Autonomy in Adolescent Development

Autonomy is a central feature of adolescent development, playing a key role in adolescents' psychosocial adjustment. However, opinions differ about the nature and definition of autonomy and so important questions regarding the role of autonomy in adolescents' development have remained unanswered. This book aims to address these questions while bringing clarity to the literature on adolescent autonomy.

Bart Soenens is professor at Ghent University, Belgium, where he teaches undergraduate courses on developmental psychology. His research is mainly about parent-child relationships and about the role of parenting in child and adolescent development.
Maarten Vansteenkiste is professor at Ghent University, Belgium. His major research interests include the study of motivation and autonomy in diverse life domains.
Stijn Van Petegem is a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Psychology and member of the Family and Development Research Center (FADO) at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland. His major research interests include autonomy, defiance, parenting, and identity development.