In Conflict and Connection, Sharon Stringer offers a valuable cross-disciplinary view of how the lives of characters in fiction reflect the growth and behavioral stages of adolescents. . She demonstrates how by synthesizing literature in English and psychology, we can foster critical thinking and intensify the power of education inside and outside the classroom.
Each chapter focuses on a particular topic such as identity development, moral development, or family relations, drawing parallels between the themes of several young adult novels and like concepts in adolescent psychology. The author integrates findings from psychological studies on early and late adolescence and discusses developmental changes, signs of risk, and disturbances during adolescence.
Texts on developmental psychology are not routinely read by English teachers. Conflict and Connection reveals what would happen if they were: how teachers could help students attain clearer insights not only about character development in fiction but about life itself.