Based on a nationwide survey of more than 1,000 adolescents 13 to 17 years old and drawing on the experiences of the 17-year-old author, this book explores social labeling and what it means to adolescents. The book is presented in three parts. Part 1, "What's in a Label?" explains what labels are and how they develop. Part 2, "How…

This booklet provides an orientation tool and quick reference for camp counselors, and is designed to help them understand and enhance youth behavior and development. Chapter 1 discusses the camp environment, the camp counselor's responsibility as a role model, the benefits of camp for kids, establishing a positive relationship with campers at the…

This publication of the California Association of School Psychologists includes articles written by practitioners, trainers, and students. The topics represent a sampling of the broad range of students that school psychologists are asked to serve today. Two articles discuss current findings relevant to working with the populations of students who…

Examined the parent-peer orientation of 236 high school seniors. Results showed race was the strongest predictor of parent-peer orientation: Blacks tended to be more parent oriented. Respondents with high self-esteem were more parent oriented, while respondents who had an internal locus of control tended to be more peer oriented. (JAC)

A three-year longitudinal study was conducted to measure two aspects of adolescents' self-concept development: continuity/discontinuity and stability/instability. Results indicated that adolescent self-concept results from continuous growth based on social circumstances and cognitive skills and competencies. (Author/DB)

Discussed are major developmental characteristics of 10 to 15-year olds. These characteristics are organized around the developmental, social, behavioral processes within early adolescents. It is suggested they are taking on the characteristics of older adolescents of the 1970s, involved in their own lives and in the decisions affecting them.…

Describes the benefits of including the ninth grade within the 3-year multi-age group setting within a Montessori farm school. Notes how seventh, eighth, and ninth grades work together in one family cluster, allowing 15-year-olds to avoid the pecking order of the high school freshman year while developing personal leadership, confidence, and a…

Investigated the relationships between parental separation anxiety and adolescent identity development in a longitudinal study of first-year college students and seniors. Found that mothers' need to provide security influenced their adolescents' identity achievement, while father's anxiety about distancing had negative and positive consequences…

The effects of fathers' absence from the home on their children's educational aptitude and achievement were studied for about 9,000 Swedish children from grade 6 to age 21 years, 15 percent of whom lived only with their mothers. Low achievement in the mathematical and technical spheres characterized those with no father in the home. (SLD)

Context analysis of 10 adolescent novels revealed that the primary female characters of pre-1971 novels attempted only low-level tasks which involved self-concern and peer relationships. The primary female characters in post-1980 novels attempted tasks of practical and abstract skills that involved planning for the future. (BB)

Discusses historical precedents for studying life stage. Discusses current conceptualizations of adolescent and young adulthood. Explains why such views of life stage progression are antiquated. Demonstrates the need for theorists to include a new life stage, created by changes brought about by our postmodern society. (JS)

Relationships between parental behaviors and adolescent self-esteem were analyzed for 40 male and 50 female early adolescents from multiple settings. Increasing individuation in self-esteem regulation occurs during adolescent development; adolescents of higher levels of ego development evaluate themselves more independently of parental feedback…

Homosexual middle schoolers are at risk of dropping out because of frequent discriminatory practices by teachers and students. After defining homosexuality, the article discusses homosexual adolescents and their developmental issues, noting implications and strategies for middle schools. Los Angeles' Project 10, which addresses the needs of…

The articles in this special issue take a "uses and gratifications" approach that emphasizes that people make choices about the media they choose and that they differ in their interpretations of media content. The articles integrate this approach with developmental perspectives on adolescence. (SLD)