This special issue highlights how social psychology can further the understanding of important social, health, interpersonal, and intergenerational issues facing people as they age. This issue has three goals: to generate more interest in aging as an area of study for social psychologists by showcasing researchers who are currently integrating basic social psychological research with issues in aging and lifespan development; to challenge readers to think about how their research programs can interconnect with issues in aging; and to demonstrate how social psychological processes have direct application to many of the issues facing people as they age.

"Education and Career Choice" reports on a research project that offers a new perspective on post-sixteen transitions. Using an approach that combines a synthesis of secondary data with the collection and analysis of narrative accounts it describes how young people in the UK make choices at the end of their compulsory schooling. It presents a dynamic model of decision-making that is unconstrained by currently fashionable theoretical concepts and provides a thorough critique of the current state of research in this area.

"Adolescent Relationships and Drug Use" explores the communicative and relational features of adolescent drug use. It focuses on peer norms, risk, and protective factors and considers how drugs are offered to adolescents, examining such factors as who makes the offers and how they are resisted, where the offers take place, and what relationship exists between the persons making the offers and the persons receiving them. Unlike other studies of drug resistance, this work examines the communication processes that affect adolescents' ability to effectively resist drug offers. Michelle Miller and her colleagues study how personal qualities, communication skills, and relationships with others affect an individual's ability to resist offers of drugs.
This volume provides a detailed analysis of drug resistance in the context of such factors as relationships, types of drugs, family and peer group relationships, personality, and situations. It places drug use and resistance in a living, relational context, and offers the first comprehensive communication and relational approach to drug resistance. The authors argue for the development of a relational and communication competence model of drug resistance, and suggest unique approaches for future drug prevention efforts.
In describing the social and relational processes of drug resistance and then linking intervention techniques to the adolescents' relational world, this work makes a major contribution toward understanding drug use among adolescents. It informs relationship, communication, and psychology research, assists drug and health research by presenting new ways of considering the issue, and enlightens drug resistance practice by demonstrating a new approach to prevention. As such, it makes an effective and invaluable contribution to the ongoing efforts to reduce drug use among adolescents.

Includes special applications for TA with diverse populations Incorporates case examples and illustrations with test data, sample feedback letter, and call-boxes Guides reader step-by-step through all the stages of TA including the assessor's thinking processes and conceptualizations Includes handouts

From recent sex abuse scandals in the Roman Catholic Church, to arguments about faith schools and religious indoctrination, this volume considers the interconnection between the actual lives of children and the position of children as placeholders for the future. Childhood has often been a particular site of struggle for negotiating the location of religion in public and everyday social life, and children's involvement and non-involvement in religion raises strong feelings because they represent the future of religious and secular communities, even of society itself. The Bloomsbury Reader in Religion and Childhood provides a rich resource for students and scholars of this interdisciplinary field, and addresses wider questions about the distinctiveness of childhood and its religious dimensions in historical and contemporary perspective. Divided into five thematic parts, the volume provides classic, contemporary, and specially commissioned readings from a range of perspectives, including the sociological, anthropological, historical, and theological. Case studies range from Augustine's description of childhood in Confessions, the psychology of religion and childhood, to religion in children's literature, religious education, and Qur'anic schools. - Religious traditions covered include Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism, in the UK and Europe, USA, Latin America and Africa - An introduction situates each thematic part, and each reading is contextualised by the editors - Guidance on further reading and study questions are provided on the book's webpage

Traditional models of childhood need reconstructing, especially as children become more active in negotiating the boundaries between themselves and adults. Wyness argues for new, more effective conceptions of childhood, derived from analysis of recent social policy. He interprets legislation and reveals that recent children acts and educational reform exhibit a strengthening of the socialising power of adults over children. Most importantly, this book challenges a prevalent underlying conception of children as 'lesser' or 'inferior' versions of adults, a flawed understanding that still influences policy.

Les B. Whitbeck and Dan R. Hoyt begin their report on street children in the Midwest with the statement, "If you live in or have visited even a medium-sized city recently, you have seen runaway and homeless young people. They congregate in certain downtown areas and hang out in malls during inclement weather . . . Mostly, they look like the other kids. . . . The difference is that they won't be going home tonight."

