Reflections on the history of adolescence in America

Abstract

The concept of adolescence was developed in the United States between 1890 and 1920. In the hands of G. Stanley Hall and his many followers, adolescence required a moratorium on the assumption of adult responsibilities by teenagers. This prescription of a moratorium broke sharply with the advice given to youth in the 19th century, which urged the quick assumption of adult responsibilities. Although the concept of adolescence emerged at a time when enrollments in public high schools were increasing at a much faster pace than the population, it is misleading to conclude that the idea of a moratorium during adolescence merely ratified the gradual removal of early teens from productive employment. Rather than describing the experience of teenagers, the discourse on adolescence in this and subsequent periods has primarily reflected the challenges that adults saw to their own values and the ways in which they adapted to change.