I have argued that the DSM is only one framework to understanding opposition and defiance in adolescents. I see oppositionality in adolescence as a social and relational construct. We need alternative frameworks to help us see, understand and treat oppositionality within a relational context, not solely located in a person but between people. Harry Stack…
Please meet Jason*. He loves sports. As I write, I can picture him telling me blow-by-blow how he made the winning shot in his last basketball game. This was an experience I had with Jason many times. Jason is a talented skateboarder and basketball player, and he enjoys football and soccer, too. His favorite video…
A few years ago, I worked with a young, Black, female adolescent, named Candice*, and her mother. Candice and her family had moved from an urban city in North Jersey to a suburban community in Central Jersey. Candice’s mother was recently divorced with three children: Candice, who was 13 years old; her eight-year-old sister; and her three-year-old brother. Candice was…
As a licensed clinical social worker who works with adolescents I utilize a variety of different approaches and methods to engage them, explore ideas, discuss their experiences and struggles, and process their pain, loss and heartache. One of the methods I utilize is cinematherapy. Cinematherapy is a creative way to engage adolescents, create dialogue about life…
WELCOME TO A NEW TAKE ON OPPOSITION! A website dedicated to changing the conversation on opposition in adolescence. Oppositionality in adolescence has become synonymous with oppositional defiant disorder. Caregivers, authority figures, and institutions of authority in our society show little to no tolerance for an adolescent who opposes existing norms, rules, expectations, and the status quo…
A New Take on Adolescent Opposition 