Cigarettes and cannabis during adolescence: the search for identity and vulnerability in the course of consumption
The cigarette or cannabis consumption by teenagers is part of teen culture. It is a generalised experience during adolescence2. However, all teenagers have never smoked. Some young people (girls and boys) prefer only to experiment substances, others intensify gradually the frequency of use. In order to understand theses differences in tobacco and cannabis use, the article questions the parents role in the way young people react to cultural peers influence. In order to capture parents role on substances consumption behavior during adolescence, the biographic interview appears to be the most appropriate method of investigation. We carried out 42 biographic interviews with high school students who live in the regions around Paris in France. The sample was built using the snowball method. This study is original because it introduces the concept of vulnerability. The adolescent ‘s vulnerability means a situation in which he does not find with his parents a point of reference enabling him to organize his value system and define his behaviour. So, the psychoactive substances consumption during adolescence constitutes a good indicator revealing a parental dysfunction and an individual solution to face a vulnerability situation.