"The contributors to this book see adolescence in broad terms - as a "dynamic social construction." As society changes, it becomes necessary to rethink what it means to be an adolescent in a rapidly changing world and to look with great care for explanations of teenage behavior, which is often perplexing to adults and teenagers themselves." "A recurrent theme in this volume is that, no matter how adolescence is defined, the establishment of identity and the search for autonomy remain central developmental tasks of the adolescent years. Changes in the various social contexts in which teenagers live - family, school, community institutions, peer groups, workplace - can significantly affect the progress they make with these and other social and cognitive developmental tasks. And success with those tasks is critical to ensure a smooth transition into adulthood."--Jacket.