La rue, l'adolescent

Abstract

The adolescent is pushed toward the outside world, both in search of himself and in search of an encounter with the other. The adolescent is fascinated by the world outside. The street is the symbol of the new space that he alone can occupy. From the time that he leaves the intimate space of the family unit until he has been able to create another space, the street personifies the intermediary state between the two. It is there, in the course of his sexual development, that he encounters the sexual and carnal aspect of the other. It is also there that he exhibits his intimacy: his public display of the personal, ‘extimacy’, is also expressed through his use of the portable telephone. Violence is continually present both at a sexual level and in the adolescent’s relations with others, in an outside environment that he has to make a continual attempt to conquer. The world outside, i.e. the street, is the place where an encounter takes place with the opposite sex, but also with violence at a symbolic level. It is a necessary passage and training ground adulthood, and which requires complete commitment on the part of the individual concerned.