Navigating critical phases in adversity in youth: identification and reorientation

Abstract

The study of adversity in youth has been preoccupied with outcomes. In this paper, we argue that it is useful to shift the attention to the processes that young people go through while they struggle with adversity. Based on qualitative longitudinal data of young people in Norway, we identify critical phases in navigating adversity in youth: (1) identification of ‘what is wrong’ and (2) a subsequent reorientation, although this reorientation is not necessarily experienced as constructive, and the process as a whole is non-linear and layered. We examine the role that young people’s agency and family resources play in their navigation process. Particularly, we draw attention to the interplay of agency and resources. While agency in youth research is often recognised as ‘intentional action’, we find that agency underpins and is expressed throughout both the identification and the reorientation phases, and that their surroundings – including school, health care, friends and, most importantly, their parents – all contribute to the direction they navigate towards. We argue that when young people’s agentic identification is not adequately met or supported by their surroundings – due, in particular, to a lack of emotional support or institutional knowledge provided by parents – their process may be hindered.