Contrary to the views of some early writers, adolescence need not be a time of great stress and conflict with parents and society. In fact, even at the height of the 1960s, the “generation gap” was not as large as it was reported to be in the press. A review is presented of factors, particularly within the family, which are predictive of good adolescent adjustment. An analogy is made between the qualities needed for effective parenting of adolescents and those needed for effective psychotherapy with adolescents.