The Nature of Adolescence

William Glassman is a professor of psychology at Ryerson Polytechnical
University in Toronto.

According to its preface, The Nature of Adolescence is aimed at “professionals who work daily with adolescents.” As such, it attempts to provide a broad overview of the basic patterns and issues of development. As Mitchell notes, there is a need for such reference material. Unfortunately, the book is not entirely successful, for reasons possibly related to its editing, or to lack of clarity concerning the needs of its readers.

Often, terms are introduced without any definition, or the definition may be given in a later chapter. “Negative identity” is first mentioned on p. 19, but not defined until p. 34; “adolescence” is never defined at all. Many sources cited in the text, even those used for extended quotes, are not identified in the references (e.g., Bischof, Roszak, DeVaron). Given that professionals in particular may wish to pursue sources, these omissions are disturbing for their frequency.

The treatment of issues is primarily presented in terms of technical concepts and theoretical disputes. For example, adolescence is a time of “storm and stress”? While occasional examples are given, as in the chapter on defense mechanisms, greater use of case studies or other specific examples would help clarify some of the conceptual issues.

Mitchell’s intentions in writing The Nature of Adolescence seem laudable; unfortunately, the book is less so. The general selection of content is reasonable, but the factors mentioned above remain evident. While each reader must ultimately decide, it seems that either the editor has failed Mitchell, or Mitchell has failed the reader.