The Founding And Development Of The Sociology Of Youth

Many sociologists see childhood as socially constructed; as something created and defined by society. Many argue that what people mean by childhood, and the position that children occupy in society, is not fixed but differs between different times, places and cultures. It can be seen that by comparing the western idea of childhood today with childhood in the past and other societies. It can be determined by many sociologists that there have been many changes in society that have affected children over the last 50 years, however there are several there are several different sociological views on whether these changes have been beneficial to children or not.

“Let Teen-Agers Try Adulthood” was written on May 17,1999 and published in The New York Times by Leon Botstein. The main topic of the article revolves around the Botstein’s belief that high school should be abolished and the various underlying social reasons that drive his viewpoint. The text has a clear bias for his viewpoint however those who disagree with abolishing high school can also find certain parts of the text to be agreeable. The author persuades his audience by using examples that are relevant to readers. Botstein’s writing does have great word choice for example he uses words like “adolescence, pubescent, and innocence” to describe the teen agers. Throughout the article, Botstein introduces key supporting points such as the

Sociology can be seen through three perspectives: functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism. The three perspectives are similar; they all describe how society works. However, each perspective mentions a different mechanism of society evolves. An excerpt from the book Teenage Wasteland: Suburbia’s Dead-End Kids, written by Donna Gaines, and an article from the Sociological Inquiry called “Working at Bazooms: The Intersection of Power, Gender, and Sexuality”, written by Meika Loe, can be read with each perspective applied.

“In our media-intensive culture it is not difficult to find differing opinions… The difficulty lies in deciding which opinion to agree with and which ‘experts’ seem the most credible” (Espejo 11). The perceptions of one age group in society of another age group are built upon assumptions that are made through what is visible. However, rarely is anyone willing to understand the reason behind someone’s actions. Sibling rivalry, the death of a loved one, moving to a new school, competition among peers, and the reputation adolescents have today often end up giving a misperception of society to teens and of teens to society, thus damaging the relationships between society, as illustrated by J.D. Salinger in The Catcher in the Rye.

The author supplies the idea of not working in the first paragraph with his own experience during the youth (Clausen 120); moreover, in all of the article, he utilizes plenty of examples, evidences and comparisons to enforce the topic; therefore, by means of the author’s effort, the article represent a clearly defined topic.

Young people don’t maintain the same personality, feelings and views throughout their life. At some point in their life, which very often starts during adolescence, they start looking for their true identity. The transition into becoming a more mature person may be very exciting and very uncertain at the same time. It is a process that involves many changes shaped by the family, friends, environment, community and culture. Young people become more independent, dream of living their life the way they always wanted to, they explore the world, look for new possibilities. At the same time they still ponder their personal identity, are vulnerable and easily influenced by others. They take on new responsibilities, face new challenges and make mistakes.

In most environments it is customary for the older generation to aspire to transmit values and accepted norms to the next generation. Adults take pride in the responsibility they feel to educate young people. This effort facilitates maturity and helps develop youth into successful members of the already established society. As young people mature, they become more independent thinkers and begin to evaluate the society in which they inhabit. This inspection can produce some angst in young people and concern from adults. It is in these formative moments and years that young people search for truth - not one that they inherit, but rather one they can call their own. As a consequence of this purposeful, natural, and necessary reflection, individuals

Ilocano youngsters typify the characteristics of the modern teenagers who are slowly being torn between tradition and modernization.

During the teenage years they will become responsible for their own thoughts, words and actions. A capacity for higher order reasoning will develop, and individual personalities will appear and form. They will be able to combine and classify items in a more sophisticated manner, and begin to consider their futures. Support, guidance and help, on moral, ethical, social, economic and cultural issues, at these stages of development, can have a huge

Government officials are people who make everyday decisions to make a better country, but today 's youth are of diversity and they need to be encouraged to own those future positions. Youths can have the responsibility of their community through youth councils, globalization, and agendas and prioritizing. Youth Councils are composed of young people who serve as an advisory or advocacy body to government agencies. Young people constitute a development of how they are empowered to be active citizens. Youth Councils can have an lasting impact on individuals and communities, which means young people have the power to express themselves a through diplomatic and eloquent manner. Therefore, Youth Councils give young people the ability to experience and assist local issues and learn governmental structures. The majority of today 's youth have some

The Sociological Perspective was a concept argued by C. Wright Mills was and still is a valuable tool to help people look at, understand and interpret their everyday lives and social world around them (in which they live). The argued perspective will be discussed through the use of the Sociological Imagination with the Personal Problem of Depression and the Social Issue of Child Abuse with what can be done to solve both of these ‘Dilemmas of Youth’.

Alan Greenblatt’s article “What is the Age of Responsibility” (2009) clarifies the complications within our society and government in regards to the rights and responsibilities of our youth. Greenblatt develops his clarification when he provides factual information about the laws and expectations that are pushed upon young people. Greenblatt’s purpose is to inform the reader of the issues with our justice system and our society in order for them to form their own opinion. Greenblatt uses a friendly informative tone with his reader in order to capture a young audience.

There are two main concepts in the literatures of the sociology of youth, which linked risk and young people together. The first concept is ‘at-risk’ and the term is often used to identify or describe young people who, due to difficulties and disadvantaged situations,

The intricate nature of youth means that while some argue it is a universal stage of life, it is seen by many as a formation of sociocultural elements. Social construction can be defined as something that has been shaped by the values, interests or practices of a culture or society and this is evident in the youth demographic through its revolution in recent years. The markings of youth are social in formulation; highlighting the way in which young people have been influenced by differing trends and movements. Youth is a transitional phase, its age bracket extending and blurring; transcending global divides and traditions. Thus, it is the social context that surrounds youth which suggests that it is not a universal stage of life. Ultimately, the idea of youth when viewed in a historical and cultural context as well as in relation to other socially influenced concepts such as adulthood, can be observed as a social construction.

Most of the problems facing today’s youth are not restricted to any one ethnic or religious group, but affect young people generally. Most discussions on youth have focussed on issues such as drug abuse, crime, violence, sexuality and poverty. In addition to these, today’s youth are afflicted by new challenges.