Adolescence in perspective: an examination of the variability of passage into adulthood between different societies

Abstract

This article proposes an examination of adolescence based on a debate between psychoanalysis and ethnology. Considering the variability of this passage in different societies, we present some insights taken from ethnological studies in order to understand what ensures this transition in non-Western cultures. Through this approach we expect to contribute to a better understanding of Freud’s and Lacan's perspective about puberty and its consequences in the social bond, envisioning new readings on teenage problems nowadays.