Psychologist reveals crucial detail Adolescence viewers might have missed

Adolescence landed on our screens just six days ago last Thursday (13 March) and it's since sent the internet into a right frenzy with many rushing to social media to shower on the praise for the 'disturbing' series.

The Netflix four-parter, which has impressively received a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score as well as bagging the 'No.1 in TV Programmes Today' slot on the streamer, stars the likes of Stephen Graham, Ashley Walters, Erin Doherty, and new talent Owen Cooper.

It follows a father named Eddie Miller (Graham) whose life is turned upside-down when his 13-year-old son Jamie (Cooper) is arrested for the violent murder of one of his female classmates - a situation which leads to the teen being assigned a psychologist named Briony Ariston (Doherty) who is called in to assess his understanding of the severe situation at hand.

We meet Briony in the third episode of the series when she brings Jamie a hot chocolate, as well as half a cheese and pickle sandwich, before the pair sit down for one of the arguably most intense and shocking pieces of dialogue in all of Adolescence.

During the chat, Jamie's character begins to unravel and viewers are given a glimpse into his dark and violent nature, with the series as a whole expertly tackling a number of extremely topical subjects like misogyny, incels, the online 'manosphere', toxic masculinity and children's safety when it comes to the internet.

Now, Jamie doesn’t admit to the crime during this rollercoaster of a conversation, but he continuously says he 'didn’t do anything wrong' - a detail in scene that appears to be of quite the significance.

And it's clear that this is something psychologist Dannielle Haig agrees with, exclusively telling Tyla that this remark is a 'crucial detail' - one that some viewers might have missed altogether.

A psychologist has broken down her analysis of the third episode of Adolescence (Netflix)

"That phrase suggests Jamie has rationalised his actions in a way that allows him to avoid feeling guilt," the expert explains.

"He might believe he was justified in what he did, or he may be struggling to differentiate between legal guilt and moral guilt."

Dannielle noted that it was possible that Jamie sees himself as the victim, adding: "Perhaps he felt provoked, manipulated, or even that he had no other choice.

"This kind of thinking is not uncommon in adolescents who have been exposed to extremist viewpoints or who lack emotional maturity. They can struggle with moral reasoning, particularly when their sense of right and wrong has been shaped by external influences rather than internal reflection."

Then, there is also the question of whether Jamie is in denial.

The expert honed in on a crucial detail during the intense dialogue between Jamie and his psychologist Briony (Netflix)

"Some individuals, particularly young people, convince themselves of a version of events that is easier to live with," the psychologist points out.

"If he believes he 'didn’t do anything wrong', it may be because accepting the alternative would be psychologically unbearable."

Dannielle resolved "This line is so significant because it challenges our traditional understanding of guilt. Admitting to a crime isn’t the same as processing it, and Adolescence forces us to consider what justice really means when the person involved may not even fully grasp their own culpability."

Adolescence is available to stream on Netflix now.

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