ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the various uses of the interview, and focuses on the interview as an educational tool in teaching adolescence. In psychology, interviews are used in clinical diagnosis, psychotherapy, research, and teaching. A standardized interview is one which is presented to each interviewee in exactly the same fashion. One of the most important goals of interviewing is to ensure that the information received is as honest and accurate as possible. Any small group of interviewees is a highly selected sample, by default. If they are self-selected volunteers, they may be the more enthusiastic, or cooperative, or narcissistic members of their cohort. The interview gives students in the adolescence course the opportunity to talk to and interact with adolescents and to inquire about issues which were raised throughout the course. Watching or participating in an interview with adolescents while taking the adolescence course sometimes allows the students to view their own adolescence in a new perspective.
