Reconsidering adolescent subjectivity: a 'practice-near' approach to the study of adolescents, including those with severe learning disabilities

This article aims to explore new approaches to working with young people that are relevant to changed techno-social contexts. Firstly an emerging theory of adolescent development is elaborated, based on the notion of subjectivation, which takes into account new contexts and thinking about the development and experiences of young people and which is oriented towards inclusive practice. Secondly, appropriate practice-near methods for exploring and empirically assessing the applicability of this approach are discussed and applied through two examples; the first, more briefly discussed is an example from social work practice with young people in a mental health setting, while the second example, based on an observational study, focuses on the relational and emotional aspects of development of severely learning disabled young adolescents. The article concludes that the delineation of four distinct fields of subjectivation facilitates emotionally and relationally sensitive and relevant practice with young people.

Pre-publication version.
This article has been accepted for publication in British Journal of Social Work Published by Oxford University Press.