ABSTRACT
The idea of adolescence is a relatively recent phenomenon and to some extent peculiarly American. In some cultures this transitional stage between childhood and adulthood is brief—a child’s physical “coming of age” is acknowledged as readiness to assume the adult roles of reproduction, parenting, and work. But in the United States, adolescence has become a relatively long life stage—generally marked at the beginning by both biological changes (a growth spurt and development of secondary sexual characteristics, e.g., breast, penis, and pubic hair growth) and by social factors (increasing independence from parents and increasing influence of peers). As one commentator put it: “America invented a space between the child’s ties to family and the adult’s re-creation of family. Within this space, America’s teenagers are supposed to innovate, to improvise, to rebel, to turn around three times before they harden into adults” (Rodriguez, 1999, p. 91).
