Running Away and the Treatment of the Runaway Reaction

Abstract

Running away is a time-honored method that adolescents have used to escape from parental control, sometimes with good reason, more often simply in pursuit of adventure and/or independence. In the last century “running away to sea” was a traditional method for boys to escape parental dominance. However, in recent decades running away from home on the part of the adolescents has assumed epidemic proportions, noticed particularly in suburbs and middle-class neighborhoods (Shel-low et al., 1967; Ambrosino, 1971; Chapman, 1976). It resulted in regions such as Haight-Asbury in San Francisco becoming inundated with young runaways, who were then exposed to the “hippie” culture. The runaway adolescent is often the willing or even the eager victim of the commerce in illegal drugs. This results in drug-related crime, chiefly crime to get money to buy drugs. It results in some incidence of addiction, although the addicting drugs, such as heroin, are not as widely used by runaways as are some other drugs. It results in the spread of infectious hepatitis. The epidemic proportions of running away and the resultant casual living have contribuged to the rapidly rising rate of venereal disease among the very young, and of course to the unwanted pregnancies. The runaway adolescent is typically an easy victim, particularly when attracted to drugs, as was witnessed by the discovery of the bodies of some thirty adolescent boys in Texas—the victims of sexual murders. On the other hand, the rootless and runaway adolescent or young adult may be drawn into crime, particularly by a self-righteous and charismatic leader such as Charles Manson.