This study analyzed the predominant themes in 428 personal and vicarious dilemmas, experienced by 221 adolescents of both sexes (mean age: 16.4 years). Content analyzes identified eight thematic categories. Among the personally experienced dilemmas, the more frequent categories were those related with study and work (30%), search for independence and questioning of paternal and maternal authority (25%), involvements in family conflicts - including parent’s marital problems (11%), and choice of boyfriends/girlfriends (10%). Moral issues - especially undesirable pregnancy and abortion - caused more empathy in the vicarious experience (19%), followed by search for self-government along with questioning of parental authority (17%); family conflicts and misunderstandings between parents (17%); and choice of boyfriends/girlfriends (14%). It was concluded that the daily dilemmas of these adolescents did not support the idea of adolescence as an age of great disturbance.
adolescents dilemmas; adolescence conflicts