Tikkun Olam

Abstract

Adolescence is a paradoxical time marked by confusion, joy, discovery, and pain, as children transition into young adults. Adolescence is traditionally defined as a time between the ages 10 and 18, and an age marked by physical, social, emotional, cognitive changes; a maturing process that includes differentiation, independence, initiation, and other rites of passage. This time between childhood and adulthood was not always so pronounced. The child labor laws in the US made clear distinctions between adults and children, and resulted in an extended childhood and adolescence. This period between childhood and adulthood has further been institutionalized with the marketing of teen-age clothing, music, films, and the development of junior high schools and middle schools that embody teen-age culture.