You do not currently have permission to view the full text for this document. Please sign in to an account with an active subscription or contact support.
The Emergence of the Adolescent Patient. Vivian M. Rakoff. Pp. 372-386.
In this beautiful, eloquent, crystal-clear essay, Rakoff places the emergence of the concept, "adolescence," and the alarming increase in serious adolescent psychopathology (e.g., suicide, anorexia-bulimia, drug abuse) in a philosophical, historical perspective. Only since the late nineteenth century has adolescence been recognized as a phase of human development. Since "subjectivity" and "authenticity" became "something of a philosophical cause," the adolescent has become a "model of the cultural hero of our time: idealistic, authentic, adventurous, choosing among many alternatives, a model for all adult stages." What, then, is the "factor blue," the common denominator for the anomie of so many of today's youth? Rakoff views adolescence not only as a life stage but as a set of characteristic expectations of openness of choice, of self-determination which may recur at other phases of the life cycle. It is just this openness of choice, mobility, discontent with the present, great expectations of perfect authenticity and total satisfaction which doom the vulnerable modern adolescent to despair. Opportunity can be a great privilege but also a great threat to those who feel unequal to it.