Demystifying Family Treatment of the "Teflon" Adolescent

Abstract

Adolescents who appear impervious to adult injunctions, admonitions, and consequences are described. Early adolescence, immediate-family interactions, extended-family patterns, and contextual stressors converge to promote development of "Teflon " behavior in the adolescent. This article suggests a contextual family therapy approach to disrupting the Teflon behavior, including treatment of the adolescent impasse, treatment of the parental impasse, and creating a new context for non-Teflon behavior. A case example illustrates the themes developed in the article.