Rebellion as a basis for identity that you don't control

Here's a fun idea: perhaps there are people to whom the teenage rebellion years never pass. The rebellion continues into their twenties, thirties, forties - even when they have teenage children of their own, at which point it's impossible to say if they are rebelling against their children, or if their children are rebelling against them, or who is rebelling against whom.

Ridiculous, right? Surely no one rebels that long.

After all, if your constant modus operandi - your identity even - is to rebel against an authority, the media, social conformity, your partner, or the "way things should be done", you're in no control of your identity. And surely you're in control of your identity... or at least you want to be.

Here's another fun idea: what if the rebellion, whatever it's against, is an unconscious process? I mean, it has to be. If it was conscious, you'd see right through the whole thing and realize that your so-called rebellion is nothing more than the opposing force controlling you like a puppet by encouraging you to do the opposite of what they want you to do.

But if the process is unconscious, you have no idea that it's happening, and the opposing force holds your identity in the grip of their hand.  

So what do you think? Is no one like this? Is everyone like this?

...yeah, ridiculous, like I said.

RK out.