ABSTRACT
The emerging stress on adolescents is Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). For the youngsters, sexual experimentation has new significance. The sexual freedom of their parents is no longer an option. There is considerable research supporting the premise that a sense of control is an important element in the maintenance of health. Meredith Minkler, in her article "The Social Component of Health", reports on a number of research projects in which increased social supports led to improved health. She cites evidence from a study of seven thousand California residents who were followed over a nine-year period. According to Minkler, the studies confirm that whether one looks at family relationships or at broader measures, there is a strong relationship between one's social support and one's health. Allan Bloom asserts that moral relativism is the dominant force in the American university—where the teachers and parents of adolescents were educated.
