I’m 17 and very sensitive to graphic content. Does this mean I’m immature?

‘Since the Greeks we’ve thought that getting close to difficult emotions through fiction might let us process them in an environment where we know they can’t hurt us,’ writes Eleanor Gordon-Smith. Painting: A Seated Young Woman Resting her Head in her Hand by Bertha Wegmann. Illustration: Wikimedia Commons

I’m 17, and feel like a sore thumb among my peers due to my aversion to almost everything stereotypically adult. I don’t want to consume drugs or alcohol, I’ve never been in a relationship and, in particular, I’m very sensitive to graphic content.

Earlier this year, I tried to warm myself up to several films featuring either explicit violence or sex, but a part of me felt uncomfortable beyond what was probably intended by the film-makers. The entire time, it felt as if I was pushing down my real self. After consuming various media, I quit the process of numbing myself, retreating back to only films and television with “moderate” or “mild” classification ratings.