This book draws on a study of over six hundred runaway and homeless adolescents and over two hundred of their caretakers from cities in four Midwestern states. It focuses on the family histories of these young people and on the developmental impact of early independence. Street social networks, subsistence strategies, sexuality, and street victimization are all considered, as well as their effect on adolescent behaviors and emotional health.

Relying on interviews and data from survey research, and working in partnership with street outreach agencies, Whitbeck and Hoyt lead the reader through the various risk factors associated with precocious independence, beginning in the family and extending to external environments and behaviors. Nowhere to Grow is an emotional account of the cumulative consequences for young people with few good options at the outset and even fewer once they are on their own.

Teenage Runaways: Broken Hearts and "Bad Attitudes" uncovers the perspectives of actual teenage runaways to help professionals, parents, and youths understand the widespread social problem of "last resort" behavior. You'll learn the real reasons teenagers run away, and you'll hear the anguished voices of the teenage runaways themselves, shattering the myth that only bad kids runaway.Teenage Runaways deflates popular misconceptions that runaways are incorrigible delinquents who want to leave home, that they make impulsive decisions to leave their families, and that they wish to never return. Reporting on a qualitative study of 26 runaways in a shelter in New England, this book reveals that many teenaged runaways leave home in search of safety and freedom from what they consider abusive treatment, whether physical, sexual, or emotional. In Teenage Runaways, you will discover valuable information about who these children are, why they are running away, and what you can do to help. Specifically, you will read about: why teenagers say they run away running away as "last resort behavior" what the experience of running away is like hope and desire for reconciliation with parents and family running away as a dynamic emotional experience for youths which reflects changes in their social bonds with peers, family, and adults in the educational, legal, and medical systems "emotional capital" from a heavily regulated authoritative environment Teenage Runaways provides you with a new understanding of teens in trouble to assist you in providing services to this needy and vulnerable population. First-hand accounts reveal the emotional motivations behind decisions to run away, such as 14 years-old Isabel who gives a painful account of what severe physical and sexual abuse feels like to an adolescent victim. Amy, also 14, tells her story of living with a mother who was extremely strict and betrayed her.

This collection brings together studies and essays which represent the best work being done in the area of qualitative research in early childhood settings. The research spans the full range of early childhood settings from infant-toddler and home day care programs to primary classrooms.

The volume is designed to appeal to scholars doing early childhood research and to graduate students and their instructors in general early childhood research courses, specialized early childhood qualitative research courses, and general qualitative research courses. Experienced scholars doing qualitative work related to early childhood will see the book as essential because, for the first time, a comprehensive treatment of this emerging area of inquiry is provided. Less-seasoned researchers will find the collection useful in providing fundamental knowledge and concrete examples to guide their scholarly development.

Gangs have spread throughout the entire sector of society, and what was once viewed as an inner-city problem can now be found everywhere, including suburbia. This guide for teenagers, their families, and impacted communities addresses the youth gang issue in understandable, manageable terms. Quotes from teens themselves provide valuable insight into the problems that can cause kids to join gangs: absent parents, the need for excitement or to belong to a group, following in the footsteps of family members who are involved in gangs. These factors and others are explored (including an examination of the workings of the adolescent mind), and sound solutions are suggested to help kids resist gang membership.

Four distinct sections bring into focus the topic of youth gangs and ways to prevent kids from joining them. Part I describes many basic issues and needs all teens and pre-teens have in common and how these relate to gangs. Part II addresses how and why certain young people enter and sometimes exit gang alliances. Part III focuses on how several integral components of the teen's life and community can work together to resolve youths' involvement with gangs. Part IV analyzes the critical influence of families and the teens themselves as they approach important life choices. Wiener's unique approach includes suggestions and comments from the young people themselves to try to bridge the gap between themselves and the adults in their lives.

In his study of children and criminality, criminologist and research analyst Ronald Flowers provides an understanding of the relationship between child victimization and juvenile delinquency as well as a comprehensive review of the literature. Assessing the effectiveness of present conceptual frameworks, modes of research, and social and legal measures, he offers recommendations for furthering professional and research efforts in the field. His analysis blends the findings of leading experts and researchers in a variety of disciplines with relevant FBI and law enforcement data. An additional feature is the "model statute" for the study, prevention, and treatment of child victimization in all of its guises.

