10 TO 25

A psychologist counsels that the way to win young people’s hearts and minds is to treat them like grownups—after a fashion.

“By taking young people seriously and giving them the support they need to earn impressive reputations, we give them a route to status and respect.” That’s the nub of University of Texas psychology professor Yeager’s repetitive but instructive look at how adults misapprehend developing minds over the extended adolescence that lasts from 10 to 25. There’s a world of difference between the ends of that age spectrum, but they share, Yeager urges, that need to be taken seriously and treated respectfully. This isn’t the soft everybody-gets-a-trophy view, but it does go against the disciplinarian tendencies of so many adults—one a neighbor of Yeager’s in Austin, Whole Foods founder John Mackey, who complains that young people “don’t seem to want to work.” Wrong, Yeager counters: young people don’t want a mindless job with micromanaging bosses with “the enforcer mindset,” which holds people to high standards without providing much support. Just as counterproductive, Yeager holds, is “the protector mindset,” focused on keeping expectations low for young people judged too vulnerable to deal with pressure. No, Yeager counters, what’s wanted is an adult mentor who will hold young people accountable while giving them the keys to success. Yeager’s prescriptions, repeated throughout the book and reinforced with exercises, are backed by both anecdotes and a broad range of psychological studies, all pushing the notion that young people deserve to be greeted with an attitude of “inclusive excellence” and the view that they can be taught to attain their best.

An encouragement to be encouraging, and an approach that seems worth trying on the next surly teenager to come along.