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…
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…
In my last post—“Why not opposition in adolescence—who really has a problem with it?”—I discussed the definition of opposition and its synonyms, related words, and near antonyms, all of which brought to my mind words like struggle, conflict, liberation, and power. These words came to mind because I imagined the act of opposing something or someone, how…
In my welcome post, I painted a picture of the need to see oppositionality in adolescence as a normal part of development. Oppositionality is one of the ways in which adolescents come into their own. It aids them in developing a separate sense of self, purpose, and identity, as well as valuing connections and interdependence, and it…
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 