Abstract

A questionnaire has been distributed to 537 adolescents with the aim to analyse their perceptions on personal growth, others' expectations and some elements of the social context, such as interpersonal trust, communication with parents, and values. The results highlight three different views concerning growth: the first is characterised by the perception of being mature and having good relationships with adults; the second defines the perception of adolescence as "middle age" between childhood and adulthood, anchored to the importance of relationships with peers, while the third describes the feeling of acceleration towards adulthood, characterised by the pressure to reach individual objectives and by the absence of social relationships.