Adolescence: Navigating Toward Adulthood
Overview of the Presentation
In the听fall of 2018, Theresa A. O鈥橩eefe听gave a public presentation entitled听鈥淣avigating Toward a Meaningful Life: Adolescents and Faith Formation.鈥澨齀n it she describes听adolescence as the time in life when humans first gain the capacity to think in more expansive ways and so imagine their lives beyond self-interest.听 But they are not likely to do this without prompting.听 Dr. O'Keefe argues that religious education for adolescents should provide the Christian narratives and practices that provide the ever-widening horizon of God's love and a vision of hope for the world and their lives.
Using this Resourse
This resource is a guide to using an STM Online: Encore presentation as a conversation starter with members of a faith community.听听Each part of the presentation may be used separately, in combinations with each other, or in a sequence over a period of time.听听For example, a catechetical leader might use each part of the presentation over the course of a year at meetings with catechists.听听A pastor may choose to use only one segment to encourage discussion on a related agenda item.听听鈥淎dolescence: Navigating Toward Adulthood鈥� has broad application to the experience of faith communities today.听听Consider using one or more segments with youth group leadership, high school teachers/catechists, campus ministry teams, or parents and mentors of adolescents.听
Overview:听听
O鈥橩eefe begins by examining the tasks of adolescence, which she names as developing the capacity (1) to recognize oneself as a person; (2) to see other persons as persons; (3) to recognize the relationships between persons; and (4) to interpret the world around them.
Questions for Reflection or Discussion:
1. Dr. O鈥橩eefe names four tasks at the heart of adolescence: learning to (1) to recognize oneself as a person; (2) to see other persons as persons; (3) to recognize the relationships between persons; and (4) to interpret the world around them. How do these correspond to your own sense of what the work of adolescence is?听
2. In what ways do you see yourself supporting the adolescents with whom you live or work in accomplishing these tasks?
Overview:
Drawing on insight from neuroscience, O鈥橩eefe examines the way in which the adolescent鈥檚 brain develops in its capacity to address the complex tasks of adolescence.
Questions for Reflection or Discussion:
1. Reflect back on your own adolescence. What were some of the big questions that shaped your experience of that time? And how were the questions of adolescence different from questions of childhood? from questions of adulthood?
2. How does insight into the growing complexity of the adolescent鈥檚 brain influence the way you think about engaging adolescents around questions of faith?
Overview:
Dr. O鈥橩eefe examines key challenges to听to consider when approaching the relationship between adolescence and faith or faith formation.听听Ultimately, O鈥橩eefe defines the work of faith in terms of living a meaningful life in light of the Christian call to love.
Questions for Reflection or Discussion:
1. There are many challenges facing the process of supporting adolescents in the life of faith. Which dimensions do you think are being addressed in your setting 鈥� home, school parish?听听What can be enhanced?听
2. O鈥橩eefe defines the meaningful life for the Christian in terms of the horizon set out by the Christian tradition, which she proposes is summed up in terms of the world having been made in love and for love.听听How is that helpful for your understanding your own life of faith as well as the life you are supporting for the adolescent(s) with whom you live or work?
Overview:
O鈥橩eefe points to four elements that we can provide adolescents as we support them in navigating toward a meaningful life: ways to interpret and connect, ballast in the form of the Christian tradition, practices that underpin a meaningful life, and robust relationships with non-parent adults.听
Questions for Reflection or Discussion:
1. In what way has the Christian tradition served as 鈥榖allast鈥� to keep you on an even keel in your own Christian life?听听How can we convey that to adolescents?
2. What practices have shaped your own Christian life of faith?听听In what ways might you share that with adolescents you know?
3. How can the parish be more intentional about providing adolescents with strong relationships with non-parent adults?
O鈥橩eefe, Theresa A.听Navigating toward Adulthood: A Theology of Ministry with Adolescents.听New York: Paulist Press, 2018.
Books and authors mentioned in presentation:
Gadamer, Hans-Georg.听Truth and Method.听New York: Continuum, 2004.听A German philosopher of the twentieth century; describes the role of horizon in interpreting text or world.听
Hahnenberg, Edward. 听Awakening Vocation: A Theology of Christian Call.听Collegeville, MN: Glazier Books/Liturgical Press, 2010.听听听Provides a rich description off vocation rooted in a deep understanding of the theology of grace.听
Kegan, Robert.听In Over Our Heads: The Mental Demands of Modern Life.Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1994. Describes a developmental theory of adulthood that serves as an important underpinning to O鈥橩eefe鈥檚 theory.
MacIntyre, Alasdair.听After Virtue: A Study in Moral Theory, Third Edition. South Bend IN: University of Notre Dame, 2007.
Smith, Christian and Melinda Lundquist Denton.听Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers.听New York: Oxford Press, 2005. Reports the findings from an extensive survey of US teens and parents.
Other Encore presentation by Dr. O鈥橩eefe:
"Managing Connections or Building Relationships? Teens and Digital Technology."听Presented April 22, 2016. This workshop focuses on recent research on teens and social media, with particular attention on the uses of digital technology and how those can both support and undermine relationships.