Bøker i Research Monographs in Adolescence Series-serien

Examines the lives of inner-city adolescent mothers and their diverse pathways to early adulthood. Their varied responses to becoming parents reflect a range of abilities, aspirations and supports but, the authors argue, most have the skills and desires to care for themselves and their children.

In 1928, Margaret Mead published her first book, entitled Coming of Age in Samoa, in which she described to the Western world an exotic culture where people "came of age" with a minimum of "storm and stress." In 1983, Derek Freeman, an Australian anthropologist, published a book in which he systematically attacked Mead's conclusions about that culture and the way people came of age. Since then, a great deal of attention has been directed toward the Mead-Freeman controversy. This book contributes to that controversy and to the general understanding of adolescent storm and stress by undertaking an interdisciplinary analysis of Freeman's criticisms and an assessment of the plausibility of Mead's work. Addressing the issue of what has become of Mead's Samoa of the 1920s, this book historically tracks the nature of the "coming of age in Samoa" to the present, in order to give the reader an understanding of the circumstances confronting young people in contemporary Samoa. It shows that Mead's Samoa has been lost; what was once a place in which most young people came of age with relative ease has become a place where young people experience great difficulty in terms of finding a place in their society, to the point where they currently have one of the highest suicide rates in the world. While much has been written about this controversy during the past decade, a gap exists in the sense that most of the publicity about Mead's work has missed her main focus concerning the processes governing the "coming of age" of her informants. A valuable historical document and a pioneering study, Mead's book anticipated changes that are still unfolding today in the field of human development. The preoccupation with issues tangential to her main focus--issues involving the Samoan ethos and character--have not only diverted a clear analysis of Mead's work, they have also led to the creation of a number of myths and misconceptions about Mead and her book. The author also has an interest in Mead's original focus on the relative impact of biological and cultural influences in shaping the behavior of those coming of age--in all societies. Despite what has been said by her critics, not only was this a crucial issue during the time of her study, but it is also an issue that is now just beginning to be understood some 60 years later. In addition, the issue of biology versus culture--the so-called nature-nurture debate--carries with it many political implications. In the case of the Mead-Freeman controversy, this political agenda looms large--an agenda which is clearly spelled out in this book.

First Published in 1995. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Written by a pediatrician/adolescent medicine specialist and a developmental psychologist, this book is a collection of informative, nonredundant yet comprehensive studies on adolescent pregnancy and parenting. More than 200 adolescent women in an ethnically diverse sample were studied prenatally and at regular 6-month intervals for 3½ years postpartum. Most of the teens were poor, unmarried, first-time mothers who resided within Southeast San Diego, a poor urban area approximately 10 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The purpose of this book was to offer researchers, practitioners, program directors, teachers, and graduate and medical students a better understanding of teenage pregnancy and parenthood within the following domains: * adolescent prenatal care and postpartum maternal and infant health outcomes, * immediate repeat pregnancy, * adolescent mothers'' parenting, * the role of the adolescent''s mother in teenage mothers'' parenting, and * the baby''s father.

This bk is intended as a thoughtful extension to Bachman et al.'s well receivd LEA Monograph. In this bk the authors go on to examine WHY the changes documented in the first bk occur. Will appeal to scholars & professionls in psychology, sociology, famil

At once a scholarly research monograph and an accessible glimpse into the lives of inner-city adolescents mothers, this book will appeal to developmental and social psychologists, family studies scholars, sociologists, and policy makers

This book examines the multifaceted contexts of adolescent development with a focus on the "arenas of comfort" in which young people find strength and support wih which to handle the more stressful aspects of their lives.

Presenting a longitudinal study of the social and psychological consequences of teen parenting for both parents and children, this text uses both qualitative and quantitative analyses to demonstrate different outcome patterns and recommend social policy programmes.

This work reports the results from a study of adolescents and the world(s) in which they live, and is offered to those who have an interest in adolescence and/or the diversity of Europe. It focuses on the features of adolescence which are more or less characteristic of cultures, ages and genders.

This text shows that leaving school and home creates new freedoms for young adults that are linked to increases in the use of licit and illicit drugs. It also shows, however, that marriage, pregnancy and parenthood create new responsibilities that are linked to decreases in drug use.

This volume explores the two aspects of motivational structure - ideas and values - that underlie the development of maladaptive functioning and symptoms. The first is a measure of what children admire in their peers; and the second is the measure of life goals, representative of personal values.

Addresses the controversy surrounding the 1983 attack by Derek Freeman on Margaret Mead's 1928 book describing adolescence in Samoa as virtually stress-free. This book analyzes Freeman's criticisms, assesses Mead's work, and sets out to show that Mead's Samoa has been lost.

A collection of studies on adolescent pregnancy and parenting. More than 200 women in an ethnically diverse sample were studied before and and after pregnancy. Its purpose was to offer an understanding of prenatal care, health outcomes, repeat pregnancies, parenting, and the role of the father.

The passing from childhood to adolescence and adolescence to adulthood are major developmental transitions - individuals tend to become more vulnerable during periods of biological, social and psychological transition. This volume examines developmental aspects of dealing with normative stressors.