Book Review: Hurt 2.0 Inside the World of Today’s Teenager – Baker Academic, 2004 Dr. Chap Clark
Chap Clark has dedicated his life to working with young people and had three teenage children when he embarked on the task of understanding this age group. He thought he was well prepared, but one of his children told him that no adult “gets” teenagers. A centerpiece of a team collecting research on the subject, Clark substituted for several months at a California high school that had diverse demographics and strong academic performance.
As part of Part I – The Changing World of Adolescence, he reports that while in the early 20th century people were classified as either children or adults, within the age of 50 adolescence became something in between. Now social scientists talk about early, middle, and late adolescents. During Clark’s time with these teens, many adults made comments without acknowledging the changes that had occurred. Clark’s premise is that teenagers are really different than they were in the mid-20th century. Furthermore, he presents that the transition from child to adult took about three years in the 1950s and now takes up to 15 years. Freedoms once reserved for late adolescence are now granted to middle adolescence. Dr. Clark’s scope lies primarily in understanding who these people are, with just a few hints for resolution.
Chap believes that the defining issue for contemporary adolescents is abandonment. This study has convinced him that there is a much greater chasm between youth and adults than he and most adults have realized. by david elkind the rushing child describes the frequency with which parents overbook their children, often in activities that are inappropriate for their age. In in a separate tribe, Patricia Hersch reflects on how the teenagers of the 90s were the most isolated and unsupervised to date. As a result of this abandonment, they form their own “family” with their peers. Around the age of fifteen, abstract thinking begins to develop and adolescents begin to realize that they need to find their place in the adult world. If they don’t have a strong connection to a parent or other important adult, they gravitate toward their peers. Often these ties are stronger than with your family. Finding a balance in your loyalty is a challenge. Rather than prove themselves different, Clark believes that teenagers primarily operate in this “lower” world. Chap argues that teens don’t trust adults with their most intimate lives. Teenagers, according to Clark, don’t think adults really care about them.
In Part 2: The Landscape of the World Below Clark explores the following areas of adolescent life: Peers, School, Family, Sports, Sex, Hustle and Stress, Ethics and Morality, Parties, Games and Social Networking, and Outcast Children. . (any margin – the vulnerable and the privileged). In this last section, the author talks about the three aspects of individuation: identity, autonomy and belonging. Identity reflects how we see ourselves; autonomy includes taking responsibility and making wise decisions; belonging reminds us that we are designed to be part of a group, not isolated. Part 2 takes up half the book and deserves more space in this review than I can give it. In the section about school, Chap reports that cheating is considered the norm. Also, I want to say that Clark recognizes the importance of family in the lives of adolescents.
Finally in part 3 – Where do we go from here? Clark offers some suggestions. When there was a shift from a “nourishment” approach to an institutional approach, much was lost. So going back to more parenting is a step. As one teacher concluded, she needed to hear more. Adolescents also need a stable and secure presence, as well as authentic and intimate relationships with adults. In the end, Clark offers five strategies to turn the tide on systemic abandonment:
1. Empower youth workers to understand today’s teens.
2. Those who work with youth must work together.
3. Those who work with young people must understand them and set limits.
4. Parents need to learn about their adolescent children and need to be encouraged in their upbringing.
5. Communities need to make sure teens have some significant adults who advocate for teens.
Clark is currently involved with an organization, http://www.Parenteen.org, which is actively working on the elaboration of Clark’s suggestions presented in this and his other books.
As I continue to explore this topic, I have the following concerns:
1. While the stated scope of Clark’s book is to look at today’s teen and start the conversation about what to do about it, I wonder if the causes should be considered more to facilitate the solution.
2. Although Clark includes family and church, in this book they seem to be relatively minor participants in the solutions presented.
