What sets this book apart is the authentic voice of young people themselves. Interviews with individuals aged 14–18 from diverse backgrounds are woven throughout all 11 chapters, providing vivid, real-world insights into what it means to be an adolescent in today’s world. The book emphasizes a positive perspective on adolescence while developing the innovative STAGE theoretical framework, examining how young people actively construct their own developmental pathways through this crucial life transition. From brain development and identity formation to peer relationships and resilience strategies, each chapter combines cutting-edge research with genuine adolescent perspectives.
This authoritative text is essential for anyone studying human development at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, as well as professionals including teachers, social workers, health workers, counsellors and youth workers seeking to understand and support young people navigating this complex and formative period.
John Coleman trained as a clinical psychologist and was formerly a senior research fellow at the University of Oxford. He is the founder of a research centre studying adolescents and their families, and during his career he has also run a special school for troubled teenagers and worked as a policy advisor for the government. He was awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to young people in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2001.