ABSTRACT

Although adolescence has been defined in numerous ways, this concept of transition, from childhood to adulthood, is central to most definitions. Whether this time of transition is a period of “storm and stress” or a more peaceful transition has been debated for decades (Cobb, 1998) and, to a large extent, likely depends on the individual adolescent and his or her relationships with key systems in his or her life. It has been suggested that some of the psychological and behavioral difficulties commonly associated with adolescence are actually caused by a “mismatch between the needs of developing adolescents and the opportunities afforded them by their social environments” (Eccles, Lord, & Roeser, 1996, p. 47).