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Romance of Risk by Lynn E. Pnton
Why Teenagers Do the Things They Do
A book which discusses the behaviour of teenagers and puts forward the idea that adolescents do not take risks as a form of rebellion, but do so as a testing process for achieving self-awareness. Case studies are used to demonstrate the author's theory.Through fifteen riveting case studies, a leading figure in adolescent psychiatry offers a provocative new way of thinking about parenting teens.. In the tradition of Irvin Yaloms Loves Executioner, Dr. Lynn Pontons remarkable book takes readers inside the minds of 15 troubled adolescents to provide a compelling look at todays teenage experience. Included in the case studies are Jill, a 13-year-old thrill-seeking runaway; Hannah, a privileged daughter of suburbia who suffers from anorexia; and Joe, a high school senior with a serious drinking problem. The case studies vary from puzzling to horrifying, but with her confident, engaging voice, Ponton points to risk as an important unifying theme. She proposes that teenage acting out can be understood in terms of risk-taking, and that by redirecting this natural impulse into healthy channels parents can minimize the dangers inherent in todays teen culture and help their children develop into stable adults. Challenging traditional views of adolescence and offering a constructive new model for understanding teen behavior, The Romance of Risk is an essential book for parents concerned about their childrens well-being in this age of drug abuse, rampant violence, and AIDS. }Dr. Lynn Ponton has devoted her clinical practice to a particular communityteenagers in trouble. Whether these kids are struggling with peers, experimenting with drugs, stealing cars, or having unprotected sex, they have something in common: they are all involved in unhealthy risk-taking. And their parents are scared. How did my child get involved in this dangerous situation? they ask. And what can I do?Their fears are justified: todays teens have more opportunities for taking dangerous risks than ever before. But in The Romance of Risk, Dr. Ponton refutes the traditional idea that risk-taking is primarily an angry power struggle with parentsso-called teenage rebellionand re-defines it as a potentially positive testing process whereby challenge and risk are the primary tools adolescents use to find out who they are and determine who they will become. This new perspective is revealed in a series of mesmerizing tales about individual adolescents and their families. Among others, we meet Jill, a 13-year-old thrill-seeking runaway; Hannah, a privileged daughter of suburbia who suffers from anorexia; and Joe, a high school senior with a serious drinking problem. Through these stories, we come to understand Dr. Pontons startling observation that teenagers must confront and experience challenge and risk along the path to self-discovery.For adolescents, the powerful allure of the adult world is equaled only by the fear of failing to find a place in it. Parents can ease that transition into adulthood, however, by promoting healthy risk-taking so that dangerous options will be avoided.In The Romance of Risk, parents will learn how they can begin to understand rather than fear adolescent risk-taking, and how to communicate with their children about it. After all, teenagers will always romanticize risk. But with the support and guidance of parents and other adults, odds are the risks they take will be the right ones. } |
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| Author(s) : Lynn E. Pnton | Format : Paperback Book |
| ISBN-10 : 0465070760 | ISBN-13 : 9780465070763 |
| RRP : £12.99 | Best available price : £ / $ |
| Prices as of : BST check live prices | |
Product Details:
Country Publication : United States
Publication Date : 01/10/1998
Publisher : The Perseus Books Group
Page Length : 320mm
Page Size : 230mm