Reviving Ophelia

In her book “Reviving Ophelia”, Mary Pipher discusses in detail the variety of societal pressures placed on adolescent girls. She compares growing up in three generations, and how society has changed from one generation to the next, including family dynamics and societal pressures on adolescents within each generation. Mary Pipher is a psychologist and shares stories from her adolescent female patients that present with a variety of backgrounds, personal lives and stories. Students are facing so many new challenges and pressures in this generation, especially when it comes to social media and instant gratification. This has brought on a whole new realm of pressures to always be perfect and also allows for anonymous bullying. Mary Pipher brings up a point that I never would have realized, that even though adolescents may have a very busy virtual social life, they are actually quite lonely because they have decreased face-to-face interactions. The biggest take-way from this book is how important it is as a teacher to realize the pressures that adolescent girls are under and to provide support and structure for them because you may not know what is going on in their personal lives. It is also so important to establish a rapport and trust with your students so they will feel comfortable talking to you, especially if it is something that may require professional help.