Tales of Teenage Survival

During adolescence family dynamics change and teenagers often view parents as obstacles rather than supports. Teens wrestle with a range of crises from parental divorce to drug use. Even moving can cause major disruptions, since teenagers rely heavily on their peer group to help them through this time of change and self-discovery. Physical changes have an obvious impact. So does the death of a loved one, so do matters involving race.

Teenagers experience changes in all aspects of their lives. For example, when Adam looks in the mirror, he can hardly recognize the person who has grown five inches taller than at the beginning of the summer. Lindsay worries that everyone is always looking at her and that no one understands how she feels. Zach wants to be popular and sure of himself, yet he often feels scared and shy when he is with a large group of kids. Katie is afraid to be alone and communicates constantly with friends by phone, text messaging, instant messaging, and on various Web sites. All these issues are dealt with clearly and candidly as college students remember what they went through when confronting the many physical, intellectual, emotional, and social changes that occur during adolescence.