The mysterious and unspoken secrets of life can be a source of fascination for young people. The bildungsroman quest for identity is often coupled with a protagonist's attempts to decode a range of secrets. Jamaica Kincaid's work of fiction, "Annie John" (1985), illustrates this journey. In this novel, the female protagonist's maturity…

Many myths about adolescence have been refuted by research, but similar myths have grown up in recent years around emerging adulthood. This essay addresses three of those myths: the claim that they suffer from a normative "crisis"; the accusations that they are "selfish"; and their alleged reluctance to "grow up" and become adults. For each issue,…

The role of the counselor in analyzing institutional features and curriculum plans of middle schools so that they become self-enhancing, safe, sane environments for adolescents is discussed. (BL)

Attacks the trend in recent young adult novels to focus on individual adolescents and their self-centered concerns without having these characters confront the consequences of their actions and their effects on other people. Specifically examines the novels of Judy Blume and Alice Bach. (RBW)

Mourning which results from loss of country and the threat to identity posed by the migration process are examined. Attention is given to nostalgia, similarities between a parent and a country, and between parent loss and loss of country. Parallels between parents and country are highlighted in a case vignette. (IAH)

The author, born with a severe visual impairment, addresses the tendency of adolescents with visual impairments to try to hide the disability and "pass" as unimpaired with their peers. It is suggested that these adolescents be helped to find a comfortable balance between taking excessive risks and allowing visual impairment or blindness to be an…

An interview with a counselor who leads wilderness vision-quests discusses risk-taking as an element of adolescent development, the development of a fear of death, recognition of the universal nature of that fear, the lack of rites of passage in modern society, and the ways in which wilderness experiences can foster self-discovery and spiritual…

Argues that American society is homophobic. Claims that one of the negative consequences gay/lesbian youth face when living in a homophobic environment is the internalized belief that acceptance is based upon how well one can hide one's identity. Explores some of the dimensions of the gay/lesbian developmental process. (RJM)

Examines theories of early adolescence in relation to teaching eighth-grade English students. Concludes differences in students' responses related to gender differences and self-identity. (JK)

This book examines the characteristics and educational needs of unmotivated adolescents. It suggests that many of these students suffer from low self-esteem and are learning disabled and/or have an attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity. It offers a definition of learning disabilities that emphasizes the presence of significant differences…

This monograph promotes the enhancement of self-esteem as a basic responsibility of middle level schools. Chapter 1 makes a case for the importance of self-perception, and describes a rationale specifically focused on early adolescents that is based on history, contemporary issues, and research. Chapter 2 analyzes changes in the adolescent's…

Emphasizes necessity of reconsideration of adolescent development, for these reasons: the view of childhood has changed; females have not been systematically studied; theories of cognitive development favor mathematical and scientific thinking over the humanities; and because the psychology of adolescence is anchored in separation and independence…

One of a series of papers which focus on 10- to 15-year-old adolescents, this publication describes these young people as they work through developmental tasks in environments (families, communities, peer groups, and schools) that are part of their daily lives. This description is used as a basis to accomplish the following: (1) a further…

This presentation of a speech to gifted teenagers discusses the pressures of giftedness. It focuses on the demands placed on gifted teenagers by others and by themselves, their need to develop self-confidence, their uniqueness and yet similarities with others, the balance between creativity and conformity, and the unimportance of popularity. (JDD)

Discusses the variation in developmental effects of childhood sexual abuse across individuals and within individuals over time, and the timing of the impact of the abuse on the victim's psychosocial development, with special attention given to adolescent development. Implications for treatment are considered. (JPS)