Gardner believes that ninety per cent of the 'problems' of adolescents are normal reactions or normal phases of development. He discusses in detail the complexities of achieving emancipation and independence, and stresses the adolescent's

ambivalence toward achieving maturity. He emphasizes the point that 'the adolescent is beset by tasks in mental health strikingly similar to those at all age levels' and closes with consolation for the troubled parent: 'It will pass'.