Nancy Lesko's "Denaturalizig Adolescence: The Politics of Contemporary Representations"

Nancy Lesko argues against the conceptualization of adolescents and the naturalization of adolescence. The definition of adolescence is between the ages of 12 to 17 and is “naturally occurring nature” that are different from those of adults and children. Adolescent behaviors are assumed to be driven by hormones and therefore, the real sources of these behaviors are overlooked. By concluding that these behaviors are simply natural and incomprehensible, it is a given that adolescents need adult supervision. However, Lesko explores a different perspective about puberty as a “lived body” that makes mind and experience distinct from the physical body.

                Lesko first examines phrases used to describe adolescence such as “coming of age” and “at the threshold”. These phrases are rather “homiletic” expressions purposely at use to convince the public that age is not only important but also absolute. Hence, it masses teenagers into a single criterion of age.

                Lesko mentions Feminist critiques of research on hormones to challenge the scientific evidences that support the conceptualization of adolescence. They criticize the paradigm in which people are driven ultimately by biological factors. The scientific knowledge in the conceptualization of adolescents argues that adolescents need to be controlled by adults because the hormonal changes in puberty are assumed to be disruptive. The result of the public acceptance of this paradigm is the current structure of the school curriculum, in which, adolescents, who are assumed to be driven by disruptive hormones, are deprived of serious tasks and responsibilities.

                Another accepted assumption that is created by politics or in other words, “confident characterization” is that adolescents are peer-oriented, which also proves that they are irresponsible. Still influenced by the conceptualization of adolescents in 1800’s, the favorable outcome from adolescence is that of 1800’s – “White, middle-class, male norm of individual autonomy”. This creates the need for adult control over adolescents and overlooks the possible sources of peer-orientation like, the division of adolescents by age. With the diminished contacts with different age groups, adolescents have no choice but to be dependent on their peers and thus become peer-oriented. Yet, adolescence is defined with peer-orientation in sciences, schools and popular culture. The assumption that adolescence is natural and is driven by hormones impacts social practices and scientific discourses. Nancy Lesko believes that this assumption makes controlling adolescence the highest priority and legitimizes dumbing down the curriculum. Only adolescents who are respectful of deadlines and instructions of the adults are given little freedom and responsibility. The purpose of this article is therefore, to illustrate how education and social scientists contribute to the construction of adolescents as natural and problematic.