Some claim that Mead's research was fabricated, and the National Catholic Register has even argued that Mead's findings were merely a projection of her own sexual beliefs and reflected her desire to eliminate restrictions on her own sexuality. The book has always been highly controversial, and the debates around it ideologically charged. It established Mead as a substantial figure in American Anthropology, a position she would maintain for the next fifty years. The use of cross-cultural comparison to highlight issues within Western society was highly influential, and contributed greatly to the heightened awareness of Anthropology and Ethnographic study in the USA. 'She emphatically criticized the neurosis-inducing nuclear family, including the stress of Christian monogamy, and used her Samoan material to demonstrate an alternative to premarital chastity.' (Hiram Caton, 'The Mead/Freeman Controversy is Over: A Retrospect', Journal of Youth and Adolescence 29, 5 (Oct 2000)) The book also put forward the thesis that Samoan teenagers (with greater sexual permissiveness) suffered less psychological stress than American teenagers (with stricter sexual mores). In contrast, American youth are taught to compete against each other, leaving them isolated within their own cliques. As a result, their community is much more tightly knit than that of other cultures, and the individuals themselves are more emotionally secure.

Mead's findings seemed to show that youth in Samoa are taught to grow together and strengthen the confidence of each other.

Coming of Age in Samoa, first published in 1928, is a book by Margaret Mead based upon youth in Samoa and lightly relating to youth in America.

Coming of age in samoa by margaret mead