THE VIOLENCE OF ADOLESCENT LIFE: Experiencing and Managing Everyday Threats

This article examines the experiences of 43 adolescents living in Denver, Colorado, from 1994 to 1996—the 2-year period following the peak of the youth violence epidemic. Where the dominant theories explaining inner-city violence tend to focus on disadvantaged communities, this study sampled youths from 5 neighborhoods with varying crime, poverty, family stability, and resident mobility rates. The findings demonstrate that, although most teens worried about the seemingly pervasive violence surrounding them, adolescents’ experiences with and attempts to manage violence differed dramatically. By identifying a range of violence management strategies used by individuals living in resource-poor and resource-rich neighborhoods, this study examines the way that everyday interactions within and across a variety of contexts may theoretically increase violence rates. The implications of these findings for violence research and prevention are also discussed.