they begin to feel the presence of an ‘imaginary audience’ of others, constantly watching and judging them, a feeling that ‘remains quite high even in adulthood’. Unlike younger people, teenagers are likely to take the evaluations of their peers to be a true indication of their self-worth – or lack of it. As their self-esteem shifts from being based on how they feel in the moment to how they imagine their peers are evaluating them, they begin to crave their approval. Their chase for status can become all consuming.
