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This book is a report on the Modal (Normal) Adolescent Project, which was begun in 1961. There are four sections. In Part I, “Method,” the overall design of the project is described, such as the selection process, interviews, and data analysis. Part II, “Results,” consists of the findings using both statistical and interview data. In Part III, “Discussion,” a theoretical integration of the findings is presented. Finally, there is a section, the appendixes, which includes the questionnaires and scales used.
The purpose of this study was to examine the influences of internal psychological and external environmental factors on the functioning of typical adolescents over a significant period of time. The study covered the high school years and ages fourteen to eighteen. Two suburban high schools, serving a mid-Western, middle-class population were chosen.
A psychological questionnaire was submitted to 106 modal students. Because of losses for various reasons, there were finally seventy-three active subjects who participated in all aspects of the project throughout their high school years. The cooperation and approval of the parents were requested and obtained. The interviews were conducted by two psychiatrists, Drs. Offer and Marcus. Each student was seen about three times a year, and each psychiatric interview lasted forty-five minutes.
A battery of psychological tests was administered. The parents were interviewed during the junior year. High school A, servicing a population of middle-and lower-middle-class people, was 100 % white. High school B was larger, located in a larger town, and drew its students from a stable middle-and upper-middle-class community. There was a twelve percent Negro population in the community and also in the school. Students ranked school and studying as their most important areas of conflict, feeling that resolution of vocational and educational problems was the most difficult task during their high school years. Relations with parents and sexu