In Your Face: Stories from the Lives of Queer Youth is a unique collection of real-life accounts that explores the lives and identities of lesbian, gay, and bisexual teens. Fifteen youths, age 14-18, bravely tell of the hardships and emotions they experience because of their sexualities. Readers will explore stories that touch on several issues, such as:
-- coming out to yourself
-- coming out to family and friends
-- dealing with the school environment
-- getting involved in the queer community
-- realizing how religion impacts one's sense of self

What is age? A simple question but not that easy to answer. "Unmasking Age" addresses it using data from a series of research projects relating to later life. This is supplemented by material from a range of other sources including diaries and fiction. Drawing on a long career in social research, Bill Bytheway critically examines various methods and discusses ways of uncovering the realities of age.

The 398 tables, graphs, and charts in this handbook focus on this growing segment of America's population. Census data are supplemented by statistics from the National Center for Health Statistics and special interest groups such as the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). A special glossary defines census and demographic terms, and relevant sources of additional data are included.

Language acquisition is a human endeavor par excellence. As children, all human beings learn to understand and speak at least one language: their mother tongue. It is a process that seems to take place without any obvious effort. Second language learning, particularly among adults, causes more difficulty. The purpose of this series is to compile a collection of high-quality monographs on language acquisition. The series serves the needs of everyone who wants to know more about the problem of language acquisition in general and/or about language acquisition in specific contexts.

The opening of the borders to Eastern Europe has expanded our view on European diversities and offered new opportunities to examine the effects of the heterogeneity in European cultural backgrounds and political systems on personality and social development. This book is a first step in utilizing the rich cultural resource offered by the large number of cultural units represented in Europe and--at least in part--in the United States.
One way to understand the life conditions of adolescents in different countries is to study what they actually do in everyday life and how much time they spend on what types of activities. This book also provides essential and new information about individual and societal priorities and values. Toward this end, the "Euronet" scientists set up a postdoctoral training workshop on adolescent psychology for 10 selected American and 10 selected European participants.
The Euronet project comprises 13 different samples--six stemming from Middle and Eastern European countries (Bulgaria, the Czechoslovakian Federal Republic, Hungary, Poland, Russia, and Romania), six from Western European countries (Finland, France, Germany, Norway, French, and German Switzerland), and one from the United States (Michigan). This book reports the results of this large, cross-national, longitudinal study of adolescents and the world(s) in which they live, and is offered to all those who have an interest in adolescence and/or the diversity of Europe. Readers will learn about hundreds of features of adolescence which are more or less characteristic of the cultures, ages, and genders.

Based on the wealth of experience gathered in the forty years of the life of the Adolescent Department at the Clinic, this covers a full range of clinical work with some of the most difficult areas of adolescence, but it also gives a conceptual framework of normal adolescence and traces the difficulties that arise when this goes wrong. Facing It Out presents new work which has not previously been fully described. The book will be vital reading for clinicians whose work includes work with adolescents. The Adolescent Department of the Tavistock Clinic in its long history has been engaging with young people and their families when the strains prove too great. In this book, staff of the Adolescent Dept examine in accessible language different clinical aspects of adolescent disturbance, exploring in particular the impact on the family. The chapters look at a range of severity of disturbance from adjustment crises to anorexia nervosa and psychosis as well as aspects of adolescent development in small families and in the formation of a sense of identity. With the exception of infancy, adolescence is the most radical of all developmental periods.

Contents:
Preface. Acknowledgments. Part I: Introduction to Leadership. Leadership: Challenge of a New Age. Leadership in Retirement -- Who's in charge now? Prelude to Organizational Change. Mapping the Structure of an Organization. Part II: Portraits of Leaders and Leadership-in-Action. Carnegie Hall - Portraits of Power. Centennial Center - Portraits of Power. Three Leaders and How They Found Their Feet. Part III: The Practice of Leadership. The Revolution - From Power to Empowerment. Transforming Leadership. Back to New Basics. References.

