Adolescent Communication with Adults in Authority

Adults in authority (teachers, employers, police officers, doctors, benefits officers, etc.) have been found to view adolescents as lacking in communication skills and even the motivation to communicate with them. Adolescents themselves, on the other hand, highlight issues of power and a lack of respect in causing problems in their communication with these adults. This review suggests that mutually antagonistic representations might feed into the interaction between the two groups; recommends more fine-grained research on such interaction; and argues that initiative to improve young people’s “communication skills” may serve as part of an individual-blaming agenda.