Society at large is often represented by the adults and authority figures in Holden's life, which casts the conflict of the individual vs. society as one of adolescent rebellion. For example, Holden's teachers expect him to apply himself to his studies, but he repeatedly chooses not to. Holden is an intelligent boy who loves to read, and past teachers like Mr. Spencer and Mr. Antolini see promise in him. However, Holden fails out of Pencey and deliberately chooses a topic for Stradlater's essay that doesn't match the assignment. At every turn, Holden pushes back against the adults in his life, choosing to disobey their rules and disregard their advice. He finally rebels against adult supervision entirely when he runs away to New York City.

Holden also copes with competing desires when it comes to women and sex. He is repulsed by Stradlater's cavalier treatment of the girls he dates, particularly when he imagines Jane Gallagher being taken advantage of. At the same time, Holden wishes to prove his own sexual prowess and goes as far as hiring a prostitute, though he ends up only wanting to talk to her.

Holden's conflicting desires are an honest reflection of the fits and starts of growing up, a process that Salinger portrays as exquisitely difficult, especially for a person as sensitive as Holden. Teenage rebellion may seem commonplace, but Salinger shows the reader that beneath the bravado and bad behavior lies real anxiety about how to live as an adult.