Summaries

Adolescence is the period in which the youngster makes the move from the family to the environment. With this step the family is not being left, but acquires a different meaning. In the environment peers are of special importance. The peers in the family - the siblings - function as a bridge between both worlds. In this paper I discuss the biological, psychological and social aspects of the transition adolescence entails. I pay special attention to four themes: parental control, parental psychopathology, identity development and aggression as useful emotion or problem behaviour. Practical implications are discussed.