Suggests that youth values of the 1970s, which centered upon hedonism, escapism, and a present orientation, influence a segment of youth today. Affluence, complex competitive pressures, and easy availability of success have made possible and encouraged self-oriented activity. Argues that countercultural activities produced these values and have,…

Relates chronic illness in adolescents to a sociological model of deviance. Four situations are discussed in which the issues of prognosis, responsibility, and stigma elicit societal response. The usefulness of a sociological model consists in making vague societal perceptions and rules explicit. (JAC)

Contends that the apparent psychosocial inadequacies of contemporary adolescents stem from the widespread adult attitude of relegating them to the status of minors. Recommends that the dynamic principles of adult-adolescent relationships as well as child-rearing techniques in general, draw heavily from the provisions of Maslovian psychology. (JAC)