Abstract

The present study aims to explore the topic of responsibility in two different contexts (school, family) with particular reference to the educational relationship between adults and adolescents. A total of 166 teachers and 158 parents participated to the study; they were asked to express opinions about the degree of responsibility associated to the parties concerned (themselves as teachers or parents, adolescents, environments) regarding two different stories based on conflicts that oppose the right of the "weak part" (the adolescent) to that of the "strong part" (the adult). Moreover, the subjects were asked to evaluate in a positive or negative way the behaviour of the characters of the story and to express judgements on a series of possible explanations of the difficulties characterizing the adult-adolescent relationship. The results show that the two categories of subjects express different positions. Teachers, who have to publicly respond of their actions within school, tend to escape from a position of personal responsibility, while parents express the importance of daily negotiations aimed at reaching a common understanding between themselves and their adolescent children.