Violence in the Lives of Adolescents

Martha B. Straus

Praise for Violence in the Lives of Adolescents:

“[T]his book is well-written and interesting and would make a good introduction for mental health professionals who have little experience of working with adolescents and family violence.”
—Canadian Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Review

“This is one of those rare masterpieces which integrates serious scholarship and scientific theorizing with the best clinical wisdom. Martha Straus deftly weaves real-life stories and practitioners’ dilemmas into her authoritative and comprehensive treatment of the principal issues in teen violence. I found her judgment to be unerringly sound: about the salient developmental themes, the meaning of the children’s behavior, and the roles their families play in shaping the risks for victimization and violence. The book makes clear that although these complex problems will not be solved by professionals alone, there is plenty of hope if we are somehow able to marry intelligent clinical and legal practice with informed social action.”
—Eli H. Newberger, M.D, Director, Family Development Program, Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA

“A gem. Straus accomplished a rare feat by combining knowledge, insight, compassion, and caution in this wise, sensitive, and insightful volume. It should be required reading for all clinicians working with adolescents, children, and families. Parents and teachers would also find it useful and gratifying. Her writing compares to that of Erikson and Cole. Straus is a superb clinician whose interest and knowledge extend to research and social policy. A must read.”
—Beverly Birns, Ph.D., Professor Emerita, Psychology, State University of New York at Stony Brook

Overview

Violence in the Lives of Adolescents provides answers to some of the most pressing questions about today’s youth: Why is there so much violence in their lives? Why is so little being done about it? What can be done to shape safer lives for adolescents? How can therapists evaluate and treat an adolescent who has been touched by violence?

The author describes the book’s theoretical framework as the ecology of violence; therapists can intervene to stop violence on any of four ecological levels—individual, family, community, social policy. Following a brief history of adolescence in America, Chapter 1 explores the effects of violence on normal adolescent and family development. Chapters 2 through 6 present five case studies, which illustrate the ecological approach to five crucial issues: suicide attempts, sexual abuse/running away, delinquency, juvenile sexual offending, and physical abuse of adolescents. For each case the author not only presents theory and research, but also demonstrates the process of individual and family treatment.

The final two chapters discuss community and self-help approaches and social policy development as ways for curbing adolescent violence. Action at these two higher ecological levels, community and social policy, influence the extent to which violence will shape the lives of adolescents; these two chapters suggest that today’s victims are not inevitably tomorrow’s victims and offenders.

Despite the difficulties of living with, working with, and being an adolescent, this developmental period offers wonderful opportunities to break the cycle of violence. To intervene most effectively, therapists have to be able to view violence through personal, professional, and political lenses. This book offers a way to put what we know, and what works, into action.

About the Author

Martha B. Straus, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist in private practice with University Associates in Psychology in Keene, New Hampshire; she specializes in problems of adolescence, family development, and women’s issues.

ISBN 10: 0-393-70186-7
ISBN 13: 978-0-393-70186-9
1994; 238 pages; Hardcover