Experts: Being on 'Teen Mom' Makes Its Stars Unstable

By Jo Piazza Posted Mar 29th 2011 07:00PM

'Teen Mom 2' star Jenelle Evans was arrested for assault over the weekend after a video surfaced of her brutally beating another teen. Evans has also incurred charges of drug possession and breaking and entering.

Her fellow teen mom, Amber Portwood, was arrested in December and spent 24 hours in jail on charges of attacking her baby daddy in front of their two-year-old daughter.

Now experts are raising the question of whether 'Teen Mom' is to blame for taking obviously unstable teenagers and thrusting them into a spotlight they are not ready to handle.

"These are not the most stable girls to begin [with]," says clinical psychologist and HealthGuru.com contributor Jeffrey Gardere. "They have a lot of issues and stresses from being teenagers who are pregnant, and now they are in the public eye. Some of them are making a lot of money, and that is a stress in itself, which can cause some real behavioral issues."

Ready or not, the young parents featured on the show have become celebrities. They are landing big magazine deals and reportedly being paid $60,000 a season. In our celebrity-obsessed culture, where Charlie Sheen is paid to behave like a jerk, and regularly reaps the benefits of his wild antics, these young girls not only think they can do whatever they want, they believe their bad behavior will make them famous.

"These people and their children are pawns in the commodification of parenthood," says parenting expert Ellen Rittberg, author of '35 Things Your Teen Won't Tell You, So I Will.'

"The pursuit of fame has become a goal for them and created a distortion of reality. You can't blame them in a sense. They're young and they have a panoply of problems."

Adding fame to the poor impulse control that got these young women into their unfortunate situation to begin with is a dangerous combination.

"Putting them in the spotlight is extremely dangerous because these are young, impulsive girls," says 'Cult of Celebrity' author Cooper Lawrence. "Instead of thinking, they just act, and with fame comes the ability to act with impunity. Nobody stops you."
Cooper adds that research suggests that fame has the same effects on the brain as addictive drugs. You get a little, you want more -- it's a "feel good all the time" way to live.

"Recent studies show that reality stars are the most narcissistic population by far, more than actors, musicians...more than anybody....so fame and narcissism together make a lethal cocktail, leaving people, especially teenagers, feeling entitled, being completely self-focused and lacking in empathy," Lawrence says.

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Tags: teen mom

Comments

(20)

Tuesday 29 March

By kristine

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reality shows are designed to humiliate the participant. anyone who signs on for this willingly is already unbalanced to begin with.

By maryncland

So...I guess the parents of the these girls are not at all responsible for how things have turned out for their children? ok

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* parents of these girls

correction
*parents of these girls

By themeeker

It not only makes them unstable, it makes them unbearably trashy. Can't someone at MTV realize that they make GARBAGE?

Clearly no one at MTV cares as long as they are getting paid

By evol1

trash is trash, and this girl is trash.... she just thought she may get away with it because she was on teen mom, but being on the show didn't make her unstable, she was already unstable... maybe they paid her to do it, that would be more believable...and these people are not stars...please stop bad mouthing the word......

By Marissa

Have you noticed, not all of these girls are unstable? Yes, they made bad decisions, but some of them are actually owning up to their mistakes, and trying to be the best mom that they can be. Throughout the whole show, Jenelle was causing problems, and has admitted to smoking pot regularly. Don't be so quick to say ALL of these girls are unstable, or crazy.

By lala

you cant say that there are other girls on the show and there not in jail just becose some are unstable its not the tv's fault. and plus i know another tv mom thats causing more mental problems for her children and has a few of her own and dosent get the same flag

By Toni

Oh when will they ever take this garbage off the air? Seriously, these so called reality show's just keep getting lower & lower. Just when you think they can't go any lower & have hit the bottom of barrel, sure enough......they find a way to go lower. The dumbing down of America is alive & well! Very sad!

By me

MTV or More Trash Video is doing a disservice to its youthful and very impressionable audience. Kids watch this drek and think this is how life is supposed to be. Wrong. It is dysfunctional and pathetic to watch. Don't aspire to be anything like the MTV crew-they are hopeless.

By handbagdior

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coach bag >>>styshops

By Ted

As if they weren't already unstable enough. Now they get to cash out on it too!

By J. Carter

I dont think that you can generalize. Yes, Janelle and Amber have had legal issues. So many teenagers have legal issues its not even funny. They happen to be on TV. A lot of what you see on TV is EDITED. Its not like were reading about them in the New York Times. Maybe Star Magazine. Janelle's mother has tried, in her own way, to help. Farrah, with her mom from hell, seems remarkabley well adjusted

Wednesday 30 March

By vickie

leaha is the one with twins....she is a better mother to her twins then most older mothers....so is the father,he is a wonderful guy...Congrats to both of them on their marriage...

By YellowRose3218

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I have always wondered what kind childhood these kinds of girls had. What happened, or what gave them the idea it was alright for them to be a teenager and having a child too.
I had a uncle and aunt, that talked openly about sex in front of their 3 daughters, and how nice it was, and how they loved each other. By the time each girl was 16, they were having a child.
Their parents had money, so that was never a problem, but their reputations were ruined.
I think this is what all parents get when they skip the basics, manners, morals, standards, discipline, and respect, for their selves and others.
I have never seen a girl that was taught these basics, have a child before marriage. Its not hard to teach these simple things, but it is hard to have that kind of a daughter with a child.

By Katy

These girls make their own drama and do drugs on their own. These so called experts are full of crap! They get money and their 15 min. thats just what they sign up for. I'm sick and tired of "experts" blaming everything and everyone else for peoples problems! Keep your expert opinions to yourself. We don't want to hear them!!!

By Sandy

Janelle has to be the worst mom on the show. Thank the gods her mom has custody of her child.

Thursday 31 March

By Taylor

I don't think that it is MTV making these girls the way they are. I think these girls are already like this because of the environment they are in. The cameras and things probably don't help, but I don't think MTV is solely to blame.

By Jayme West

the funny thing is, is that only these two teen moms have been in trouble with the law, the other 6 have been upstanding citizens in their own cities, and great moms, putting their kids first. So how does being a "reality star" on Teen Mom make you bad.... just asking/saying

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