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Article: An existential view of adolescent development.
- Article from:
- Adolescence
- Article date:
- December 22, 2005
- Author:
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The above quote out of Yalom's "Existential Psychotherapy" (1980) is a good summary of the approach one needs when working with others in a therapeutic alliance from an existential perspective. This seems particularly true when working with adolescents. Adolescents often hear from adults that the adult knows best or that they should behave in a certain way, often according to what the adult knows or dictates. Thus, the perspective and experience of the adolescent is often devalued, if appreciated at all.
There are many different approaches to working with and understanding adolescent development. Beginning early on with Erikson's idea of an identity crisis ...