> Pretty much. Children aren't smart enough to do anything other than mimic what adults teach them. So-called "High school drama" is socialized into them by cultural institutions. Be it family life, or television, or the books they read. They're only acting out what they know real people (and made-up people) do. Part of it is that children are expected to act this way in school, and part of it is that children are "practicing" the construction of their own societies, and they model them after what they see their elders do.

This makes sense to me, except that I don't think it's that simple. It makes more sense that this is one factor in many. Emotional maturity must certainly play a key part. These are the puberty years and just after, when people haven't figured out how to handle new emotions and drives internally, let alone externally, and so of course that will manifest itself as socially immature behavior, even were the adults in their lives great role models (which, in some cases, they are).

I think we can agree it's a ratty time of life all around.