The volumes in this series illustrate how social organization and private, emotional experience are different phases of the social process. They show the steps by which emotional experience is shaped by social structural, macro-level processes and how these processes are changed by experience.

Women in the Hebrew Bible presents the first broad overview covering the place of women in the writings in the Old Testament.

There is no denying that friendship, however narrow or broad the definition, is dynamic and highly responsive to socio-cultural and environmental factors. Urban Youth Friendships and Community Practice highlights the greater importance of friendships in circumstances where youth have been marginalized and have limited access to instrumental resources that restrict geographical mobility or curtail their movement to limited public spaces (in which they are validated, and even liked or admired). Youth friendships are not limited to peer-networks; they can cross other social divides and involve adults of all ages. Indeed, community practice and asset assessment approaches are increasingly focusing on the relevance of strong peer relationships and networks as strengths upon which to build. Friendships, therefore, are a community asset and as such could be included as a key aspect of community asset assessments and interventions. Community organizations, schools, religious institutions, and other less-formal groups provide practitioners with ample opportunities to foster urban youth friendships. This book seeks to accomplish four goals: (1) provide a state of knowledge on the definition, role, and importance of friendships in general and specifically on urban youth of color (African-American, Asia and Latinos); (2) draw implications for community practice scholarship and practice; (3) illustrate how friendships can be a focus of a community capacity enhancement assets paradigm through the use of case illustrations; and (4) provide a series of recommendations for how urban friendships can be addressed in graduate level social work curriculum but with implications for other helping professions. Urban Youth Friendships and Community Practice is a must-have for community practitioners, whether their focus be social work, recreation, education, planning, or out-of-school programming.

The problems of studying families arise from the difficulty in studying systems where there are multiple elements interacting with each other and with the child. How should this system be described? Still other problems relate to indirect effects; namely the influence of a particular dyad's interaction on the child when the child is not a member of the dyad. While all agree that the mother-father relationship has important bearing on the child's development, exactly how to study this--especially using observational techniques--remains a problem. While progress in studying the family has been slow, there is no question that an increase in interest in the family systems, as opposed to the mother-child relationship, is taking place. This has resulted in an increase in research on families and their effects.
This volume, by leading figures in child development on families, attests to the growing sophistication of the conceptualization and measurement techniques for getting at family processes. The third in a series that aims to address topics relevant to the developmental problems and developmental disabilities of retardation, this volume is divided into two parts. Section 1 presents basic family processes and approaches for describing family dynamics. It deals with these issues from a broad perspective, including studying families at dinner, families in different cultural contexts, and the understanding of family in nonhuman primates. Section 2 looks at family processes in the service of studying families at-risk. The risk factors include poverty, malnutrition, and developmental delay and retardation. The study of family processes in these contexts provides data on family dynamics as well as how these dynamics impact on the children's developing competence. This volume will be informative for researchers, clinicians, and educators from a variety of disciplines and settings. The editors' aim is to bring a greater clarity to issues concerning the family life of children and highlight new research and possibilities for intervention.

In the half-century after 1913, approximately 5000 children were sent from Britain to Australia, Canada, and Rhodesia under the auspices of the Child Emigration Society, established by the South-African born Kingsley Fairbridge in 1909. The Fairbridge Society's child emigration scheme became the best known and most celebrated of the 20th-century juvenile migration schemes from Britain to the Imperial Dominions. This study investigates the motives for the establishment of the Fairbridge child migration scheme, examines its history in Australia and Canada, and outlines the experiences of many of the former child migrants. The book is based on material from Australia and Canada as well as archives of the Fairbridge Society in England, Western Australia and New South Wales, plus surviving records of the Society in British Columbia, and on interviews with former Fairbridge children. It aims to place the Fairbridge scheme in its historical context, and uses oral history, interviews and photographs.

Friendships are crucial to children's well-being and happiness and lay important foundations upon which later relationships in adolescence and adulthood are built. This overview of the nature and significance of children's peer relationships examines issues such as social-cognitive development; the context of children's relationships; relationship problems such as loneliness; shyness and social isolation; and methods of promoting positive relationships.