Joseph A. Montagna
Adolescents spend their time in three locations: the home, school and in public. Locations concern the geographical places in which adolescents spend their time, as opposed to contexts, which also take into account the activities in which they are engaged and the people they are with. Each of these domains is ruled by laws distinct from those of the remaining two. In the home the adolescent must work out a way of life with parents and, oftentimes, siblings. As the child grows within the family new responsibilities and expectations are created. The school is an institution that requires adherence to rules and regulations into which the adolescent has little or no input. The adolescent has no choice but to abide by them. In public (shopping centers, parks, places of entertainment) the rules change. Behavior is governed by norms that are more flexible than those of the home or school.
The home is where adolescents spend approximately 41% of their waking hours. Of the four main contexts of teen life the family plays the most important role in the adolescent’s life, in many ways. The adolescent depends on parents for financial support and basic survival necessities. Emotionally, the home provides the first supports for their development and well-being. The home is also the source of some of teenagers’ greatest conflicts. The adolescent and parents are locked in a battle over how the adolescent should expend his psychic energy. The teen’s struggle for autonomy offers many opportunities for growth, if that struggle is handled correctly. Younger adolescents in the Chicago study spent approximately 25% of their waking hours with their families, while older adolescents spent 15% of their time with theirs. There is a gradual progression of directing one’s time from family to peers as one grows older, in preparation for one’s role as an adult.
School is where socialization is supposed to occur. The teenager’s consciousness is subjected to the attempts by adults to modify it, direct it toward the goals of the school, so that it conforms to adult standards. The school is also a place where the adolescent is exposed to the socializing influences of his peers. Of the 31% of time spent in school, 2/3 of that time was spent in classes and the remaining 1/3 was spent in fringe areas (cafeteria, corridors, student center). In the school in the Chicago study, as in others like it, these fringe areas are claimed by cliques of every variety (jocks, druggies, eggheads, Blacks, Italians).
The public places within which these adolescents exist are varied and, as mentioned earlier, governed by varying rules. IN some cases, such as work, the adolescent’s time is structured in terms of adult goals. Churches, restaurants and stores demand adult-like behavior. Behavior at concerts, movies and dances are more influenced by the values of the youth cultures. Other locations are a mix of adult goals and youth values, such as the automobile. While driving a car the teenager must conform to the rules of the road, if he wants to continue to drive, while the automobile is also a means to power (acting out one’s wishes) and freedom (withdrawal from adult scrutiny).
The school and the home are environs in which one can easily identify the seat of control by either adults or peers. The public sphere, however, is one in which adult behavior is required and opportunities exist for unsupervised activities. Teen life is split between adult values domination and peer values domination.
