American adolescence, as defined by Parsons, was both different from childhood, in that adolescents resisted parental pressures and developed a culture "on the borderline of parental approval in such matters as sexual behaviour, drinking and various forms of frivolous and irresponsible behaviour" unacceptable to them, and totally distinct from adult culture in that the symbols of prestige among successful adults were very different from those valued in the youth culture.
Another defining characteristic of American adolescent culture was the profound separation between male and female roles; most American girls destined to become wives and mothers. From this perspective, the division and complementarity of adolescent gender roles were functionally adapted to the positions that young adults of the two sexes would be called upon to occupy in American society.
For Parsons, "youth culture" as a whole was a functional process facilitating the transition from the security of childhood within the family of origin to full adult status in marriage and working life.