CONFLICT EXPERIENCE AND OPPOSITION IN THE TRANSITION FROM ADOLESCENCEINTO YOUNG ADULTHOOD

An earlier follow-up study with juvenile delinquents found a positive relationship between the experience of ''crisis'' during adolescence a nd aspects of ''social integration'' in young adulthood. These results bear out the principles of a dialectical developmental psychology (Ri egel, Buss, Altman), from whose point of view qualitative transition i n psychic development is linked with the experience of oppositions. An important concept in this approach is the experience of oppositions a s a necessary though not sufficient condition for the process of devel opment. To carry out further checks on this hypothesis and to achieve greater differentiation, a new follow-up study was set up over a perio d of eight years and with a broader representative sample of 820 non-d elinquent adolescents. Both in the first stage of the study and in the second (eight years later), the method used was that of the individua l survey conducted at the subject's home. The results obtained bear ou t the dialectical view, but they also point out that, when looking for any relationships between the two phases of life concerned, it is nec essary to differentiate between the oppositions both with regard to in tensity and contents.