," she concluded.