Rebels Not Prophets Teenagers are often on the forefront of political activism, especially if their parents have instilled values that make them want to do something dramatic to help earthquake victims, or reverse abortion laws, or, as with these Egyptians in Tahrir Square, topple a repressive regime. However, their political sentiments are not yet the product of their own identity achievement: Given the cognition of adolescence as described in Chapter 15, joining a group protest may be based more on emotion than analysis.