Adolescent Psychiatry, Vol.  2. Sherman C. Feinstein and Peter Giovacchini (Eds.). New York:  Basic Books, 1973.  xiv + 461 pp.

The first volume in the new series sponsored by the American Society for Adolescent Psychiatry concentrates on the intrapsychic elements of the adolescent process; the second volume, a welcome expansion of the first, includes, in addition, consideration of broad social and cultural issues as they impinge on the adolescent. The editors continue to demonstrate that adolescence is equally as important as the infantile period for understanding the adult, at least from a characterological point of view.

Volume 2 is divided into five parts. In “Adolescence: General Considerations,” the eight articles range from such topics as “Adolescent Schizophrenia,” and “Telling the Truth” to an examination of the “Youth Culture.” Rudolf Ekstein's excellent chapter gives lucid case examples that supplement the theoretical notions on the struggle toward and against separation and individuation.

The second part of the book examines some features of the adolescent's sexual life. Borowitz, writing about masturbation, considers when it is an appropriate maturational event and when it may be considered pathological. He sees masturbation as appropriately maturational when it is the forerunner and precursor of more mature object relations. This section also includes a comprehensive discussion on the “Adolescent Sexual Revolution” which links up changes in traditional adolescent life styles to changes in the culture at large.

Part three covers psychopathological aspects of adolescent development, with considerable attention to the “borderline adolescent” and