Teenism - The Prejudice Against Adolescents

The authors build on Elisabeth Young-Bruehl's concept of childism to propose teenism, a prejudice against adolescents that has roots in generalization from pathology to normality in psychoanalytic theory, and has rippled into general cultural concepts of adolescence, to the detriment of clear diagnosis and creative generation of appropriate and effective techniques of adolescent treatment. Teenism leads to a lack of support and validation of teenagers' strengths and contributions to society, as well as undermining the importance of the role of parents in adolescent development and functioning.

Automated summary

The authors propose the concept of "teenism," which refers to the prejudice against adolescents. This prejudice stems from generalizing pathology to normalcy in psychoanalytic theory and has extended to cultural concepts of adolescence in general. Teenism negatively affects clear diagnosis and the development of appropriate and effective techniques for adolescent treatment.