[et_pb_section][et_pb_row make_fullwidth="off" use_custom_width="off" width_unit="on" use_custom_gutter="off" padding_mobile="off" allow_player_pause="off" parallax="off" parallax_method="off" make_equal="off" padding_top_1="40" padding_bottom_1="20"][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text admin_label="Title" background_layout="light" text_orientation="center" text_font_size="52" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid" custom_padding="10||10|" text_text_color="#666666"]<strong>The Dual Life of Adolescents</strong>[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text admin_label="Content" background_layout="light" text_orientation="left" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid" custom_padding="20||20|"]<p>YTN’s research found that a majority of youth were leading a dual life, to varying degrees, with adults and especially parents.  Unfortunately their dual lives tended to lean towards the more serious end of the spectrum. Depending upon the community, school or youth organization, the range of youth leading dual lives fell between 65% and 90%.  The dual life, as defined by the youth in our sessions, is knowing how to act and what to say to adults and parents to keep things calm and then leading a very different life when apart from these influences.  While the dual life existed when many of us grew up, it was not as prevalent or as dark according to the youth we have interviewed.</p>

<p>The advent of technology, the busy schedule of parents, and the dramatic shift in the worldview of today’s adolescents have led to an explosion of young people working together to lead dual lives when apart from adults. Their strategies are fairly simple and straightforward and accomplish the goal of getting around the rules or restrictions of adults and parents.</p>

<p>This dual life begins with small compromises, which lead to larger and larger compromises as they realize they can get away with leading a dual life. As communication with their parents decreases, youth grow more distant from adults in general and develop a false sense of confidence in their own judgment.   One might expect that with such large percentages of youth leading dual lives that the issues would be so prevalent more parents would be aware of their kid’s dual life than they are today.  This is because the dual life is held in check by the fact that youth are around their parents or other adults a majority of time and can only escape into dual life activities a small percentage of the time.  The dual life is often held in check until youth leave home for work, the military or college.  This is one of the reasons why so many youth struggle in the transition to life on their own.  (Being unprepared and the belief that leaving home will be easy were discussed in the college transition research.)  Youth are free from the watchful eyes and control of parents where the dual life can take over quickly in the first days upon a college campus, in the military, or life on their own.</p>

<p>The root of the dual life appears to stem from parents’ misunderstanding and approach to the sudden changes in their kids’ attitudes and behavior as they approach adolescence.   These changes are caused by dramatic shifts within the adolescent brain that accompany puberty.  Parental response to these changes often leads to unresolved issues and increased conflict that causes youth to distance themselves from parents and begin to hide their failures. This is the first step toward a deceptive dual life.</p>[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]