"You Learn and Learn and Learn...and Then You Are an Adult": Parental Perceptions of Adolescence in Contemporary Swaziland

The developmental period of adolescence is explored in Swaziland from a multi-disciplinary perspective. The study compares early anthropological research with contemporary interviews of Swazi parents. While the Swazi language, siSwati, does not have a term for "adolescent," there is eviden...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Adolescence Vol. 38; no. 150; pp. 221 - 237
Main Author:	Booth, Margaret Zoller
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	01-07-2003
Subjects:	Adolescents Life Stage Transitions Parents Sex Socialization Swaziland
Online Access:	Get full text
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Summary:	The developmental period of adolescence is explored in Swaziland from a multi-disciplinary perspective. The study compares early anthropological research with contemporary interviews of Swazi parents. While the Swazi language, siSwati, does not have a term for "adolescent," there is evidence of a definite developmental period which could be defined as adolescence. Parents view this period as being qualitatively different from childhood & adulthood, but they also have gender-related interpretations of its nature & length. While biological maturation (especially menarche for females) is viewed as a vital step in becoming an adult, behaviors must be learned during this time (ie, "adolescence") before one is completely of adult status. 3 Tables, 29 References. Adapted from the source document.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 content type line 23 ObjectType-Feature-2
ISSN:	0001-8449