Adolescence

Young people are educable. Young people are worth educating. Upon their wise handling depend the issues of ultimate harmony or conflict in the home, in workshop or factory, and among the nations. Many current methods of treatment find, however, their justification only in the somewhat mythical descriptions of past centuries. For most of these there is little support in the more careful studies of recent years. In the pages which follow an attempt is made to bring together in accessible form relevant findings from long-term studies of human development, from anthropological records of differing social patterns, and from observation of the therapeutic effects of group membership in schools, in the armed forces and in industry. All these have a contribution to make to the understanding of the nature and the needs of adolescents; and a full appreciation of their significance seems likely to lead to rather remarkable modifications of current procedures in industry, in international relationships, in schools and in homes.