Adolescent Health and Illness Behavior: Review of the Literature and a New Hypothesis for the Study of Stress

Data from a variety of research areas are reviewed consistent with the hypothesis that attention to inner feelings and bodily changes increases awareness of an potency of distress and the prevalence of reported symptoms. The paper focuses on adolescence, a life-stage characterized by increased self-awareness and dramatic physical maturation. Increased introspectiveness is associated among many adolescents with more psychological pain and symptom reporting. It is hypothesized that discontinuities in family life and school and peer experiences, a major subclass of stressors, exacerbate self-awareness while stability and successful coping protect against painful self-perceptions.