Frank Shapiro

The Oppositional Teenager: a Parents' Survival Guide Frank Shapiro

My Teenager Needs Help... I Need Help!

Between mainstream teenagers and juvenile delinquents are those "oppositional teenagers" who simply cannot or will not follow the expectations parents, schools, and society have for them. They disrupt classes, skip school altogether, engage in power struggles and attention-seeking, or retreat into alternative worlds of technological amusement, isolation, and depression. Some become involved in more serious activities such as bullying, vandalism, drug abuse, and self-mutilation. Whether defiant or withdrawn, these oppositional teens confound parents who have no idea how to help them. The Oppositional Teenager provides the answers. Parents must take responsibility by initiating and sustaining a change process. First, they must develop greater awareness of their teenager's psychological dynamics--and their own. Then, they must gain their teenager's respect by role modeling a positive approach to life and investing goodwill in the relationship. Finally, in learning the options available (psychological, educational, legal, medical), parents can help lead their oppositional teenager toward a successful future.