ABSTRACT
Probably the outstanding fact about contemporary adolescents is their visibility. Never before in history have young people, at least in the industrialized world, been so blatantly present in their modes of dress, their hairstyles, their musical tastes. As communication becomes faster, transportation easier and cheaper, and the spread of new ideas and new fashions from one center to another ever more rapid, it becomes more and more difficult for the observer to distinguish indigenous national trends. How are we to understand this apparent evolution of a global adolescent culture? Does it reflect universal biopsychological needs? Is it the consequence of media influences? To what degree are socioeconomic forces at play here, in contrast to intrinsic developmental pressures?
